ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The family attorney for a murdered college student is responding to the recently released report from the medical examiner.
“We were hoping that we could get the answers to many questions that the family has been having for the last 12 weeks,” Attorney Daryl Washington said.
Miya Marcano’s family attorney said her family now has more questions than answers, following the release of the autopsy report last week.
[TRENDING: CDC is investigating more than 80 cruise ships for COVID-19 cases | Can drivers legally move into an intersection while they wait to make a turn? | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
It labels her cause of death as a homicide by undetermined means and says her body was nearly completely skeletonized with duct tape on her neck, wrists, and ankles.
“The thing that’s floating in the family’s mind is what did [she] go through and that’s the thing that they really don’t know,” Washington said.
Investigators say Armando Caballero used a master key fob to enter Miya’s apartment at Arden Villas, where she lived and worked. The fob was used the same September day she was reported missing. They say he killed her, dumped her body, and then killed himself.
Marcano’s family confronted Caballero the night Miya was reported missing and says Caballero attacked her during a struggle at her apartment, though Sheriff John Mina has said the responding deputy at that time had no probable cause to detain him.
“I do believe that Orange County dropped the ball in their investigation,” Washington said.
Her family filed a lawsuit back in October against the Arden Villas apartment complex. It claims they were negligent in protecting residents.
Senator Linda Stewart said she feels Marcano’s family needs more answers and has introduced legislation called Miya’s law to try and make apartments safer. It includes requiring landlords to give tenants a notice to enter apartments and tougher background checks for employees.
“I don’t know how much trouble somebody goes to find out the security of an apartment complex before they sign a lease and this law in effect will create this safety,” Stewart said.
News 6 reached out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Arden Villas apartment complex for a new response and have not heard back.
The apartment complex has said before they’ve enhanced security and all potential employees go through a national background check service provider.