ORLANDO, Fla. — Family members of missing 19-year-old Miya Marcano say they still expect to find her alive and well, despite a disturbing development in her disappearance. 

Marcano was last seen at about 5 p.m. Sept. 24, at the Arden Villas Apartments complex near the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Orange County Sheriff's Office officials announced Monday that a person of interest in the case, Armando Manuel Caballero, 27, has been found dead in Seminole County. In a tweet from the sheriff's office, it stated, "Person of interest Armando Caballero was found dead today. It appears he killed himself."

Marcano is a Black woman who is 5 feet tall and has green eyes.

Caballero, 27, was a maintenance worker at Arden Villas, and investigators said he used a maintenance key to break into Marcano's apartment around the time she was last seen.

Sheriff John Mina said Caballero worked with Marcano and was known to have made romantic advances, despite her reported lack of interest. 

Caballero was found dead in his apartment by investigators with the Seminole County's Sheriff's Office. Mina said investigators said Caballero had been dead in his residence — located near Wekiva Springs — for some time.

Marcano's name has been entered into the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC)/National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system as missing.

Caballero's death escalates an already intense search for Marcano, and her family is pleading with the public for help in bringing her home.

Her aunt, Scarbriel Henry, said Monday that she hasn't lost hope that Marcano will come home.

"I know you're out there," she said. "We love you. You know our family is strong, you know our family is big, you know we will never sleep one night until we get you home."

Anyone with information on Marcano's whereabouts is urged to call the Sheriff's Office at 407-836-4357.