Family of missing Colorado Springs 21-year-old last seen in Teller County asks for help

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Maria Castaneda knew something was wrong when her brother, Eduardo "Lalo" Castaneda, didn't text her Tuesday.

Maria said he contacted her every day, so when she still hadn't heard anything from him Wednesday, she knew he was missing.

"He always talked to me," Maria said. "No matter how bad it was, he came home. When I did not hear for him for one day, I knew something was wrong."

Lalo was last seen Monday morning between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. in Woodland Park. His family said he was coming back to Colorado Springs from Cripple Creek, where he went to the casinos with friends.

But Lalo never made it home.

Nearly 30 families and friends gathered around Lalo's truck Friday, which hasn't moved since he went missing, and spoke exclusively to 13 Investigates. They shared personal stories about what makes the 21-year-old special.

Maria's own son reminds her of her younger brother Lalo in all the best ways.

"He was my other half," Maria said. "He was like the light of everything. Even if somebody was mad at him, he would still make sure to make them laugh. He would make them happy."

Lalo's ability to make people laugh seems to be his best talent.

"Even in sad situations, he always finds a way to crack a joke," said Adrian Aviles, Lalo's cousin. "Any situation at any time, there is never a quiet moment."

It was this infectious attitude that led to an unlikely friendship with his barber, Tyler Cook.

"Those are the type of people you want around — the people that you can create so many memories with," Cook said. "Those memories they turn into that person not only being your friend, but also like your brother."

But despite his very large family and many friends, Lalo's closest companion is his dog.

"I'm always going to take care of his pride and joy, which is his dog, his world," Maria said. "He couldn't live without her. He never let us get rid of her. He always texted me, 'Please take care of her.'"

Lalo was often out with friends but always came home. It's why so many are surprised he's missing.

"For him to be missing or anything else like that, it's not normal," Cook said. "You can understand the hurt that not only his family has but his friends too as well."

On Thursday, the Teller County Sheriff's Office closed Highway 67 after finding a body along the road between Divide and Cripple Creek. The sheriff's office is currently investigating it as a suspicious death. However, it will not confirm if the body is Lalo's.

Gracie Nowlan, who Maria said is Lalo's soulmate, was the last one to see him before he left for Cripple Creek. She said he had the biggest heart.

"He would have done anything for his friends, his family, his dogs. He would have dropped anything to go help someone that he loved," she said.

Family and friends said they have not been notified if body is Lalo's, but they fear the worst.

"I know it’s difficult what we are going through, but I am going to remember him for the person he was," said Lolo Castaneda, Lalo's father, in Spanish. "He was my right hand man, and will continue to be. He will be watching over me from heaven.”

An autopsy of the found body on Monday could bring more answers, even if it's the ones the family is afraid to hear.

"I just want to say my heart will not be the same," Lolo said in Spanish.

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