Body of missing 13-year-old Madeline Soto found in Florida woods
Gray News reports that Kissimme, Florida In the afternoon on Friday, officials from the state of Florida reported that they had located the body of Madeline Soto.
Sheriff John Mina Mina said teams are now working to recover the girl’s body.
Following a concerted search along Hickory Tree Road, the corpse of the 13-year-old boy who had been reported missing on Monday was discovered in a wooded area, according to the Kissimmee Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
There has been communication with Madeline’s family regarding the discovery.
During a press conference that took place on Friday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina stated that the detectives had found video evidence that led them to the location where they were “confident” the body of the teen was located.
Stephan Sterns, who is 37 years old and is Madeline’s mother’s boyfriend, is the primary suspect in this investigation, according to the authorities.
According to the authorities, Sterns was the last person to independently report seeing Madeline on Monday morning.
Stephan Sterns was arrested and booked into the Orange County jail on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material after detectives found “disturbing” images on his phone, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
According to the authorities, Madeline had recently turned 13 years old prior to the filing of the missing person complaint.
Sterns was meant to drop Madeline off at school in the morning, according to the police, but staff workers at Hunter’s Creek Middle School in Orlando reported that she did not show up.
“Our investigators have come to the conclusion that Madeline was never dropped off in the vicinity of her school on the morning of February 26, Mina stated. On the contrary, we are of the opinion that she had already passed away at the time and that Stephan Sterns was the one who relocated her body before dawn on that particular day.
Mina stated that video evidence shows Sterns tossing away stuff in a dumpster at the family’s apartment complex in Kissimmee at 7:35 a.m. on Monday morning. All of this information was presented during the news conference that took place on Friday.
Investigators then looked inside the bin and found Madeline’s backpack as well as the laptop that the school had given her.
In a video that was taken at 8:19 in the morning, Sterns can be seen driving back to the apartment complex, with Madeline visible in the car with him. This occurs less than an hour after Sterns was seen tossing away goods in the dumpster. The detectives, according to Mina, believe that Madeline had already passed away at the time.
On Wednesday, Kissimmee police detained Sterns for a variety of offenses, including sexual battery and having material relating to child sexual abuse.
When doing a forensic investigation on Stern’s phone, the investigators noted in a post on Facebook that they “discovered those disturbing images and videos.” Furthermore, the examination of his phone revealed that he had attempted to remove evidence.
The detectives discovered that the family’s apartment was where the documented sexual offenses took place.
Mina made the claim that as of Friday afternoon, Sterns had “not spoken to anyone” about the matter.
Because of the allegations of sexual abuse, Sterns is currently being held at the Osceola County Jail. As of Friday afternoon, he has not been charged with any crime in connection with Madeline’s passing.
Records from the jail indicate that he is being held without bond at this time.
The authorities have not disclosed whether or not Madeline’s mother would be charged with any offenses; nevertheless, Mina has stated that she is “not a suspect in this case.”
The Kissimmee Police Department, which is the primary agency in the investigation, is handling the inquiry.
The authorities are requesting that anybody who may have information on the case contact the Kissimmee police department at the number 407-846-3333, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at the number 407) 254-7000, or call Crimeline at the number 800-423-TIPS by providing an anonymous report.
