Major breakthrough in cold case of mum who mysteriously disappeared with young daughter eight years ago
A CHILLING cold case has finally seen a major breakthrough after eight years of unanswered questions.
Cops launched an investigation back in 2016 after a mum and her young daughter mysteriously vanished and were feared dead.
Gustavo Castaño Restrepo, 55, has been charged with kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and daughter resulting in their death.
The Florida man appeared in front of a federal judge on Tuesday for a hearing after he was indicted.
Restrepo is accused of wilfully and unlawfully snatching Liliana Moreno, 43, and eight-year-old Daniella Moreno back on May, 20, 2016, an FBI spokesperson told MailOnline.
He could face the death penalty if he is found guilty on both counts with the mandatory minimum sentence being life behind bars.
The alleged kidnapper is currently being held in a pre-trial detention centre in Miami.
The next hearing will take place at Miami Magistrate Court on Friday.
Miami police were first told to look into the mother and daughter’s disappearance 11 days after they were last seen or heard from.
Liliana’s sister in Colombia phoned cops as a squad drove round to the mum’s condominium in Doral.
Once at the property they found the front door was locked as usual with no signs of a break-in or a rushed exit.
Liliana’s passport, driver’s license and credit cards were all still safely inside and her car was parked up outside in its usual spot.
An investigation was later launched when concerns increased when the pair weren’t seen for a further few days.
Daniella had also not been at school since the previous Friday.
Both of them were last seen at a local Home Depot store after they went on lunch with Restrepo, claimed his then lawyer.
Police and state wildlife officers spent weeks searching the area which included a nearby forest and a canal behind the store.
Restrepo’s warehouse where he worked was also near to the search area.
Despite the intense hunt for clues investigators were left following little leads but did believe foul play was a likely option with Restrepo the main suspect.
Weeks after the disappearance was first noted by cops Restrepo returned to the Home Depot store and was approached by police.
Officers claim he was acting erratically and believed he was feeling suicidal after the alleged abduction.
They saw him sat in the parking lot inside a rented truck and say he stabbed himself in the neck in front of officers.
Cops reportedly hit him with a Taser which left Restrepo without the use of his right eye.
At this point, police say Castano told them he had nothing to do with the disappearance of Liliana and Daniela.
Lilana’s brother, Eduardo Moreno, has told CBS News Miami: “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.”
Eduardo has said the arrest is a good start but he still wants answers as to what happened to his family.
Since the investigations started Restrepo has moved on and found a new wife.
He is believed to have kept the investigations around the kidnapping a secret from his partner.