Madeline Soto update: Kissimmee police chief press conference on Florida girl's disappearance, death
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto was found in a grassy area in Osceola County, Florida five days after she was reported missing, officials said. Her mom's boyfriend, Stephen Sterns, is considered a "prime suspect" in her disappearance. He has been charged with dozens of charges related to sexual abuse. Click here for the latest updates on the investigation.
The Kissimmee Police Department shared an update on the homicide investigation of Madeline Soto on Thursday afternoon.
Chief Betty Holland will held a news conference at 2 p.m. to highlight the progress of their investigation. You can watch it again in the video player above.
MADELINE SOTO UPDATE: Everything Kissimee Police Chief Betty Holland said at Thursday's press conference
Original story continues below:
Madeline was a 13-year-old Kissimmee girl who was reported missing on Feb. 26 in Orlando after she failed to attend class at her middle school. She was allegedly dropped off a few blocks away from her school by her mother's boyfriend, Stephan Sterns.
Madeline Soto, 13, was reported missing on Feb. 26, 2024, in Orange County, Florida.
Investigators later learned Sterns had never dropped Madeline off near her school, and that she was already dead the morning she was reported missing, citing video evidence.
Officials said Sterns allegedly moved her body in the morning hours. Her body was found later that week in rural Osceola County.
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Since the day she was reported missing, Kissimmee police said they have been "diligently pursuing leads and gathering information and evidence to piece together the timeline leading up to her death," a news release stated.
Sterns, who was named the prime suspect in Madeline's disappearance, was arrested that same week on sexual battery and child porn charges after detectives found disturbing images on his phone.
The State Attorney's Office later filed 60 new criminal charges against Sterns.
The 36-page affidavit obtained by FOX 35 detailed all 60 counts of what Sterns is accused of, but FOX 35 is choosing not to release the details listed in the affidavit due to their graphic nature.
The 60 charges are as follows:
- 8 counts of sexual battery of a child under 12
- 5 counts of sexual battery with a child aged 12 to 18
- 7 counts of lewd and lascivious molestation
- 40 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child (10 or more images)
The document does not name a victim, but does include a date range of how long Sterns has allegedly been in possession of graphic materials or/when the alleged abuse started – June 19, 2019. That range tops out on Feb. 26, 2024, the day Madeline Soto was last seen. A previous affidavit from the Kissimmee Police Department said that Sterns performed a "factory reset" on his phone on that day.
While it remains unclear who the victim or victims are, if one of them was Madeline Soto, she would have been 8 years old when the alleged crimes began. The affidavit said Sterns was in a "position of familial or custodial authority" when he allegedly committed a handful of the sexual batteries.
As of Thursday morning, Sterns has not been charged in her death. He is being held in the Osceola County jail without bond.
This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 35 News for updates.