Madeline Soto’s body was found dead in a tree five days after the 13-year-old was reported missing, and police suspect her mother’s boyfriend moved her body.
Orange County Florida Sheriff’s Office announced the news hours after saying during a press conference Friday that they were “confident” that Soto was dead.
The sheriff’s office said search teams from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office found her body around 4:30 p.m. in a wooded area near Hickory Tree Road and Madeline’s family has been notified.
“We have no additional information to release at this time. The Kissimmee Police Department is the lead agency in this homicide investigation. That work is continuing,” the news release said.
Madeline Soto.
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News of her death comes days after she celebrated her 13th birthday on February 22, reports The Orlando Sentinel.
Madeline and her family lived in an apartment in Kissimmee, Florida, and she attended school at Hunter’s Creek High School in Orlando, writes NBC News.
Although Madeline was believed to have been last seen on her way to school, Orange County Sheriff John W. Mina said during a news conference that detectives determined Madeline was never driven by her mother’s boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, 37.
“Instead, we believe she was already dead by that time and that Stephan Sterns moved her body in the early morning hours of that day. We have video evidence showing Stephen Sterns dumping things in a dumpster at that apartment complex in Kissimmee at 7:00 a.m.: 00:35 am on Monday, February 26,” Mina said.
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“Detectives later recovered Madeline’s backpack and her school laptop from that dumpster. At 8:19 a.m. we have evidence showing that Stephan Sterns returned to the compound and Madeline was visible in that vehicle,” Mina continued. “We believe she was already dead at that time.”
Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland said the case remains “an active and ongoing situation” and that “there is a lot of additional information that we cannot release at this time.”
According to Holland, Sterns was transported from the Orange County Jail to the Osceola County Jail.
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Sterns was arrested Wednesday by Kissimmee police and charged with child sexual abuse and possession of child sexual abuse material. Although the charges were unrelated to Madeline’s case, police said he was the prime suspect in her case.
According to a previous update from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, detectives found “disturbing images and videos” when they forensically examined his phone and learned he had tried to delete evidence.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the crisis line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education