MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A man allegedly involved in the haunting disappearance of an 8-year-old girl and her 43-year-old mother back in 2016 returned to court Wednesday for a federal detention hearing.
Gustavo Alfonso Castaño Restrepo appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eduardo Sanchez, who ruled that he will remain in custody pending further proceedings.
Castaño Resrepo, now 55, who has long been suspected of orchestrating the abduction and likely deaths of Liliana Moreno and their child Daniella, has been charged in connection with their disappearance, and prosecutors say the evidence against him is mounting.
The Alleged Abduction and Disappearance
Castaño Restrepo, a general contractor who once had a family that included two children from a previous relationship and one daughter with Moreno, is accused of a chilling plan to rid himself of the pair after having an affair with Moreno that investigators say led to a series of personal losses.
Authorities said in 2006, Castaño Restrepo, already married, began an affair with Moreno, which led to her pregnancy and the birth of Daniella.
However, Castaño Restrepo reportedly denied any responsibility for the child, stating that he was already committed to his family. Despite their separation, Liliana and Castaño Restrepo rekindled their relationship years later when Castaño Restrepo agreed to pay child support for Daniella.
By 2016, Castaño Restrepo’s marriage had dissolved, and he was facing financial and personal turmoil. Prosecutors claim it was in this environment that Castaño Restrepo devised a plan to eliminate Moreno and Daniella, motivated by both his financial struggles and his unwillingness to be tied to them.
The Reported Abduction
On May 28, 2016, authorities said Castaño Restrepo invited Moreno and Daniella to dinner at a restaurant in Hialeah Gardens. Following the meal, he drove them to a warehouse unit he had rented in Medley, which prosecutors believe was part of a strategy to desensitize them to the location in case he needed to use it in the future.
Two days later, on May 30, 2016, Castaño Restrepo allegedly lured Moreno and Daniella to the warehouse once again.
Prosecutors believe it was during this window that he kidnapped the two women, likely killed them, and disposed of their bodies in a manner that has yet to be determined. Authorities have never recovered their bodies, but they are confident that they are deceased, citing evidence of Castaño Restrepo’s actions, his false statements to police, and his subsequent attempts to cover up the crime.
The Investigation
Prosecutors claim on May 31, 2016, Castaño Restrepo’s behavior became increasingly suspicious.
After the disappearance of Moreno and Daniella, he initially lied to the police about his whereabouts and his involvement.
In a statement to investigators, Castaño Restrepo claimed he had dropped Moreno and Daniella off at a Home Depot near the warehouse before returning to his business. However, detectives said surveillance footage and SunPass records directly contradicted his version of events, showing that his vehicle had gone to the warehouse, not Home Depot, after dropping them off.
Furthermore, prosecutors told a judge investigators revealed that Castaño Restrepo had visited a neighboring business to inquire about their surveillance cameras just hours before the woman’s disappearance. Castaño Restrepo also allegedly stole a video recorder that same day from a nearby unit to eliminate any evidence of his actions.
Records show detectives had already seized Castaño Restrepo’s cellphone and Moreno’s when they found another cellphone in his pickup truck after a suicide attempt with a box cutter on June 2, 2016. The detectives also found suicide notes. One was for a detective: “Mr. Villano, you were right.”
Moreno’s brother, Eduardo Moreno, told Local 10 News five years later that he had faith that his sister and niece were still alive, and he added that while his family had made every effort to find them, Castaño Restrepo had never offered to help them.
FBI Special Agent Dave Clancy offered a $25,000 reward. Last year, the FBI also paid for over a dozen digital billboards with their photos and Clancy told Local 10 News that they were cooperating with law enforcement agencies in Colombia.
A federal grand jury indicted Castaño Restrepo and he is facing one count of kidnapping resulting in death. After the arrest, Eduardo Moreno told Local 10 News that news of his arrest was “really shocking and unbelievable.”
Prosecutors’ Case: A “Clear and Convincing” Argument
During Wednesday’s detention hearing, federal prosecutor Dwayne Edward Williams presented a compelling case against Castaño Restrepo.
According to Williams, there is “clear and convincing” evidence that Castaño Restrepo is not only a “danger to the community” but also a “risk of flight.” His connection to Colombia, where he emigrated from, adds to the concern that he might attempt to flee if released.
The prosecutor outlined several key pieces of evidence, including Castaño Restrepo’s lies about the last place he saw Moreno and Daniella, his failure to explain what happened at the warehouse, and the evidence suggesting that he took deliberate steps to eliminate evidence.
Investigators also noted that Castaño Restrepo had told Liliana’s family that they would “find out what happened to Liliana and Daniella” in his will, further raising suspicion about his involvement in their deaths.
Castaño Restrepo’s defense team, led by attorneys Philip Louis Reizenstein and Frank Gaviria, attempted to counter the prosecution’s assertions.
They pointed out discrepancies in the prosecution’s theory of the crime, arguing that the evidence presented is largely based on inferences and theories rather than direct testimony or concrete facts.
For example, they disputed the claim that Castaño Restrepo’s choice of restaurant and his visit to the warehouse was part of a premeditated plan, instead arguing that these actions were simply routine.
“We are disappointed but we think we had a fair hearing and I know the judge has a job to do and I think he did it conscientiously,” said Reizenstein.
“It is very difficult to get a bond in a case where two people are dead and one of them is a child but the fact of the matter is this is a case that appears to be fairly circumstantial and it is built to be upon just a couple of assumptions by the government,” added Reizenstein. “Now, maybe those are true, maybe they are not, we don’t know. It is very early we don’t have a right yet to see any of the evidence or discovery. We understand now what we think their case is and we are going to go about defending our client it is as simple as that.”
Reizenstein further argued that Castaño Restrepo’s statement about feeling “guilty” or “sad” could be interpreted in a variety of ways, including as a natural response to the disappearance of his lover and daughter, rather than an admission of guilt.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Closing Statement
In his closing remarks, federal prosecutor Dwayne Edward Williams summarized the evidence against Castaño Restrepo, emphasizing the seriousness of the charges.
The evidence is “extremely persuasive” that he killed them, Williams said.
Williams believes he had a motive as the last person to see them, lied about where he last saw them, and evidence will show he took them to his warehouse unit, where they have never been seen since.
Williams also pointed to Castaño Restrepo’s actions in the days following the disappearance, including his attempt to cover up evidence by stealing surveillance video and his unexplained behavior when questioned by police.
What’s Next: Pre-Trial and Arraignment
The FBI agent leading the investigation into the disappearance of Liliana and Daniella Castaño also testified, offering key insights into the case and defending evidence that contradicted Castaño Restrepo’s statements.
Special Agent Ryan Dreibelbis, who was sworn in as a witness, explained how Castaño Restrepo, provided two separate statements to authorities in 2016 — one to Doral police and another to Miami-Dade police. However, those statements were inconsistent with key evidence, including SunPass data and photographs, according to Dreibelbis.
“There is evidence he had a plan to get rid of Liliana and Daniella,” Dreibelbis said during questioning by the prosecution.
The defense attempted to challenge the FBI agent’s testimony, questioning whether the prosecution’s claims were based on unsupported theories rather than factual statements.
Specifically, the defense asked if Castaño Restrepo’s actions, such as choosing a restaurant near a warehouse, were derived from his statements, to which Dreibelbis responded, “Evidence indicates that’s what he was trying to accomplish.”
At the heart of the case is Castaño Restrepo’s conflicting account of the last time he saw the victims.
Castaño Restrepo claimed he dropped them off at Home Depot and never saw them again, but Dreibelbis dismissed this as a lie, emphasizing that the defendant’s misstatement about their whereabouts was significant. “The fact that your client lied about the last place he saw them is important,” Dreibelbis said.
Defense attorneys pushed back, suggesting that Castaño Restrepo’s statement should be considered a mistake rather than a deliberate lie. “He provided a location, so he must be correct. What if they walked outside the camera’s range?” the defense argued.
However, Dreibelbis was firm in his belief that Castaño Restrepo’s claims were not accidental. “He was told it was an investigation to find his daughter, so he should have gotten it right,” Dreibelbis said. “I don’t think he made a mistake; I think he lied.”
In contrast, defense attorneys raised doubts about the evidence, focusing on the lack of definitive proof regarding the manner and cause of death, as well as the possibility that Castaño Restrepo may not have been involved in their deaths at all.
Judge Sanchez ruled that Castaño Restrepo will remain in custody ahead of his pre-trial proceedings, which are set to continue in the coming weeks. A hearing to determine his arraignment has been scheduled for Nov. 18.
If Castaño Restrepo is convicted of the charged offense, the mandatory minimum sentence is life in prison and the maximum penalty is death.