(ORLANDO, Fla.) — Family members of Miya Marcano said they’re holding out hope the 19-year-old woman missing since Friday will be found safe.
Caili Sue, a cousin of Marcano, spoke to reporters in Orlando on Tuesday as she and other relatives put up posters with Marcano’s photo and searched the woods near her apartment.
“I’m determined, and I’m still very hopeful we’re going find her,” Sue said.
Marcano, a Valencia College student, was last seen at approximately 5 p.m. on Friday at the Arden Villas apartments in Orlando, where she lived and worked, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Armando Manuel Caballero also worked in the building as a maintenance employee and had expressed interest in Marcano, but she rebuffed his advances, police said.
Sue told reporters that Caballero, 27, was constantly texting Marcano, and that he “made her uncomfortable.”
Investigators said Caballero’s job included use of a key fob to access apartments, and his was used at Marcano’s unit just before her disappearance. Family who entered Marcano’s apartment after she went missing discovered broken jewelry on dirty floors and a messy bed, Sue said.
“It looked like there was a struggle because of the dirt and jewelry on the ground,” she continued. “The family is very meticulous with cleaning and keeping their place clean, so bed unmade and things scattered was odd.”
Caballero, identified as a person of interest in the case, was found dead on Monday from an apparent suicide, authorities said.
“I was really angry,” Sue said, “because if he knew anything, he took that information with him and could have given us a lead.”
Sue and other relatives said they urging anyone who may have any information to call the police. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said anyone with details can call them at 407-836-4357.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.