Court records referenced in numerous accounts state that Madeline Soto, the 13-year-old Florida girl discovered dead five days after going missing, had experienced sexual assault two years prior to her disappearance.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office reports that Stephan Sterns, 37, who is dating Madeline’s mother, was detained and charged with sexual battery and possessing material related to child sexual abuse before her body was discovered.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by WESH, WFLA, and FOX 35, Madeline was assaulted by Sterns in 2022 when she was eleven years old.
According to the alleged affidavit, authorities searched Sterns’ phone and discovered images and recordings of him sexually abusing a young victim.
Authorities view Sterns as the main suspect in Madeline’s disappearance even though he has not been charged in relation to her death.
Following a five-day search, Madeline’s body was discovered on Friday in a forested region of Osceola County, according to officials. The Orlando Sentinel reported that on February 22, she had just turned 13 years old.
Madeline was reportedly last seen heading to school, according to Orange County Sheriff John Mina’s prior statement. It is said that detectives concluded that Madeline was never dropped off by Sterns.
“Instead, we believe she was already dead at the time and that Stephan Sterns moved her body in the early morning hours on that day,” Mina stated. “We have video evidence that shows Stephen Sterns discarding items in a dumpster in that apartment complex in Kissimmee at 7:35 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 26.”