Update: The body of Kissimmee teen Madeline Soto has been found
Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto of Kissimmee on Friday afternoon, bringing a massive, nearly weeklong search to a tragic end.
Her mother’s boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, 37 — who has been arrested for sexual battery and possessing child pornography — is considered the prime suspect.
In a Friday press conference, prior to the discovery of Madeline’s corpse, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said investigators have video evidence from Monday — the day the girl disappeared — of Sterns driving a car appearing to contain her lifeless body, and of him tossing her belongings.
A separate video placed Sterns in the area near Hickory Tree Road early Monday afternoon. That is where Osceola County Sheriff’s Office search teams located the body in a wooded area around 4:30 p.m.
Madeline’s family had been told on Thursday evening that she was likely dead, after her clothes and backpack were found in an apartment dumpster.
The full timeline of Madeline’s disappearance remains unclear, and Sterns, who was booked in the Osceola County Jail on Friday, has refused to speak with detectives.
Madeline’s family initially told detectives Sterns took her to school on Monday morning and dropped her off in front of Peace United Methodist Church on Monday, half a mile away from Hunters Creek Middle School. It wasn’t until her mother went to pick her up around 4:30 p.m. that she discovered Madeline never set foot on campus that day.
On Wednesday, Mina told reporters about grainy surveillance video of the church Monday morning but said investigators couldn’t determine whether Madeline was captured on camera. He also said a search of her phone, which she left at home, revealed messages that she planned on “living in the woods” when she turned 13.
Madeline turned 13 on Feb. 22.
On Friday, Mina said investigators now believe she was already dead Monday morning around the time she was supposed to be dropped off and that Sterns was moving her body that morning.
Video showed Sterns at around 7:35 a.m. trashing her belongings in a dumpster at an apartment complex in Kissimmee, Mina said.
“At 8:19, we have evidence that shows Stephan Sterns returning to the complex, and Madeline was visible in that vehicle,” Mina said. “We believe she was already dead at that time.”
Police believe Sterns had a flat tire around the time Madeline was last seen.
Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland said Sterns was later spotted driving through Kissimmee on Monday in a silver 2010 Lincoln MKZ bearing a Florida license plate with the tag ILLY82. Images of surveillance footage show the car being driven in the area of Old Hickory Tree Road through State Road 192 and Nolte Road, between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
A heavily redacted affidavit detailing Sterns’ arrest released Thursday shows the family believed it was “unusual” for Madeline to be dropped off a few blocks away from school and for her not to be in touch with her family during the day Monday. A search through Sterns’ phone is said to have revealed child pornography, and he was arrested for the material and sexual battery, which the pictures appear to document.
Jail records now show Sterns is accused of two counts of sexual battery of a minor, including one against a victim under the age of 12. His affidavit said his alleged crimes happened between March 2022 and December 2023.
Holland did not say whether Madeline was a victim of those crimes. Sterns has not yet been charged in Madeline’s disappearance.
“It’s still all part of the investigation, I don’t want to say right now,” Holland said.
