PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - The family of the student from South Florida who was found dead in Orlando days after she went missing said they are determined to find answers, as residents at the apartment complex where the victim lived and worked expressed concerns about their safety.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Saturday afternoon that they had located the body of 19-year-old Miya Marcano in a wooded area near another apartment complex.
Speaking during a news conference on Sunday, loved ones said they want accountability and to ensure a full investigation is carried out.
“Now we are focused on making sure there is justice for Miya,” said the victim’s cousin, Caili Sue.
The search for Marcano may be over, but Daryl Washington, her family’s attorney, said the fight for answers is just beginning.
“Death is something that is very difficult, but what makes death even more difficult is when it’s death that could be prevented,” he said.
Washington and Marcano’s family said their current focus is on Arden Villas, where the student lived.
“We do believe that there was negligence that took place. There was negligence in entrustment. There was negligence in hiring, so there is some liability on the part of this apartment complex,” he said.
It was there where, investigators said, Armando Caballero, the apartment’s maintenance worker, used a master key to break into Marcano’s apartment, Sept. 24.
Authorities said Caballero later killed himself, and Marcano’s body was found near a location where he once lived.
Officials with Arden Villas said they have increased security.
However, Marcano’s family said people who live there are now scared to go home.
“We’ve had the opportunity to talk to young girls who are college students, young girls who are tenants at the Arden Villas Apartments, and people are living in fear because what happened to Miya could have easily happened to one of them.”
Since Marcano’s death, mourners have left flowers, stuffed animals and heartfelt messages at a growing makeshift memorial at Pembroke Pines High School, where she was once a student.
As for her family in Orlando, they said they won’t stop until whoever is responsible is held accountable.
“There has not been a lawsuit that has been filed at the current moment, but I will tell you the family is currently looking at every legal remedy that is available to them,” said Washington.
Investigators said Caballero is the sole suspect in this case, but as of Sunday night, they have not specified how Marcano died.
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