Madeline Soto memorial grows as community grapples with teen's death: 'It just brings chills'
ST. CLOUD, Fla. - A growing memorial sits on the side of Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County in memory of Madeline "Maddie" Soto.
"Little girls love teddy bears, so I brought her a little teddy bear," said Dawn Johnson.
Balloons, cards, and toys were all dropped off by those who knew her – and many who didn’t.
"I saw it on the news, and it just hit close to home, so I came out here to pay some respect to her," said Andy Baksh. "It’s sad to see what happened. She didn’t deserve that."
Soto’s disappearance, and now murder, has sparked widespread community support in the quest for justice.
MADELINE SOTO DISAPPEARANCE & DEATH
- Madeline Soto's death sparks Orange County parents' plea for absence alert policy changes
- Madeline Soto: What's next in Florida teen's murder investigation?
- Madeline Soto: Timeline, everything we know so far about Florida teen's disappearance, murder investigation
- Full interview with Jenn Soto, Madeline Soto's mom
- FDLE asked to look into how Madeline Soto investigative photo was posted to sheriff's social media
"It just brings chills to know that somebody can take the life of such an innocent, young child," said Paul Johnson. "Whoever it may be, they need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law."
On Tuesday, documents revealed more about what the 13-year-old may have been forced to endure before her untimely death.
A Kissimmee Police Department arrest affidavit for Stephan Sterns states photos and videos recovered from Sterns’ phone show private body parts of a young victim, as well as Sterns partaking in sexual acts with the victim.
The metadata timestamps those images and videos to August 2022. Although the victim’s identity is redacted from the documents, the birthdate is not – it matches Soto’s.
According to the dates, the victim in the report was 11 years old when the sexually explicit photos and videos were taken.
Sterns, the boyfriend of Soto’s mother, remains behind bars in Osceola County on no bond. He is facing charges for the photos and videos recovered from his phone, and although he is the prime suspect in Soto’s disappearance, he has not been charged in her death, at least for now.
TIMELINE: Madeline Soto's disappearance
Madeline Soto was reported missing Monday by her mother, Jess Soto, who said Maddie never made it to school that day. Since Monday multiple developments have been made - including the arrest of Jess Soto's boyfriend, Stephan Sterns in the case. Deputies now say they believe Madeline Soto is dead after they saw Stern on video surveillance dumping some of her belongings in a dumpster.
This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 35 News for the latest updates.