Missing 13-Year-Old Believed Dead; Police In Florida Say Mom's Boyfriend Moved Body
Florida authorities say they now believe that a missing 13-year-old girl who never made it to school on Monday is dead and that her mother’s boyfriend moved her body, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando announced.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said authorities are “confident” that Madeline Soto is dead after reviewing disturbing video evidence that appears to show her mother’s boyfriend, 37-year-old Stephan Sterns, throwing items into a dumpster behind their apartment building in Kissimmee.
Madeline’s mother, Jenn Soto, told police she thought Sterns was taking her daughter to school but later found out that the girl never arrived there and she reported her missing.
Police had previously said Sterns had dropped Madeline off near her school, but they now say they’ve learned he never dropped her off at all, Mina said. Video footage appears to show that when Sterns returned to the apartment complex, Madeline was in the car. Police say they think she was already dead at that time.
According to Mina, investigators searching the dumpster found Madeline’s backpack and her school-issued laptop.
Stern was arrested on Wednesday night on suspicion of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to an emergency arrest warrant shared with HuffPost, police alleged that Sterns was in possession of several images that werecriminal and sexual in nature and videos that depicted an underaged girl.
It’s unclear whether the girl in the videos was Madeline, but authorities said in an earlier news release that the “crimes were committed at the family home in Kissimmee.”
Madeline’s mother is not considered a suspect in the investigation.
