Miya Marcano

Miya Marcano, a 19-year-old second year student at Valencia College, went missing from her apartment at the Arden Villas in Orlando, Florida on September 24, 2021.

Background

Miya Marcano
Born	Miya Yman Maeling Marcano (2002-04-26)April 26, 2002
💀Died	September 2021 (aged 19) OrlandoSeptember 2021 (aged 19)
Resting place	Bailey Memorial Gardens, North Lauderdale
🏫 Education	Valencia College Charles W. Flanagan High School
💼 Occupation

Miya Yman Maeling Marcano (April 26, 2002 – September 2021) was from Pembroke Pines, Florida. She was the daughter of Marlon Marcano, a Trinidadian DJ known as DJ Eternal Vibes and Yma Scarbriel, a Virgin Islander (half US from Saint Thomas, half British from Tortola). She was also the stepdaughter of media personality Giselle "Wassi" Blanche. She attended Charles W. Flanagan High School. She was a regular participant in the Miami Broward Carnival. She began her studies at the University of Central Florida before transferring to Valencia College, both in Orlando. She was in her second year pursuing an arts degree and worked part-time in the leasing office of her place of residence.

Incident and investigation

Marcano had plans to travel to visit her family in South Florida on September 24, 2021. Her family grew worried when she missed her flight to Fort Lauderdale and asked the Orange County Sheriff's Office to check on her at her Arden Villas apartment. The deputy noticed her bedroom door was blocked by a dresser and that the window had been tampered with. She was last seen at 5 p.m. that day. The family drove up from South Florida, arriving in Orlando around 3 a.m. Video evidence shows they confronted Armando Caballero, a 27-year-old maintenance man whose advances Marcano had repeatedly rejected. The missing person bulletin was posted on September 25.

Caballero became the prime suspect of the case. Fob data indicated he had misused a master key to get into Marcano's apartment. An arrest warrant was issued, but Caballero was found dead from apparent suicide on September 27. Police used Caballero's cellphone records to track Marcano down. He had been at Tymber Skan on the Lake Condominiums between 8 and 9 p.m. on the night of Marcano's disappearance, about an hour before the family reached out to the OSCO.

At 10:45 a.m. on October 2 in the woodland near Tymber Skan, police discovered a body they believed to be Marcano, corroborated by a purse containing her ID near the body, and confirmed by medical examiner Dr. Joshua Stephany on October 5. She was found tied up in black duct tape in jeans, a bra, and a robe. Orange County Sheriff John Mina clarified Stephany found no evidence of sexual assault and a cause of death was yet to be confirmed, but that it was clear Caballero was responsible for her death.

The autopsy was released at the end of December 2021; Marcano's cause of death was ruled a "homicide by undetermined means". The examiner found evidence of restraint but not injuries or trauma to the body, thus they were unable to conclude exactly how the homicide occurred.

Legal action and protest

The family's attorney Daryl K. Washington stated in a press conference that this was not Caballero's first alleged incident of harassment and questioned the thoroughness of the background check he underwent. Arden Villas posted on social media that all employees are nationally vetted and that there were no past reports filed against Caballero. Washington also criticised authorities for not acting sooner; the family said they were told to wait 4 days before filing a report.

Residents of Arden Villas and the surrounding neighborhood held a protest on October 6 for the Preiss Company to its strengthen security measures.

Reactions

Marlon Marcano brought attention to his daughter's disappearance on his social media accounts, and his posts were circulated by a number of public figures in the soca world. Due to Marcano's connections to Trinidad and the Virgin Islands, her case garnered significant attention from the Caribbean community at large.

Marcano's case occurred around the same time as the killing of Gabby Petito, leading to comparisons between the two.

Memorial

Whilst she was still missing, those who knew Marcano growing up held a vigil for her in her hometown of Pembroke Pines on September 30. A vigil was held outside Marcano's apartment on October 2 and relatives flew in for support. British Virgin Islands premier Andrew Fahie and Minister Kye Rymer held a vigil in Tortola and visited her grandmother Violette "Letty" Delville-Hodge. A candlelit procession was held in San Fernando. Miami Carnival had a moment of silence for her.

The family stated they hoped to create foundation in Marcano's to advocate for restricting employees' access to people's home and the hiring process for such employees. The Miya Marcano Foundation was officially launched on October 11, and the family requested donations in lieu of flowers.

Her wake and service was held at the Cooper City Church of God on October 14 before she was laid to rest in Bailey Memorial Gardens in North Lauderdale.

See also

• List of solved missing person cases
• List of unsolved murders

References

This article "Death of Miya Marcano" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Death of Miya Marcano. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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