Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Daniela Moreno









Daniela, date, approximate 2016; Age-progression to age 10 (date, approximate 2017); Gustavo Castao
Date Missing 05/30/2016
Missing From
Hialeah Gardens, Florida
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Hispanic
Date of Birth 10/04/2007 (15)
Age 8 years old
Height and Weight 4'0, 50 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description An orange shirt, blue shorts and blue shoes.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Daniela's nickname is Dany. Her ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance Daniela and her mother, Liliana, were last seen in Hialeah Gardens, Florida on May 30, 2016. They have never been heard from again. Liliana's sister, Yamileth Moreno Ramirez, reported them missing on May 31 after she was unable to reach them and found out Daniela hadn't been to school in almost a week.
When police checked the Morenos' apartment at 107th Avenue and northwest 50th Street in Doral, Florida, they found the door locked and Liliana's Toyota Corolla parked outside. Liliana's purse, wallet, passport, driver's license and credit cards were in the apartment, and there was food sitting out on the stove.
Police stated the state of the apartment lead them to believe Liliana and Daniela had left in a hurry. Although there were no indications of a struggle, investigators immediately suspected foul play was involved in the because they didn't believe Liliana would have left her purse and identification behind.
Gustavo Alfonso Castao is suspect in the Morenos' disappearances. He was the last person to see them before they disappeared. A photo of him is posted with this summary. He knew Liliana because they worked in similar fields, he in construction and she in architecture.
He is Daniela's biological father, but he stated he never had a romantic relationship with Liliana. Castao stated they maintained a cordial relationship in order to co-parent Daniela effectively.
Liliana's family stated Castao was married to another woman when Daniela was born, and that he had only recently become involved in his daughter's life. They described Liliana's relationship with Castao as "stormy" and stated he'd threatened to hurt her or her family, all of whom live in Colombia, and that she'd contacted the Colombian consulate with concerns about Castao.
Castao stated he met with Liliana and Daniela at their apartment at 11:00 a.m. on May 30, and that Liliana was cooking at the time and invited him to share the food. He declined and asked them to come with him to the Home Depot. He said he got into a heated argument with Liliana while he was driving them there, and she asked him to pull over and let them out.
Castao dropped them both off near the Florida Turnpike and Okeechobee Road. This was the same area where they'd had lunch two days before. Castao said Liliana scratched his right forearm as she was getting out of his van.
He drove to the nearby warehouse where he worked, did some work there, then turned around and went back to the place where he'd dropped Liliana and Daniela off, but they weren't there anymore.
Castao said he never saw Daniela and Liliana again. He called Yamileth in Colombia the next day to ask if she knew where Liliana was, something Yamileth found strange, since he had never called her before.
Yamileth contacted some of Liliana's friends in Florida and asked them to check up on her and Daniela. Later that day she reported them both missing.
Castao's warehouse is also in the area where he supposedly dropped the Morenos off. It was burglarized shortly after they disappeared, and a neighboring business, Discount Prints was also burglarized at the same time.
Discount Prints had a closed-circuit surveillance system and cameras installed on the outside of the building; the only item stolen from the business was a digital video recorder (DVR). The owner of Discount Prints said that on May 31, Castao had gone to the business, asked about the surveillance system and inspected the DVR that was later stolen.
Castao's cellular phone records indicate he was in close proximity to his warehouse at the time it was burglarized. Police found some paperwork relating to Liliana in a dumpster near the warehouse.
On June 2, Castao contacted and spoke to various relatives from Miami, Florida through New Jersey, telling them he loved them, and he gave $5,000 and a new credit card to his ex-wife. He also rented a van from Home Depot in Hialeah Gardens.
Concerned that he might be planning to harm himself, police issued a county-wide BOLO (be on the lookout) bulletin for him and the rental van.
At 11:40 p.m. Castao was located in a distraught state inside the van, in the parking lot of the Home Depot he'd rented it from. He inflicted superficial cuts on his neck with a box cutter as law enforcement officers arrived on the scene. The police subdued him with a Taser. One of their Taser shots hit him in the face and Castao lost his right eye as a result.
Daniela was a student at John I. Smith K-8 Center at the time of her disappearance. Investigators believe she and her mother were murdered, but no one has been charged in their disappearances.
Investigating Agency
Miami-Dade Police Department
253-852-2121
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
NamUs
The Miami Herald
Local 10 News
CBS Miami
NBC Miami
The Daily Mail

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos