Miya Marcano's family lawyer responds to sheriff's comments on investigation
Miya Marcano, 19, was reported missing after she did not board a scheduled flight from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The lawyer for the family of Miya Marcano has responded following a news conference held by the Orange County Sheriff's Office regarding the investigation into her disappearance and death.
In a letter sent out by the lawyer's office, Attorney Washington believes "it was shameful to say that no matter what they did or didn’t do, that Miya was dead anyway. That statement is the equivalent of saying "prisons should not incarcerate murderers because the sentencing still won’t bring the dead back to life anyways."
Miya Marcano, 19, was reported missing after she did not board a scheduled flight from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.
The letter goes on to say that it is ‘insulting’ that a statement was reportedly made that deputies can’t detain people based on a "hunch."
RELATED: Miya Marcano: Sheriff's Office releases detailed timeline of disappearance, death
"This family provided more than enough evidence including a video of [Armando] Caballero carrying Miya’s blanket in his apartment. In addition, Sheriff Mina indicated via press conference that Miya’s room was ‘clean,’ however that same responding deputy informed Miya’s mother that the room looked ‘disturbing’ and that she should start the process to list Miya as a missing person."
The lawyer also questions why if Miya was listed as a missing person her was room not immediately made a crime scene, "start viewing cameras and pulling the key FOB records immediately? We believe this process should’ve started even before the family arrived at 3 a.m."
"The sheriff’s timeline shows Miya was listed as a missing person at 1:36 a.m. That is even more reasons why more action should have been taken while Caballero was within arm’s reach of the deputy. We hope that the Orange County Sheriff's Office will use this moment as an opportunity to learn from the mistakes that were made as opposed to defending actions that are indefensible."
RELATED: Protest for better security planned at Miya Marcano's apartment complex
Deputies said the 19-year-old college student was last seen on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 24, at the Arden Villas apartments in Orlando. The prime suspect in her disappearance and death, 27-year-old Armando Manuel Caballero, was found dead from an apparent suicide on Monday, Sept. 27.
Family, friends, and law enforcement searched for days before discovering her body on Saturday, Oct. 2.
The Marcano family is in the process of finalizing funeral arrangements.
Watch FOX 35 News for the latest updates.