It’s Tuesday, September 28th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Police are still searching for a missing 19-year-old Florida woman who was last seen Friday at an apartment complex near an Orlando college, while authorities said the man who's a person of interest in her disappearance has been found dead from an apparent suicide.
Miya Marcano was last seen around 5 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the Arden Villas complex located near the University of Central Florida, Orange County Sheriff's Office officials said. Marcano was scheduled to take a flight to Fort Lauderdale later in the evening, but never boarded the plane. Her family traveled to Orlando this past weekend to speak with police and Orange County Sheriff's Office deputies. At a news conference Monday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said 27-year-old Armando Manuel Caballero, who was a person of interest in her disappearance, was found dead earlier in the day. Caballero, a maintenance worker at the apartment complex where Marcano lived and worked, is believed to have killed himself at an apartment in nearby Seminole County, Mina said.
No. 2 - Miami City Commissioners decided Monday to move forward with an investigation into Art Acevedo's performance as the police department's chief.
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Issues to be investigated include assignment and selection of the sergeant of arms, how the chief was selected for the job, and whether he was properly vetted. A recent poll conducted within the Miami Fraternal Order of Police found that 79% of respondents did not have confidence in Acevedo's ability to lead the department. The FOP has been critical of Acevedo following several incidents this year. In an officer roll call in August, Acevedo said Miami is run by the "Cuban mafia." Acevedo had responded that it was an attempt at humor and that the comment was being politicized against him. The investigation will also look into the allegations that Acevedo got into a crash in his city-issued vehicle and did not report it.
No. 3 - Two women are facing charges after police said they drugged and robbed a Miami Beach tourist, racking up thousands of dollars on his credit and debit cards during a spending spree.
Elizabeth Labbe, 19, and Kimberly Ann Lebron-Martinez, 20, are facing numerous charges including robbery, grand theft, fraudulent use of identification, and unlawful possession of a stolen credit card, according to arrest reports. The reports said the victim, a tourist visiting from Texas, was approached early Friday in the 1000 block of Collins Avenue by the women, who asked him if he wanted to go get drinks at a bar. The tourist told police Lebron-Martinez handed him a cup filled with a beverage which he drank, and said he immediately felt as if he had been drugged and lost consciousness, the reports said. When he woke up hours later the women were gone along with a number of his personal items, including his debit and credit cards, his $10,000 Omega Seamaster watch, his Apple iPhone 12, his $4,000 gold chain, $3,000 in cash, the keys to his Audi rental and $250 Yeezy sneakers, the reports said.
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No. 4 - After a weeks-long federal sex trafficking trial, R. Kelly has been found guilty on all counts by a federal jury in Brooklyn Monday.
The anonymous jury made up of seven men and five women who have listened to witnesses and defenses from the R&B singer's lawyer for over the past month announced they reached a verdict Monday afternoon. Kelly was charged with one count of racketeering, which has 14 underlying acts including kidnapping, forced labor, sex trafficking and bribery. The singer was also charged with eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport anyone across state lines for any immoral purpose. Although Kelly was found guilty of all counts, he was found not guilty of two racketeering acts relating to a radio intern. The government had to prove at least two of the 14 underlying acts related to the racketeering charge.
No. 5 - Gov. Ron DeSantis asked Florida's secretary of state to investigate Facebook on Monday based on a news article that reported the social media company gives preferential treatment to politicians, celebrities, professional athletes and other prominent people.
DeSantis cited a recent Wall Street Journal report in asking Secretary of State Laurel Lee to see if Facebook's policies violated Florida election law. The article detailed Facebook's practice of exempting high-profile users from some or all of its rules. The newspaper reported that incumbent politicians were included on the “whitelist,” but challengers often weren't in state and local elections. That raised concerns that incumbents could be receiving preferable treatment. A Facebook spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal it addressed the problem.
No. 6 - Judy Smith bought her 2016 Hyundai Sonata used four years ago. But this year, she noticed the car’s paint was peeling off.
She says she went to the dealership where she bought the car and a dealership representative reached out to Hyundai Corporate. “He called me the next day and said Hyundai would only pay 75% of it, 25% would be my responsibility,” Smith says she was told. The 25% would equal roughly $625 dollars out of pocket for Smith. “How am I responsible for 25% of it?” Smith questioned. “I told him that is not acceptable, and that is when I reached out to NBC 6.” NBC 6 Responds found other Hyundai drivers complaining of similar issues online. Click here for the story from consumer investigator Sasha Jones.
