Miya Marcano’s family criticizes investigation, release new details of woman’s death
The family of Miya Marcano, an Orlando woman who was likely killed by a maintenance worker at her apartment building who had been stalking and harassing her, lambasted law enforcement’s investigation Wednesday.
The family accused the Orange County Sheriff’s Office of not taking the 19-year-old’s disappearance seriously after it was reported in late September, according to the Orlando Sun Sentinel.
After she missed a flight on Sept. 24, Marcano’s family called the sheriff’s office to request a welfare check. A deputy who entered her apartment found a number of suspicious things like a “tampered with” window and a dresser blocking her bedroom door.
“The deputy communicated to Miya’s mother that based on the condition of the room, it appeared something happened, however the deputy left, and the family didn’t hear back with any information about what the deputy intended to do,” Jodi Lewis, a spokesperson for the family’s attorney, Daryl K. Washington, said in a statement.
The family is convinced deputies brushed off their concerns and on Sept. 25 were told by another deputy that theirs wasn’t a high priority case.
A video released by the family Wednesday includes “prime suspect” Armando Caballero driving away after being briefly questioned by police and confronted by Marcano’s family about texts he had sent her. Caballero was found dead from a suspected suicide days later after police learned he had used a master key to enter Marcano’s apartment.
Marcano’s body was found in a wooded area behind Caballero’s apartment building Oct. 2 after investigator’s looked at the man’s cell phone data. Washington’s office told Click Orlando that the woman’s feet and wrists were bound by tape and her mouth was covered when she was found.
According to the sheriff’s office, “the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.”
