Police chief releases detailed report on Miya Marcano’s murder

Florida authorities have closed the case against the 19-year-old Miya Marcanowho was kidnapped and murdered in September 2021.

In one The report is 135 pages long Announced Tuesday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office records multiple interviews with the family and friends of the deceased woman, who disappeared just hours before she was scheduled to board a flight. from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale.

The report also includes interviews with friends and family of a 27-year-old maintenance man Armando CaballeroThe only suspect in the case and the alleged murderer of Marcano, who will not be charged because of him. Suicide days after authorities began questioning.

In the late morning hours of September 27, 2021, deputies from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office answered a 911 call and found Caballero dead and “hanging inside a maintenance shed,” reports record. The suicide happened less than three days after Marcano went missing initially – although her body will never be found until the beginning of October in a “woody area” near the alleged killer’s former apartment.

However, law enforcement had two separate interactions with Caballero before his death and after the Marcano investigation began, the report pointed out.

During Deputy OCSO Samir PaulinoThe third time he arrived at the Arden Villa apartment complex just before 4 p.m. on September 25, 2021, multiple family members of the victim were at the scene and showed him additional evidence that they believed he was. missed the first two times. . While Paulino was in the parking lot, a security guard pointed out Caballero’s silver Ford Fusion.

“Paulino asked Armando if he knew what was going on and Armando said he was currently on the phone with a female colleague, Tatiyonna Shanks, who informed him that Miya was missing, which is why he reacted to the apartment complex at the time,” the report reads. “Armando pointed out that he and Miya are just friends and understands the allegations the family is making against him regarding his past interest in Miya.”

During this interaction, Paulino was dragged to the side of a security guard, Jacoby Coleman, who “explained to him that the family observed a screwdriver in his pocket, a phone case on the floor, and an unidentified blanket in the back seat of the Armando,” the report reads. Items believed to be in the possession of Caballero were not tracked by OCSO at the time.

After the initial discussion, Marcano’s aunt stepped up and began “accusing Armando of sending a haunting text to Miya to say he had feelings for her” and tried to give her some money. cut throat. There was some back and forth between the Marcano family and Caballero in response to their allegations before Paulino “separated them and continued the investigation” at the complex.

This time, the vice president asked the family to inspect a door leading to the maintenance office, where security is said to have heard some sort of noise. After asking Caballero if he had access to the area and it was confirmed, the suspect eventually led the deputy and two other deputies through the door and the rest of the building was connected to it but found nothing.

“Paulino asked Armando to leave the apartment complex because there was no legal or probable reason to detain or arrest him at the time,” the report concluded of that first interaction. .

The second law enforcement interaction with Caballero occurred the way of the Casselberry Police Department.

Four members of Marcano’s family walked out of the apartment suspected of being the killer in Winter Park, Fla. Later that evening and found him “unloading various items” from the backseat of his car while “carrying blue latex gloves (medical grade), a dark book bag handbag and an unidentified pink multi-colored blanket returned to his apartment,” according to the report. At about 8:45 p.m., a 911 call was made.

Just before 9:00 p.m., CPD Officer Chad Shepard came and “meet Miya’s family, Armando, his roommate Kenny Rodriguez Torres, and another unnamed friend of Armando, who was present in the apartment,” the document notes.

The report describes the extent of that second interaction:

Shepard Police have indicated to Miya’s family that he has limited ability to assist as this is a disappearance case of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. He added that he could not force Armando to allow him to search the residence. While at the scene, an unidentified male member of Miya’s family approached Armando and asked to search his residence to make sure Miya or the blanket was not inside. Armando agreed to allow this person to enter with him and in the presence of Officer Shepard to observe his surroundings. After walking through and searching the property, and not finding anything of probative value, family members, Armando and Officer Shepard cleaned the apartment.

Less than 45 minutes later, Caballero was on the field.

“Shepard Police have notified Miya’s family to notify the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and provide them with updates they obtained through their surveillance,” the report continued. “He also directed them not to return to Armando’s residence and allowed law enforcement to continue their investigation.”

Included in the report is the last known image of the victim alive. The description of that image culled from inaccurately time-stamped security footage shows her walking out of the rental office at the apartment complex around 5 p.m. on the day she disappeared:

Miya is observed wearing black shoes, blue jeans, a maroon Preiss corporate shirt, a black hooded jacket and carrying a red and white purse. She was using her mobile phone and was holding a yellow rose as she walked out of the rental office. It was later determined that the rose in her possession had been given to all female employees earlier in the day by another individual unrelated to this case and the same rose that her family had given her. put it in the trash that night.

The lengthy report also contains many details about the relationship between the deceased college student and the man believed to be her killer, including DNA evidence from one of Marcano’s t-shirts, a t-shirt. bloodied pillows and two other items identifying him as “probably a contributor. ”

“At this time, no investigative action has been taken in this case and all evidence indicates that Caballero acted alone in the kidnapping and murder of Miya Marcano.” concluding report.

The OCSO report can be read in full below:

[image via Orange County Sheriff’s Office]

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