On Wednesday, the man who was arrested over eight years ago in connection with the abduction of his 8-year-old daughter and her mother in South Florida was returned to court and ordered to be held without release.
At a hearing, federal prosecutors argued that Gustavo Castaño Restrepo should stay in prison because he poses a risk to both himself and the community.
In the end, the judge concurred and ordered him to be detained without bond, stating that his connections to Colombia and the possibility of a life sentence or death penalty make him a flight risk.
Last month, the FBI arrested 55-year-old Restrepo for kidnapping Liliana Moreno and causing her murder, as well as for the disappearance of Castano and Moreno’s daughter, Daniela.
What Happened in 2016?
On May 30, 2016, Moreno, from Doral, and Daniela were last spotted in or close to the Home Depot on Okeechobee Road in Hialeah. When they vanished, Daniela was eight years old and Moreno was forty-one. They have not been contacted since.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Restrepo is charged with kidnapping Moreno, which led to Moreno and Daniela’s deaths.
Moreno and her daughter got into a fight when Restrepo went to pick them up, according to detectives in 2021. He dropped the two off on Turnpike Avenue, Restrepo informed detectives.
Despite having insufficient information to warrant an arrest in the past, investigators identified Restrepo as a person of interest in the case. Detectives questioned him, but he was never charged.
According to Moreno’s relatives, Restrepo concealed his relationship with her and their child from his own wife and children during that period.
Additionally, authorities reported that they discovered a suicidal Restrepo with self-inflicted stab wounds in a parking lot a few days after the disappearance. Restrepo lost his right eye after an officer used a Taser on him during a police encounter.
On Wednesday, relatives expressed their optimism that Moreno and her daughter would still be alive.
Brother Eduardo Moreno said, “We’re still hoping and praying for the police and the FBI to find the location of them and bring them home, that is what we want.”
The judge’s decision to refuse bond in the case has saddened Restrepo’s lawyer. On November 18, Restrepo is scheduled to return to court.
Father was Jailed without Posting Bail in a 2016 disappearance of a Doral lady and her daughte