A body believed to be that of Miya Marcano, a 19-year old missing since Sept. 24, was found on Saturday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) announced.
Sheriff John Mina announced the news in a press conference Saturday. The discovery came slightly over a week after Miya Marcano was last seen alive. The OCSO Emergency Response Team was looking for Marcano around the area of the Tymber Skan Apartment complex when they found a body believed to be hers, the sheriff’s office announced.
An official identification has not been made by the medical examiner yet, Sheriff John Mina said. Authorities have notified Marcano’s family of the discovery, the OCSO reported. An official cause of death not not been determined. (RELATED: Illegal Immigrant Charged With Murder Of Iowa College Student Mollie Tibbetts)
#MiyaMarcano
Earlier today, OCSO Emergency Response Team members were searching the area of Tymber Skan Apartments off S. Texas Ave. when they discovered a body believed to be Miya Marcano. We are heartbroken & we grieve with her family. Please keep them in your prayers. pic.twitter.com/Mk7DwLrbn9— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) October 2, 2021
“Everyone wanted this outcome to be different,” Mina said.
Marcano’s family reported that she had been missing since Sept. 24 after she did not get on a flight to Ft. Lauderdale, where she was supposed to visit her family. She was last seen at the Arden Villas Luxury Apartments in Orlando where she worked and also lived, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Obviously this is not the update I wanted to give everyone today,” Mina said “Our hearts are broken.”
The OCSO found a purse with her identification inside located near the body, Mina said. The body was located around 10:45 a.m. Saturday in a wooded area near the Tymber Skan on the Lake apartments, 18 miles west of the apartment complex where she resided.
Armando Manuel Caballero, the main suspect in Marcano’s disappearance, was a maintenance worker in the apartment complex where Marcano lived. Marcano had previously rejected Caballero’s romantic advances. He was “in or near” the apartments between 8 pm and 9 pm for approximately 20 minutes the night Marcano disappeared, according to the sheriff.
Police believe that Caballero allegedly used his master key to break into Marcano’s apartment at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 and abducted her.
“We are not looking for any other people,” Mina said Saturday. “We believe pretty conclusively that Armando Caballero is responsible for this crime.”