New Madeline Soto case documents shed light on where, how Florida teen's dead body was found
New documents with more details into the investigation of Madeline Soto's disappearance and death shed light on how the 13-year-old girl was found days after she was first reported missing.
FOX 35 on Wednesday combed through the nearly 900 pages of new investigation material from the State Attorney's Office.
Madeline was first reported missing on Feb. 26 after she didn't make it to school in the morning. Investigators determined, however, that she was never actually dropped off at school and it was likely that she was already dead at this point. Her body was found in rural Osceola County on March 1.
Stephan Sterns, the boyfriend of Madeline's mother, was charged with her murder on April 24, nearly two months after she was first reported missing. He currently remains in custody. In an update from the State Attorney's Office this week, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in this case should he be convicted.
The new documents obtained by FOX 35 reveal new details about that search and how and where her body was found – and how it possibly got there.
New video shows Jenn Soto, Stephan Sterns after Madeline Soto was reported missing
On Feb. 26, investigators obtained surveillance video that shows a trash compactor where a tread from Sterns' car and objects belonging to Madeline were eventually found. Her belongings included a black backpack. Investigators said Sterns was caught on video throwing these objects into the trash compactor on the morning of the teen's reported disappearance.
Stephan Sterns (Photo: Osceola County Jail)
Minutes later, Sterns was caught on surveillance video driving away from the neighborhood in Kissimmee, according to investigators. In this video, a female was seen in the front passenger seat. Investigators believe this was Madeline's dead body.
"Her head is visible, tilted on her left shoulder, and her mouth was open. She was belted into the seat," according to a supplemental report from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
At this point, Sterns was driving between Madeline's home and his apartment complex in Kissimmee. About an hour later, at 8:19 a.m., he was seen entering the front security gate of the neighborhood with a female, in the same position as the surveillance video captured at 7:36 a.m., according to the new documents.
Minutes later, the female in the car is seen in the same position again, the documents added.
New Stephan Sterns documents detail Google Drive, sleeping arrangements, security footage
About an hour after that, Sterns' car was found on surveillance footage turning into the parking garage of Holiday Inn Club Vacations on South John Young Parkway in Orlando, according to the documents. He drove up to the top level of the parking garage and got out of his car at around 9:42 a.m. A man matching Sterns' description was seen allegedly opening the trunk, walking to the passenger seat, opening the door and carrying "what appeared to be a limp female body to the trunk of the vehicle," the documents allege.
At 9:44 a.m., he's seen driving away.
After days of searching for the teen's body, it was eventually found just off Hickory Tree Road in St. Cloud, according to law enforcement. It's an area that Sterns was reportedly seen changing a tire on that day.
This was a detail that was previously known, but the new documents shed light on where and how her body was found.
An officer noticed that near a line of bamboo trees was what appeared to be a pair of blue jeans, the documents said.
Madeline Soto memorialized in middle school yearbook: 'I miss you so much'
"As we got closer, we noticed what appeared to be a body," a deputy wrote in a report. "The top half of the body was covered by a green colored hooded sweatshirt and the bottom half was covered with blue jeans."
The body was lying in "somewhat of a fetal position" and was covered by hay and dry grass, the documents said. There were flies covering the body, and discoloration on her face, neck, torso, back and hands, the report added.
This body was eventually determined to be Madeline's.
It remains unclear at this time how Madeline died. The Medical Examiner's Office has declined to release Madeline's autopsy report, citing the investigation and state law.