On the Case with Paula Zahn: Who was Miya Marcano's murder suspect Armando Caballero and how did he die?

In this week's ID episode, the homicide of 19-year-old Miya Marcano will be explored in explicit detail, where Armando Manuel Caballero was held as the primary suspect. The episode, titled On The Case With Paula Zahn: Where Is Miya, will feature on the platform on May 15, 2022 at 10 pm/9c.

The official synopsis of the true-crime episode reads as follows:

"A college student disappears, and her family launches a desperate investigation to find her; what they discover changes their lives forever."

While a lot has been documented about the unfortunate murder, not a lot is known about the primary suspect, Armando, who lost his life to suicide while the case was still under investigation. The article below will go into all the details regarding the suspect's identity and tragic demise.

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All about Armando Caballero and his tragic demise

Marcano lived in the Arden Villas Apartments, where Armando Caballero worked as a maintenance man. The 27-year-old indicated a romantic interest in the adolescent, according to Orange County Sheriff John Mina, which she denied repeatedly.

Miya was reportedly declared missing since September 27, 2021, after no one found any traces of her after the completion of her shift. After searching for almost a week, authorities finally discovered Miya's taped-up body roughly 17 miles from where she was reported missing.

The police searched the neighborhood and interrogated various people and the initial investigation was slow since there were no leads or clues to follow. It was then that the police were tipped that Armando Manuel Caballero, the maintenance employee at her flat, was a necessary suspect. Her friends later confirmed that Armando was also present outside Miya's apartment building at the time of her disappearance.

Interestingly, upon checking on his whereabouts, Caballero's key fob was used to enter Miya's residence 30 minutes before her shift ended on September 27, 2021. He was reportedly charged with burglary after breaking into Marcano's flat without her permission and stealing gloves, a blanket, and a bag from her home.

Authorities then tracked his phone and discovered that he was in the Tymber Skan apartment complex neighborhood on September 24, 2021, between 08.20 and 08.40 pm. Upon tracking this crucial lead and his last location, Miya's body was eventually found.

Marcano's family launched a wrongful death lawsuit against both him and Arden Villas for not protecting their daughter well. The lawsuit was deemed necessary by Marcano's family attorney, who said:

"The only way that Armando was able to get in to Miya’s apartment was through the unfettered access that he had that was given to him by the Arden Villas."

Armando stood firmly by his story that he was innocent after being interrogated by the police. He even said that on the day she went missing, he last saw her at about 03.00 pm at her apartment complex. But due to a tragic turn of events, Caballero was later discovered dead following an apparent suicide on Monday, September 27, 2021.

It was also further revealed that another female tenant in the Sabal Club apartment had accused him of throwing a gym weight at her window because she refused to meet with him. No charges were brought in the case because the victim never saw Caballero, but officers did have a note supposedly written by him, urging the woman to meet with him.

Don't forget to catch the latest episode of Miya's story on Investigation Discovery on May 15, 2022 at 10 pm/9c.