Man faces fatal kidnapping charges in 2016 disappearance of woman and daughter in Florida
A Florida man could be sentenced to life in prison or death if convicted in the disappearance of his daughter and her mother who were last seen in May 2016.
Gustavo Alfonso Castano Restrepo, 55, has been charged with kidnapping resulting in death, the United States Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida announced in a press release Oct. 29.
The victims, Liliana Moreno and her mother, Daniella Moreno, were 8 and 42 years old when they went missing on May 30, 2016. They were last seen near a Home Depot located in Hialeah Gardens, about 25 miles northwest of Miami, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Restrepo is accused of kidnapping 8-year-old Liliana, and "the kidnapping resulted in the deaths of Liliana Moreno and Daniella Moreno."
A lawyer representing Restrepo was not able to comment on the case Monday afternoon. The defendant has an arraignment, a pretrial detention hearing and a counsel hearing set for Wednesday morning.
Investigation led authorities to a warehouse
In addition to the FBI, the Miami-Dade Police Department Homicide Bureau and the Doral Police Department asked for help finding the mother and daughter when they went missing.
Family members told the Miami Herald back in 2016 that Restrepo was married to another woman when his daughter was born. He and Danielle met through work.
Moreno’s sister in Colombia contacted authorities and said she hadn't heard from her, reported the Miami Herald. Investigators looked into her disappearance and inside her apartment, they found her purse and wallet. Her car was also at the home and the front door was locked, the newspaper reported. Investigators also learned that the girl had not been attending school.
Authorities searched for the mother and daughter to no avail, the Herald reported. Restrepo was noted as a person of interest and days after the pair disappeared, officers found him in his truck in a Home Depot parking lot. He was trying to drink a toxic substance and stabbed himself in the neck.
While trying to take him into custody, an officer used a taser, which hit him in the eye, partially blinding him.
Authorities also announced in June 2016 that the investigation led them to a warehouse in Medley, about 15 minutes from Doral.
If Restrepo is convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of life in prison and a maximum sentence of death, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Authorities ask that anyone with information about the case contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or file a report at www.tips.fbi.gov/home.
This story has been updated to fix a reference to the United States Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].