Person of interest found dead in search for Miya Marcano, missing Florida college student
Sheriff's deputies continued searching for a missing Florida college student on Monday, after an apartment complex maintenance man — who had been "rebuffed" by the woman — was found dead of an apparent suicide.
Miya Marcano, a 19-year-old Valencia College sophomore, was last seen Friday at her home in the Arden Villas apartment complex in Orlando, about a mile from the University of Central Florida, Orange County sheriff's deputies said.
Investigators later found that maintenance worker Armando Manuel Caballero, 27, had access to a master key to complex units which was used to get inside Marcano's apartment at about 4:30 p.m EDT, Orange County Sheriff John Mina told reporters.
She also worked in the leasing office of the complex and would have been off shift by about 5 p.m., officials said.
The maintenance worker had been called a "person of interest" in Marcano's disappearance and an arrest warrant issued for Caballero for burglary, for allegedly letting himself inside her unit, officials said.
It wasn't immediately clear when Caballero died. But when his body was found in his apartment in Seminole County, Mina said, "He had been dead for quite some time."
Marcano's family fears for the worst.
"Miya is still missing, her disappearance is suspicious and our detectives and the family members obviously suspect foul play," Mina said. "We are still doing everything possible to find her."
The man had shown interest in Marcano, but it was not mutual.
"He demonstrated a romantic interest in Miya. This was repeatedly rebuffed by Miya," Mina said.
She had been slated to fly from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale on Friday night to visit family, but missed the flight and hasn't been heard from since, loved ones told NBC affiliate WESH.
"Knowing Miya, she would never not be in contact with them, would never turn off her phone, never let her phone battery drain completely down," Mina said.
The missing woman's aunt, Pia Scarbriel Henry, also spoke to reporters and addressed her niece directly.
"Miya this message is for you. I know you're alive. I know you're out there. We love you," she said. "You know we will not sleep one night until we get you home."
Detectives have Caballero's silver Ford Fusion, but they asked for anyone in the area to call them if they spotted the vehicle over the weekend.
That appeal was repeated by Marcano's grandmother, Violet Delville, who added in Spanish: "We love her so much, please help us find my princess. We love her so much. please."
Even though she's not a student at UCF, school officials there asked everyone on their campus to keep an eye out for Marcano or come forward with any information that could help investigators.
Authorities said she stands 5 feet tall, weighs 130 pounds and has brown hair and green eyes.
Marcano was last seen wearing a red shirt, jeans and a black hoodie, according to the apartment complex.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office has 30 detectives working this case full-time, according to Mina, who appealed for the public's help.
"No bit of information is too small or too significant," he said.