ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Miya Marcano Foundation hosted “A Day of Remembrance” for the 19-year-old Friday night at the Arden Villas apartments in Orange County to mark one year after her death.
The foundation, which was created after Marcano’s death to support and provide resources to families of people who are missing, hosted the event at 6 p.m. at the apartment complex she lived in and went missing from back in September 2021.
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“We can’t believe it has already been a year. We made a vow as an organization to ensure that Miya’s legacy lives on. The Foundation would like for the entire Orlando, Florida, and surrounding areas to come together and help us celebrate the life of Miya Marcano, as well as support her family during this difficult time,” the foundation’s spokesperson Jodi Covington said in a statement. “Attendees will be invited to light a candle, say a few words, and share the beautiful memories they have of Miya or the impact her life has had on them.”
Since Marcano was reported missing on Sept. 24, 2021, and found dead on Oct. 2, 2021, the foundation has efforted Miya’s Law, legislation which went into effect in July 2022 and aims to increase physical safety for renters.
[TIMELINE: Here’s what happened before, after Miya Marcano went missing]
The law came after deputies said they identified Marcano’s killer as 27-year-old Armando Caballero, a maintenance worker at the Arden Villas apartment complex who was found dead from an apparent suicide on Sept. 27, two days after Marcano was last seen. Orlando’s District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office determined Marcano died of “homicide by undetermined means,” according to the final Dec. 16, 2021, report.
The Marcano family attorney Daryl Washington is scheduled to speak at the “Day of Remembrance.”
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