Missing Teen Miya Marcano’s Body Was Found Bound In Duct Tape

UPDATE 12/29/21 3:17 P.M. PST: According to an autopsy report from the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, Miya died of “homicide by undetermined means.” The report describes Marcano’s body as “nearly completely skeletonized” by the time it was found.

Orange County Chief Medical Examiner Joshua D. Stephany reported that there was “no identifiable evidence of trauma” due to the advanced decomposition, writing in the report:

“In my opinion, the manner in which she was found, with multiple restraints and her disposition in an abandoned area of an apartment complex, indicates some type of assault, but because of the lack of any identifiable soft tissue injuries due to advanced decomposition, the cause of death is a homicide by undetermined means.”

Horrifying new details in the case of 19-year-old Miya Marcano revealed…

In case you missed it, the college student had been missing for over a week when her body was discovered on Saturday, October 2 by police in a wooded area near the Tymber Skan apartment complex in Orlando, Florida. That’s about 18 miles away from the Arden Villas Apartments — which was the last place Miya was seen before her disappearance. And on Wednesday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina shared in a press conference that she was bound at her hands and feet when authorities found her remains:

“Miya was found bound with black duct tape on her feet and hands, and her mouth was also covered with black duct tape.”

Marcano also only had on a bra, a robe, and jeans at the time, and her purse was found nearby containing the shirt she was wearing. According to People, no cause of death has yet to be determined, but Mina said there were no signs that Miya was sexually assaulted before her death.

If you’ve been following the case, then you most likely know that Marcano was reported missing after she never boarded her flight to see her family in Fort Lauderdale on September 24. Her father, Marlon Marcano, previously recalled to People:

“Her last response was at the 5 o’clock hour, and that was it. Her phone was off since then. She had an hour left for work. I told her I loved her, and text me when she got off of work. I will still be flying. She replied back ‘love you too,’ and that was it.”

Investigators later named Armando Manuel Caballero, who worked in maintenance at the property Marcano lived at, a prime suspect in the case after discovering he repeatedly harassed and expressed romantic interest in the woman, but she rejected his advances. He also possessed a key fob to access the apartments, and police believe he snuck in using the key and was waiting for her inside the space until she got home from work. Mina said:

“There is no doubt he was waiting for her knowing she was going to be coming home from work.”

Phone records, which ultimately led detectives to the Tymber Skan complex, showed that Caballero was there the day Marcano went missing for about 20 minutes at around 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.. It is still unclear if she was alive at that time:

“The two people who have the most answers in the case, Armando Caballero and Miya Marcano, are not with us, and we can’t get some of the answers right now.”

Caballero was found dead of an apparent suicide three days after Marcano went missing. As we previously reported, authorities aren’t looking for any other suspects at this time as they firmly believe the maintenance worker was responsible for the teen’s death.

Just awful what this young woman had to go through. We continue to keep her family and friends in our thoughts during this tragic time.

[Image via Marlon Marcano/Instagram]