Madeline Soto's mom 'sent' teen to sleep with murder suspect Stephan Sterns night before her death: interview
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - On the night before Madeline Soto was first reported missing and likely killed, her mother, Jennifer Soto, "sent" her 13-year-old daughter to sleep in the same bed as Stephan Sterns, the man who was eventually charged with her murder, according to new evidence in the case obtained by FOX 35.
Madeline was first reported missing on Feb. 26 after she didn't make it to school that day, and her body was found in rural Osceola County on March 1. About two months later, Sterns – her mom's boyfriend – was charged with first degree murder after investigators determined that the teenager was likely already dead before the school bell rang that day.
Investigators said a limp body, believed to have been Madeline's, was seen on traffic cams in the front seat of Sterns' car that morning. Additionally, an indictment against Sterns said he allegedly killed the teen between Feb. 25 and Feb. 27.
No charges for anyone else in Madeline Soto homicide case at this time, Kissimmee police says
The Orange County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday released new evidence in the investigation. Among the new documents obtained by FOX 35 were interview recordings between detectives and Sterns and Jennifer, body-worn camera footage from deputies during the search, and other miscellaneous photos.
Madeline Soto (Photo: Jenn Soto)
It should be noted that these new interview recordings and evidence were captured in the hours and days after Madeline was first reported missing. At this time in the investigation, Madeline was just believed to have been missing, and nobody had been charged in her disappearance or death.
Additionally, the case has since switched hands from the Orange County Sheriff's Office to the Kissimmee Police Department and the State Attorney's Office.
Jennifer Soto speaks with FOX 35 after daughter goes missing
Jenn Soto, Madeline Soto's mom, spoke to FOX 35's Hannah McKenzie this week about the disappearance of her 13-year-old daughter. "Maddie" Soto has been missing since Feb. 26, days after her 13th birthday, and hours after she was dropped up at school. Jenn Soto's boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, dropped Maddie near the school, but the girl never made it to class.
When did Jennifer Soto last see Madeline Soto?
At 11:16 a.m. on Feb. 27 – the day after Madeline was first reported missing – a detective interviewed her mother, Jennifer. In this interview, the detective asked Jennifer when the last time she either heard or saw Madeline.
Jennifer said she last saw her daughter at around 11 p.m. on Sunday night, the night before she was reported missing.
"Before she went to bed," Jennifer is heard saying, adding that she also heard her getting ready for school the next morning.
Jennifer backtracked on this statement later on in the interview, saying the noise could have been from her two roommates.
"Did you hear [redacted] around 7 or 8?" the detective asked. The audio was redacted, but the two were presumably talking about Madeline's whereabouts that morning.
"I heard noises in the kitchen, but I'm not sure who it was exactly. It could have been any of the roommates," Jennifer said.
"But you didn't see her leave Monday morning?" the detective asked. "Were you still in bed or still in your room?"
"I was still asleep," Jennifer replied.
Jennifer said she didn't realize Madeline had been missing until she went to pick her daughter up from school that day and learned that she was never there.
Where did Madeline Soto sleep the night before she went ‘missing’?
The detective also asked Jennifer where Madeline slept that night.
"She actually slept upstairs with [redacted]. We have a guest bedroom. We were all going to sleep together in the same bed, but I needed some good sleep," Jennifer said. "I got a new job recently, I haven't been well-rested. I needed some sleep, so I asked, ‘Hey, can you guys go to the guest bedroom upstairs?’"
Jennifer added that she "sent them upstairs and I went to bed."
Stephan Sterns (Photo: Osceola County Jail)
Why did Madeline Soto, Jennifer Soto & Stephan Sterns sleep in the same bed?
FOX 35 has previously reported on Madeline's sleeping arrangements with her mom and her mom's boyfriend, according to documents obtained in the weeks after Madeline's body was found.
It wasn't unusual for Madeline, Jennifer and Sterns to sleep in the same bed, or for Sterns to sleep in the same bed as Madeline while her mother slept somewhere else or wasn't home. That's according to a law enforcement summary report after a conversation with Jennifer during the search for her daughter.
Madeline and Sterns sleeping in the same bed happened on "rare" occasions, Jennifer said, according to a different chunk of evidentiary documents obtained by FOX 35. She said this "so she could get some sleep because sometimes all three of them sleep in the same bed," the documents added. On another page in the report, Jennifer reportedly told detectives that it was "normal" for Sterns and Madeline to sleep in the same bed when she wasn't home.
Another report shared details from an interview with a woman Sterns used to work with and briefly dated. Sterns and Jennifer reportedly broke up for a brief time in 2023, but during this time, he would still sleep at Jennifer's house and in the same bed as Madeline, the documents said.
"(The woman) said Stephan Sterns justified this behavior by saying he needed to cuddle with her so she could fall asleep," the documents said. "(The woman) further recalled a conversation she had with Stephan Sterns where he told her that he woke up in the bed with [redacted] with an erection and had to turn around in the bed. (The woman) felt the comments Stephan Sterns made to her about sleeping with [redacted] were inappropriate and she stopped talking to him shortly after they were made."
In a separate interview with Sterns, he told detectives that Madeline "always needed human contact when going to sleep," something that he referred to as "snuggling," the report said.
Who has been charged in Madeline Soto case?
Sterns was first arrested two days after Madeline was reported missing. He was charged with 60 counts of sexual-related crimes, including sexual battery, molestation and possession of child sex abuse material, after he voluntarily turned his phone over to law enforcement. A search of his phone revealed the discovery of graphic photos and videos that authorities said were of the missing teen. The first degree murder charge came down about two months later.
To be clear, Sterns is the only person who has been arrested and charged related to Madeline's disappearance and death. Prosecutors and investigators said the case remains open and ongoing, and also alluded to the possibility of uncovered evidence leading to additional charges at a previous press conference.
"Everyone that was close to Madeline is considered suspect until we have proven otherwise," Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland said in March.
Homicide Unit Chief Will Jay continued this narrative about others possibly involved in the case at a press conference in April.
"This is not over," he said. "There is an ongoing investigation to uncover more evidence."
The State Attorney's Office said in early June that they intend to seek the death penalty against Sterns.
Several of Sterns' court hearings have been continued. As of right now, Sterns is scheduled to appear in court for a status hearing in mid-October.