'Her life cannot be taken in vain': Miya Marcano's family demands change at complex she lived at
Family, community demand justice for Miya Marcano
Family of Miya Marcano and their attorney held a news conference on Sunday. They, along with residents at the Arden Villas apartments, are demanding changes to security after the 19-year-old disappeared. On Saturday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said a body believed to be Miya's was found.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The family of Miya Marcano is demanding justice and wants to see changes at the apartment complex where their loved one was last seen.
Marcano's family held a press conference Sunday, calling on the Arden Villas apartment complex to make more changes to improve safety.
"Her life cannot be taken in vain. One thing Miya taught us is to just love. Everybody," a family member said at the press conference.
Marcano had been missing since September 24th, when she was last seen at the Arden Villas Luxury Apartments in Orlando where she lived and worked, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. They said that a maintenance worker at the apartments accessed Marcano's apartment without her permission. She went missing after that.
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Deputies discovered what they believe to be Miya’s body near the Tymber Skan Condominiums on Saturday. In addition, the Orange County Sheriff John Mina said the main and only suspect, Armando Caballero, was found dead of an apparent suicide days prior to the discovery of the Miya's body.
The family has hired an attorney. They have not filed a lawsuit yet, but say they are prepared to.
"You shouldn’t feel unsafe where you live. That’s supposed to be everyone’s safe space," a family member said. "When you don’t feel safe somewhere, you’re supposed to be able to say ‘I’m going to go home, wrap myself in a blanket,’ and that’s just not acceptable."
They are calling on extensive background checks, claim that security cameras did not work, and want better security policies.
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"Miya’s death was preventable. There’s no way this man should have had access to her apartment or anyone else’s," said the family attorney, Daryl Washington.
The apartment complex did respond to comment Sunday but told FOX 35 last week:
"To ensure nothing like this happens again at Arden Villas, we are taking numerous, proactive steps to enhance our security protocols. We immediately repositioned a guard to the front gate to document all residents and guests entering and leaving the premises. Additionally, we have upgraded our maintenance procedures to allow for appointment-only bookings. We are in the process of reviewing our entire security apparatus and will make changes or upgrades as warranted."
Washington added, "You should not have to implement changes after the fact when something like this is common sense. When a person goes into someone’s apartment, there should be a reason. If they don’t have a reason, they should not have access."
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