Arrest made in 2016 disappearance of Doral mother, daughter
MIAMI - An arrest has been made in the disappearance of a Doral mother and her daughter more than eight years ago.
During a hearing on Tuesday, Gustavo Castano Restrepo was charged with two counts of kidnapping resulting in death. If Restrepo is convicted, the mandatory minimum sentence is life in prison and the maximum penalty is death.
Liliana Moreno and her 8-year-old daughter Daniela vanished without a trace in May 2016. Restrepo is the girl's father and Morena's ex-boyfriend.
Liliana and Daniela Moreno had lived together in a condominium at N.W. 50th St. and 107th Ave. They were last seen in Doral on Memorial Day.
The following night a worried sister from Colombia called the police. They found the front door of Moreno's Doral condominium locked. Her passport, driver's license, credit and debit cards were there along with her car in the parking lot.
During the course of the investigation to find Moreno and her daughter, Miami-Dade Police using dogs have scoured land and water. Detectives also checked driver's license databases and looked for new bank accounts. Investigators also checked with U.S. Border Patrol to see if there were any signs of her leaving the country.
Nothing uncovered a clue to their whereabouts.
At the time, police said Restrepo was their only person of interest.
Restrepo told detectives he dropped them off near a Home Depot off Okeechobee Road near the Turnpike. It is the same area where Miami-Dade Police confronted a suicidal Restrepo in his rental truck after he stabbed himself in the neck. Police used a Taser on his face and he lost his right eye. Police say Resrepo told them he had nothing to do with the disappearance of Liliana and Daniela.
Police remained skeptical.
Restrepo's attorney at the time said his client wanted nothing more than to see the two of them back home safe.
CBS News Miami spoke with Eduardo Moreno, who says he has been on a mission to find out what happened to his sister Liliana and her daughter. He told us he was gratified by the arrest and thought it might not happen.
"For us, this is something unbelievable and this was not expected to happen. To hear that he is under arrest is a surprise. They were so cheerful and she was always working. She did everything great and then she disappeared. We still don't know where they are or where they are," he said.
"More than an arrest, we want to know what happened to my sister and my niece. So far we don't know. We are waiting for answers and we don't have it."
In an appearance in federal court, Restrepo said he was in the process of hiring an attorney.
He is being held pending another hearing on Friday about his pre-trial detention. The U.S. Attorney's office said that if he is convicted, he would face a minimum term of life in prison and could receive the death penalty as the maximum sentence.