ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Hours after it was announced a body believed to be Miya Marcano was found, friends and family gathered at her apartment complex to pray once more.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina announced the discovery Saturday afternoon over one week since the 19-year-old was last seen. He said search teams found her body in a wooded area near Tymber Skan off South Texas Avenue and a purse with her identification was located nearby.
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“I can’t even put into words how we’re feeling right now as a family. I feel defeated. I feel like I failed my cousin, and I don’t know how we’re ever going to get through this,” Marcano’s cousin said.
Family and friends of Miya Marcano are gathering outside of her apartment at Arden Villas for a prayer vigil. Orange County Sheriff’s Office says her body was found this morning after a week long search for her. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/J8qn0tu4vo
— Molly Reed (@Mollyreednews) October 2, 2021
Marcano was last seen around 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24, at the Arden Villas Apartments near the University of Central Florida. It is not clear when she was reported missing, but her father told News 6 his daughter was supposed to fly to Fort Lauderdale that day.
Armando Caballero, the person of interest in her disappearance, was found dead from an apparent suicide three days after she was reported missing. Mina said they used Caballero’s cell phone records to track where he went the night she went missing and it brought search teams to Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties.
“I do think he was trying to throw authorities off the trail by going all over the place,” he said during.
Family members and friends searched for the 19-year-old soon after she was last seen.
With the search for Marcano now over, her family says they will continue to pray for healing.
“We have to continue to live for Miya because her life was cut short. She was 19 years old. She had the whole rest of her life ahead of her,” her cousin said.