New investigative documents have shown the cause of death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, whose body was found in Osceola County months ago.
According to the records, strangling was determined to be the method of death for Soto.
Soto’s body was found in a forested area off Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County around four days after her initial report of missing in late February. When they started their hunt, detectives said they were “confident” Soto had already passed away.
Investigators revealed that there were discrepancies in the accounts given by Soto’s mother and her boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, about Sterns’ assertion that he had dropped Soto off at school that morning.
Actually, the morning that Soto vanished, Sterns was seen on security cameras stuffing stuff into a dumpster at an apartment building in Kissimmee. Later on, that same dumpster had Soto’s school-issued laptop and knapsack.
Authorities claim that Soto was probably dead by the time her body was discovered inside Sterns’ car when he was out driving that day. Detectives claimed they were able to locate child pornography and proof that Sterns had been sexually abusing Soto as long back as 2022, even though Sterns had factory reset his phone.
Following his arrest, Sterns is being accused of the following:
- Intentional murder
- 40 charges of Illegal Possession of Materials Showing a Child Engaging in Sexual Activity with Ten or More Images
- Five counts of sexual battery (familial/custodial authority) involving children aged 12 to 18
- Seven instances of lewd or lewd molestation
- Sexual Battery on Eight Victims Under the Age of Twelve
The night before Sterns passed away, Soto and she were sharing a bed in Sterns’ room at the family’s Kissimmee residence, according to the just made public investigative files.
Further information from Kissimmee police indicates that Sterns had drove to North Port the day after Soto vanished.
Read Also: Mother Sues Albany Med After 3-Year-Old Dies Following 17-Hour ER Wait
When he wasn’t residing with Soto’s mother in Kissimmee, he was known to visit his parents’ home in the neighborhood, according to authorities.
According to detectives, Sterns may have tried to destroy evidence of his sexual abuse by going to North Port. On October 14, Sterns’ case will have a status hearing.
Leave a Reply