ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) - The attorney representing the family of Miya Marcano released some new disturbing details about the discovery of her body.
While it has not been confirmed by law enforcement, Daryl Washington said that Marcano was found bound with tape around her ankles, her feet and across her mouth.
“We’re learning that the guy had tape across her mouth. He had the wrists taped and her feet taped together,” he said. “It just gives me another pause because I don’t have enough information to know whether Miya was actually alive when she left the apartment.”
The family’s attorney, as well as others, said that the maintenance man who had been implicated by police in the tape had a disturbing background and the apartment complex where Marcano lived should’ve known that.
Back in March, a woman at a Seminole County apartment complex where Armando Caballero used to work called police when someone threw a 5-pound dumbbell through her window.
She said she recently turned down a date with a maintenance man named Armando, and she suspected he was the culprit. He was never charged.
Last week, Caballero was named the prime suspect in the death of Marcano after he had been questioned and released by deputies.
“We understand that the suspect had bruises on his hands. He had bruises, he had cuts on his face. I mean, there were just a number of things that I think gave them enough of credible information to detain this guy,” Washington said.
Caballero later took his own life.
On Tuesday, the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office positively identified the body found on Saturday as that of Marcano.
Now the focus is on the Arden Villas apartment complex and how her death could’ve happened. They employed Caballero as a maintenance man.
Investigators and Marcano’s family said he repeatedly sent text messages, and at one point, she asked him to stop.
“This was not his first incident at the Arden Villas apartment,” Washington said.
Under Florida law, a landlord must give 12 hours notice before accessing a property, but female students last week told 7News they had been surprised by maintenance men knocking on their doors and walking into their apartments.
“I personally reported him, another employee, for taking pictures of girls at the pool,” said a student. “Everything that we’ve been seeing here just shows that we’re not truly safe here.”
“I feel really terrible for the tenants at Arden Villas that have come up to us and told us, ‘I don’t feel safe living here,’ because you’re supposed to feel safe where you live,” said Caili Sue, Marcano’s cousin.
Investigators said Caballero used a master key to enter Marcano’s room shortly before she vanished. Now, some at Arden Villas are trying to get out of their leases.
“It’s sad that there are so many young ladies and women in Orlando and throughout this country living in fear,” Washington said. “Young ladies should be focusing on their schoolwork.”
“We’re just working on hopefully seeing permanent changes not only for Arden Villas but for other apartment complexes,” Sue said. “Just in general, people being held accountable for any issues that may happen in a community.”
Arden Villas released a statement saying that they never received any complaints from Marcano about Caballero. They said if that behavior had been established, then immediate termination is what would’ve happened.
Residents at the complex are planning a protest for Wednesday.
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