The family of Miya Marcano responded to a heavily redacted incident report that was released by the Orange County Sherif
The disappearance and slaying of 19-year-old college student Miya Marcano has inspired a movement of activism for safer security measures and more attention to missing persons cases.
Marcano’s family lawyer, Daryl K. Washington, said he’s representing the family to ensure all possible was done for the security and search of the young woman. His firm released a statement Saturday asking for the resignation of an Orange County deputy involved in her case.
“Miya was failed by officials who had the ability to protect her and act with a sense of urgency but did not view this incident as a priority,” the statement said.
Marcano was a resident and office staff member at Arden Villas apartments near UCF. The Valencia College student was last seen around 5 p.m. Sept. 24 after finishing her shift at the complex and heading back home. After an eight-day search that spanned three counties and several agencies including the FBI, her body turned up in the wooded area near Tymber Skan apartments Oct. 2.
The only suspect in her case, 27-year-old Armando Manuel Caballero, was a maintenance man at Arden Villas who used a master maintenance key fob to illicitly enter her apartment and lie in wait to attack her, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said. Caballero had expressed an interest in Marcano many times before but was rejected, the sheriff said. Caballero was found dead of apparent suicide on Sept. 27, three days after Marcano went missing.
Washington said in the statement a “heavily redacted” incident report released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Friday left him “with even more questions” on inconsistencies he said contradict witness statements.
According to the OCSO incident report, after Marcano’s mom first reported her missing, Deputy Samir Paulino was the officer who showed up at Marcano’s apartment to check on her. The report stated he received no answer at the door, checked behind the building and through Marcano’s window, spoke to a friend and noted nothing out of the ordinary.
That night, the report stated, Marcano’s family showed up to investigate and confront Caballero and had Paulino speak with the suspect, as they caught the encounter on video. Washington said Marcano’s family and witnesses told the deputy Caballero made Marcano feel uncomfortable and harassed her, yet Paulino let Caballero drive away.
“We believe that Deputy Paulino had more than enough evidence to detain Caballero,” the statement said.
The statement said Mina ratified Paulino’s actions to allow Caballero to leave when he said “Paulino could not detain Caballero based on a hunch.”
Mina said in a press conference everything possible to the department was done to find Marcano.
“The person responsible for Miya’s death is Armando Caballero,” Mina said. “She was already left dead at Tymber Skan apartments before we were ever called.”
Washington’s statement said it also holds Arden Villas’ lack of security protocols responsible for Marcano’s subsequent death. It said both the OCSO agency and the complex were slow to react.
“The outcome may have been different,” the statement said. “Sheriff Mina’s assertion that the way the investigation was handled/mishandled would not have mattered because Miya was already dead is simply ridiculous, without support and a very insensitive statement.”