Miya Marcano was found with her hands and feet bound in black duct tape in the woods near the home of suspect Armando Caballero.
Police revealed graphic details of the 19-year-old’s murder while declaring there is “no doubt” Mr Caballero is responsible for a pre-planned confrontation that led to her death.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina told a press conference that there was no indication of sexual assault despite the way her body was found near Mr Caballero’s Florida’s apartment complex on 2 October.
“Miya was found bound with black duct tape on her feet and hands, and her mouth was also covered with black duct tape,” he said.
“The way she was found is she did have jeans on, her shirt was taken off, she was wearing a bra, there was a robe that was on her as well,” he added.
The orange shirt she was last seen alive in was found inside her purse, which was found nearby in the wooded area of Tymber Skan.
Mr Mina confirmed that Ms Marcano had “rebuffed” the romantic advances of Mr Caballero, who was a maintenance worker at the Arden Villas Apartments in Orlando.
Mr Caballero, 27, was found dead in an apparent suicide after police had named him as the prime suspect in Ms Marcano’s death.
Ms Marcano, who lived and worked in the building, went missing after a shift on Friday, 24 September.
Mr Mina told reporters the fact he had illegally entered her apartment, with a maintenance key, earlier in the day, which led investigators to believe there was “some plan” in place.
“I don’t know what that is exactly, did he just plan on confronting her or did he plan this out, we’re not really sure, but we’re going to try and find those answers for Miya’s parents,” he said.
“There’s no doubt he was waiting for her knowing she was going to be coming home from work, and so whether she went willingly or not, I would speculate that she did not go willingly based on everything that we know thus far,” he added.
Mr Mina said they’re still waiting for the exact cause and manner of death from the medical examiner’s office, which could take “some time” as they await toxicology results.
But there is no doubt, Mr Mina said, that Mr Caballero killed Ms Marcano and that no one else was involved.
“I’ll say again, Armando Caballero is the person responsible for Miya’s death, he is the only person that is involved in this case, we’re not looking for any other suspects, he is the one responsible for Miya’s death,” he said.
