ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The lawyer for Miya Marcano’s family released a “disturbing” video of her family’s encounter with Armando Caballero, the primary suspect in Marcano’s disappearance, hours after she was reported missing.
The video shows Caballero talking with an Orange County deputy on Saturday morning.
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The family said Caballero arrived in front of Marcano’s apartment and asked Marcano’s aunt, “Are you looking for Miya?”
The family said they questioned Caballero and that they knew he had something to do with Marcano’s disappearance.
The family reported to the deputy, who was at the scene, that a key fob had dropped out of Caballero’s lap as he got out of the car, that he had Marcano’s blanket and a black backpack in his car, and that the family had caught him in several lies regarding his encounters with Marcano.
READ: Happening today: Protest planned outside apartment complex that Miya Marcano lived in
The video then shows the deputy allowing Caballero to get in his car and leave.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Mina said when the video was taken, deputies did not have probable cause to detain Caballero.
And unfortunately, Mina said at the time the video was taken, Marcano was already left for dead.
Mina said Caballero’s cell phone records showed he was in Tymber Skan, where Marcano’s body was found, between 8 and 9 p.m. Friday. Mina said Marcano was found with her hands and feet bound with black duct tape and with tape also covering her mouth.
Mina said no evidence was found to suggest that Marcano was sexually assaulted.
READ: Miya Marcano case: A timeline of her disappearance
The family said they had a second encounter with Caballero later that morning as they conducted their own investigation.
They said they witnessed Caballero — who was holding Marcano’s blanket — going into the apartment where he lived.
READ: Medical Examiner’s Office identifies body found in wooded area as Miya Marcano
According to a release, a deputy responded hours later and didn’t go into Caballero’s apartment but allowed a member of the public to enter the apartment to search for Marcano after the family refused to leave until they could search his apartment.
At about 10 a.m. Saturday, the family said they returned to the Arden Villas Apartments, where they pleaded with the office manager to show them the cameras and to read the key fob.
The family said the manager refused and told them that the police would need to request the camera footage and key fob information.
READ: Family demands justice after tragic loss of Miya Marcano in Orange County
The release said it was later discovered that office management didn’t know how to properly read the key fob and the family didn’t know that Caballero had actually entered Marcano’s apartment until Sunday, which was when Caballero became a “person of interest.”
Caballero was found dead early Monday.
Photos: Timeline: Search for Miya Marcano in Central Florida
During a news conference on Tuesday evening, the family’s attorney, Daryl Washington, said they are “really disappointed” by how the sheriff’s office handled the initial investigation into Marcano’s disappearance.
“This was not taken serious at all,” Washington said.
He said the family is considering a lawsuit over how the investigation was handled, and that “everybody that played a part in Miya’s death will be held accountable.”
This is a developing story. Check back and watch Eyewitness News for updates.
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