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Miya Marcano's Parents File Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Her Apartment Complex Owners
Miya Marcano's parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of the apartment complex where she lived and worked. The only suspect in Miya's death is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
The parents of Miya Marcano, whose daughter was allegedly murdered by a man who lived and worked in her apartment complex have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of the Arden Villas complex, and its management company.
The lawsuit is seeking damages in excess of $30,000 and a jury trial.
Marcano lived and worked at the apartment complex along with the only suspect in her death, Armando Caballero. His estate is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
As Oxygen.com previously reported, Marcano was last seen on Friday, September 24, at her apartment complex. Caballero had repeatedly expressed romantic interest in Marcano, but his advances were rejected, investigators said.
The lawsuit also notes that Cabellero “who was much older than Marcano, appeared to be interested in Marcano and this made her extremely uncomfortable.”
“Marcano expressed her concerns to the employees of the Arden Villas as well as her parents who were concerned that Jessica Decker, the manager of Arden Villas, was not taking the safety concerns of employees and tenants very seriously,” the lawsuit states.
Marcano was expected to travel to Fort Lauderdale to attend the Annual Miami Carnival with her family, but never arrived.
The last time Marcano’s family heard from her was at 5:06 pm on the night she disappeared. She sent a text message to her father that said: “Love you too,” according to the lawsuit.
Investigators said that Cabellero used a master key or FOB to enter Marcano’s apartment about 30 minutes before she was due to leave work. He entered the apartment at 2:14 pm, according to a timeline prepared by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the lawsuit, Cabellero waited for Marcano to arrive home and attacked her. The lawsuit also alleges that he placed a dresser against Marcano’s bedroom door to prevent entry.
“Cabellero would then leave the Arden Villas with Marcano, undetected by defendants due to their lack of security cameras, policies and procedures,” the lawsuit states.
“No one should have unfettered access to an individual’s apartment complex. It should be mandatory that there are very stringent and extensive background checks conducted on all maintenance employees before giving them the ability to enter anyone’s apartment,” Daryl K. Washington, the family’s attorney told Oxygen.com.
“At no time was Miya Marano made aware by the management of Arden Villas that Caballero had a criminal background, a history of harassing women, nor was she aware that Caballero would have unsupervised and/or free access to her apartment,” according to the lawsuit.
Three days after Marcano disappeared, Caballero’s body was discovered at an apartment complex in Seminole County. He died of an apparent suicide and had been dead for several days. Police also found his silver Ford Fusion with Florida license plates at the scene.
Marcano’s family has also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the sheriff’s department handled the case, but Washington said they are still investigating, and it’s too soon to know if any additional litigation will be filed.
Oxygen.com has reached out to Arden Villas and D.P. Preiss Company.
Eight days after she disappeared, Marcano’s body was discovered in a wooded area near the Tymber Skan apartment complex in Orlando. Her hands, feet and mouth were bound with black duct tape, deputies said.
