Miya Marcano: Suspect in disappearance of missing 19-year-old found dead from apparent suicide
Missing teenager ‘repeatedly rebuffed’ the romantic interest of co-worker and suspect Armando Manuel Caballero, police say
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
A maintenance worker named a “person of interest” in the disappearance of Florida teenager Miya Marcano has been found dead.
The body of Armando Manuel Caballero was discovered on Monday after police issued an arrest warrant for burglary, as he had accessed the Orlando apartment of the missing 19-year-old without her permission.
Caballero, whose romantic interest in Ms Marcano was “repeatedly rebuffed”, used a master key to enter her apartment shortly before she was last seen alive on Friday, according to Orange County Sheriff John Mina.
“Miya is still missing … We are still doing everything possible we can to find her,” Mr Mina told reporters at an afternoon press conference on Monday.
"Her disappearance is suspicious and our detectives and the family members obviously suspect foul play," he added.
Cabellero’s body was found at his home in a Longwood apartment complex about 20 miles northwest of Ms Marcano’s apartment on Monday. Police said it appeared that he took his own life, and that he had been dead for “quite some time”.
Police said that “suspicious items” were found in both Ms Marcano’s apartment and Mr Cabellero’s apartment, but did not go into further details.
Ms Marcano was last seen about 5pm on Friday at Arden Villas apartment complex, where she lived and they both worked. Cabellero used a maintenance key fob to enter her apartment about 30 minutes earlier, police said.
A post on the Arden Villas Facebook page said Ms Marcano, who was one of their office staff members, was last seen wearing a red shirt, jeans and black hoodie.
Her father, Marlon Marconi, wrote on Instagram that her whole family was looking and would not stop until finding her and bringing her home.
“Mimi, my heart is aching. I haven’t slept or eaten in days. Where are you baby???” Mr Marconi wrote.
“I’m slowly losing my mind over here. Never have we ever gone so long without even a text message to each other. If you're able to read this message, please know that your Daddy and the entire world loves you. Please don’t lose faith. We will find you.”
Ms Marcano was reported missing after she missed a flight from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale on Friday night to visit family.
Her father told local news WESH that they last spoke on Friday afternoon, but that he did not hear from her after she finished her shift at Arden Villas.
Cabellero allegedly told police that he had last seen Ms Marcano at 3pm, an hour and a half before police say he used the apartment complex master key to enter her apartment without permission.