For Miya
On October 2nd, in Orlando, Florida, a body was found in a wooded area near an apartment complex. It was the body of Miya Marcano, a 19-year-old college student. Marcano had been missing for over a week before her body had been recovered. She had a flight booked home to South Florida and was reported missing shortly after not making her flight. She had last been seen at her apartment, a complex called the Arden Villas.
Three days after Marcano was reported missing, a man by the name of Armando Caballero was found dead in his apartment. The 27-year-old had committed suicide.
Caballero had worked as a maintenance man at Marcano’s apartment complex, the Arden Villas. Marcano was not only a resident there, but an employee as well. It had been noted that Caballero had communicated some sort of romantic interest in Marcano, but she had made it clear she was uninterested. The manager of Arden Villas had been made aware of Caballero’s advances, but nothing was done.
Authorities were able to see that Caballero used the key fob he was given that gave him access to any apartment, and that key fob had been used at Marcano’s unit shortly before she went missing.
Soon after Miya’s disappearance, I began to see her picture on my Instagram. Living in Orlando myself, talk of Miya began to circulate. Her name was being posted on different people’s stories, who were asking people to keep an eye out for her. As the days went on, I began to see more and more Instagram stories about Miya Marcano.
At a neighboring complex, missing person’s posters were plastered on every stairwell, mailbox, and even some cars. I’ve never seen a missing person poster in real life. It’s only ever been in movies or television shows.
I have several friends that live in the exact complex Miya lived in.
I wanted to write this piece as a tale of caution, of mourning, and of reality. Miya faced something no woman should ever have to go through. She felt unsafe, and she wasn’t helped.
Miya was in a place where she most likely thought she was protected – her own home – and that was where she had been taken. Miya was 19.
Talk of creating a law has been created, which states that maintenance workers should not be allowed to have access to people’s apartments without their consent. It would be called the Miya Marcano law.
The Miya Marcano Foundation was created by Miya’s family, which is a non-profit organization that strives to protect the families of other missing persons. MMF hopes to give families a safe space while dealing with a missing loved one and educate communities about safety measures they can begin taking, like ensuring someone always has their location.
My heart goes out to Miya, her family, and her friends.
Here are resources, as well as ways you can help Miya and her family:
https://miamifoundation.org/funds/the-miya-marcano-memorial-fund/
https://miyamarcanofdn.com