Arrest Made in Murder of Tiffany Cabreja: Miami-Dade Police

Fernando Granados, 20, arrested on second-degree murder charge in death of 18-year-old Tiffany Cabreja: Police

Miami-Dade Police said they've made an arrest in the murder of 18-year-old Tiffany Cabreja.

Fernando Granados, 20, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the Homestead teen's death, police said Friday. He was being held without bond Friday night and it was unknown whether he has an attorney.

Another unidentified man is also being sought in the murder, police said.

Cabreja's body was found at a construction site at Southwest 281st Street and 144th Avenue on Saturday, according to an arrest affidavit released Friday.

Cabreja was found with something tied tightly around her neck and a bag over her face. The cause of death was determined to be strangulation and blunt force trauma, the affidavit said.

On Thursday, police received a tip that Granados confessed to killing Cabreja to a witness, the affidavit said.

When he was questioned by investigators, Granados said he and the unidentified man picked up Cabreja on Sept. 20 and went to the Leisure City Park where they smoked crack cocaine, the affidavit said.

The three then went to the construction site where Granados attacked Cabreja and put her in a choke hold, the affidavit said. While he was choking her from behind, the other man started hitting her from the front, the affidavit said.

"Mr. Granados advised that he was under the influence of crack cocaine at the time he attacked the victim and was unaware if he killed her," the affidavit said.

Police said Cabreja and Granados knew each other from school.

"It appears because they were sharing crack together, these two individuals lost control and murdered [Cabreja]," Miami-Dade Police spokesman Det. Roy Rutland said.

Police initially said witnesses reported seeing a woman's body fall out of a commercial truck heading eastbound on Southwest 288th Street as it turned onto Southwest 144th Street. Someone inside the truck got out and picked up the woman, put her back in the truck and drove off, police said.

Witnesses also reported seeing a toddler in the truck.

But on Friday, police said that they had ruled out Miguel Infante as a suspect. Infante, 34, said earlier in the week that he drives a landscaping truck and that police were using that to connect him to the crime.

Police took Infante into custody Tuesday and questioned him in connection with the murder investigation. Infante said he was questioned for hours by police before he was released early Wednesday.

Infante said he was in his truck having an argument with his girlfriend, 35-year-old Rachel Delgado, when she fell out of the truck. Delgado said the toddler that witnesses saw was her young daughter.

Police on Friday said they ruled out Infante as a suspect. Reached by phone Friday, Infante told NBC 6 he wants an apology from police and is considering hiring a lawyer.

He later said in an in-person interview that during his interrogation, police wouldn't buy his story even after he took a polygraph test.

"The sergeant didn't want to believe that, so he punched me in my face, he kicked me in my back. I still give them everything they want, but still," Infante said. "But I'm glad they caught the real killer. I'm innocent."

Police said Infante is welcome to file a complaint – which he said he will do.

Meanwhile, police are focusing on finding the second suspect.

"This investigation has not ended today, we're about halfway there," Rutland said.

Anyone with information about the second suspect is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

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