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New details in the death of Maddie Soto
New details released in the death of Maddie Soto show that chemicals specific to decaying bodies was discovered in the passenger seat of Stephan Sterns vehicle.
ORLANDO, Fla. - It's been one year since the initial report was filed after 13-year-old Madeline Soto disappeared and was found dead days later in Osceola County.
A year later we are still learning new details about this case.
The backstory:
Madeline Soto was reported missing in February 2024 after not showing up to school. Her body was found five days later dumped in a grassy area in a remote part of Osceola County, officials said. She had been strangled, according to court records.
Stephan Sterns was the boyfriend of Jennifer Soto, Madeline's mother. He is facing a first-degree murder charge and the death penalty, if convicted, in the disappearance and death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto.
Sterns' parents help search for Maddie
New Details:
According to the report, North Port Police say when they arrived at Stephan Sterns' parents' house, Sterns' mother was walking around the woods near the home calling Maddie's name.
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New body camera footage in Madeline Soto disappearance
New body camera footage shows Stephen Sterns and Jennifer Soto being questioned by deputies the day after they reported Madeline Soto missing. Sterns is accused of sexually abusing and killing the 13-year-old girl.
K-9 search of vehicle provides evidence
What we know:
The Orange County Sheriff's Office had found surveillance video they believed showed Maddie the morning she was reported missing in the front seat of Sterns’ car, slumped over to her left – "an abnormal way for a person to be seated" – the report says.
New Details:
FOX 35 learned from newly-released documents that a K-9 search was conducted in Sterns' vehicle.
During the search, the K-9 was alerted to chemicals found specifically when human bodies are decomposing.
Sterns' story changes
What we know:
Stephan Sterns told police he had dropped Maddie off at school the morning she disappeared and then went to a smoke shop.
OFFICER: "After you dropped her off, did you go directly to the smoke shop?"
STERNS: "I did, I went directly to the smoke shop."
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New investigative interviews with Stephan Sterns
New evidence in the Madeline Soto investigation has been released by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, which sheds light on the search for the missing teen in late February.
However, in a new interview released to FOX 35, he changes his story.
New Details:
In this newly released interview, Sterns tells police that Maddie was asleep in the passenger seat of the car when he went into the vape shop.
OFFICER: "How was she positioned in the front seat."
STERNS: "Lean back in the seat. Just kind of conked out napping."
OFFICER: "Where was her head in relation to the seat."
STERNS: "Up against the seat. I think against it."
OFFICER: "This was the seat. Leaning back or seat."
STERNS: "Was leaning back, and she leaned the seat back so that she could recline."
Latest Updates:
- Madeline Soto case: Remembering the 13-year-old one year later; accused killer preps for trial
- Madeline Soto case: Stephan Sterns asks judge to ban public, press from court hearing
- Madeline Soto case: Stephan Sterns wants phone evidence tossed ahead of child sex crimes trial
- Madeline Soto update: Stephan Sterns files new motion to drop death penalty in murder case
Who is Stephan Sterns?
What we know:
Stephan Sterns was the boyfriend of Jennifer Soto, Madeline's mother.
According to court documents and law enforcement, Sterns lived with Jennifer, Madeline, and another roommate on and off. He would sometimes take Madeline Soto to school and would also sometimes sleep in the same bed as Madeline and Jennifer, court records said.
In Feb. 2024, he reportedly took Madeline Soto to school while the girl's mother stayed back at the house. Hours later when Madeline's mom went to pick her up from school, she was told Madeline never made it to school that day.
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Stephan Sterns' attorneys request closed courtroom
Stephan Sterns' attorneys filed a motion this morning asking the judge to close the courtroom from the media and the public for all pre-trial hearings. Belvin Perry, a retired judge who presided over the high-profile Casey Anthony trial, joined FOX 35's Garrett Wymer to break down the context of this motion, and the judge's likelihood of granting this request.
Sterns is charged with first-degree murder in the death of the girl. He is also charged in a separate case with some 60 counts of sexual abuse and possession of child sexual abuse material after thousands of graphic photos, some including Maddie, were found on his cell phone and saved to a Google Drive account, court records said.
He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
His trial on the first-degree murder charge is currently scheduled to begin on Sept. 22, 2025.
Who is Maddie Soto?
What we know:
Madeline "Maddie" Soto was a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing on Feb. 26, 2024. Maddie had just celebrated her 13th birthday on February 22, days before she was reported missing.
Madeline was a student at Hunter's Creek Middle School in Orlando. Though, she lived with her mom, Sterns, and an adult roommate in Kissimmee.
Her body was found in a grassy area in Osceola County on March 1.
Timeline:
2024:
- Sunday, Feb. 25: Madeline Soto's 13th birthday celebration
- Monday, Feb. 26: Madeline Soto was last seen at 8:30 a.m., didn't make it to school
- Tuesday, Feb. 27: Madeline Soto's missing poster was released, officials begin search
- Tuesday night, Feb. 27: Madeline Soto's mom, Jenn Soto, speaks with FOX 35; would-be suspect appears in background
- Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 28: Orange County Sheriff John Mina hosts press conference about ongoing search
- Wednesday night, Feb. 28: Mom's boyfriend Stephan Sterns arrested on unrelated charges, named ‘prime suspect’ in Madeline Soto case
- Thursday, Feb. 29: Kissimmee Police Department releases Stephan Sterns' arrest affidavit
- Thursday, Feb. 29: Body language expert assesses Stephan Sterns' body language in Zoom interview with Jenn Soto
- Friday morning, March 1: Stephan Sterns dodges questions from FOX 35 while being transferred from Orange County to Osceola County
- Friday afternoon, March 1: Officials say they're ‘confident’ that Madeline Soto is dead
- Friday afternoon, March 1: Multi-agency search for Madeline Soto near area where Stephen Sterns was last seen
- Friday afternoon, March 1: Body found amid search for Madeline Soto
After Maddie's body was found:
- Saturday morning, March 2: Stephan Sterns waives first appearance in court
- Wednesday, March 6: New court documents allege Stephan Sterns may have abused Madeline Soto years before her disappearance, death
- Tuesday, March 12: State Attorney's Office files 60 additional charges against Stephan Sterns
- Thursday, March 21: Kissimmee Police Chief holds press conference with updates about investigation
- Wednesday, April 4: State Attorney Andrew Bain explains why more information has not been released into the Madeline Soto death investigation
- Wednesday, April 4: FOX 35 obtained the 911 calls from the morning 13-year-old Madeline Soto went missing from Orange County
- Saturday, April 15: Maddie Soto’s family and community members gathered at a vigil Saturday to remember the 13-year-old who was found dead days after she was reported missing in February.
- Wednesday, April 24: An Osceola County judge granted a motion to continue the pretrial for Stephan Sterns.
- Wednesday, April 24: A new trial date has been set for Stephan Sterns after an Osceola County judge granted the defense's motion for more time during a pretrial hearing.
- Thursday, April 25: Stephan Sterns has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Florida girl Madeline Soto.
After Stephan Sterns was charged:
- Monday, June 10: The State Attorney's Office intends to seek the death penalty against Stephan Sterns, the man accused of killing his girlfriend's daughter, 13-year-old Madeline "Maddie" Soto, according to court records – should he be convicted.
- Wednesday, July 10: Attorneys for Stephan Sterns, who was charged for the murder of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, have filed motions to continue both trials.
- Thursday, August 22: New police interviews with Stephan Sterns, Jennifer Soto from hours after teen went 'missing'
- Friday, August 23: New documents obtained by FOX 35 this week show that the teen's mother may have known about that alleged abuse.
- Monday, August 26: Madeline Soto's mom admits to knowing Stephan Sterns was 'grooming and abusing' her daughter, documents show.
- Monday, August 26: New documents shed light on how Madeline Soto's body got to the rural location it was eventually found at, and, ultimately, how she died.
- Monday, October 14: Trial date set for Stephan Sterns
- Wednesday, October 23: Kissimmee police revealed new information in the ongoing investigation. Alleged killer Stephan Sterns secretly filmed naked roommate, officials say.
- Friday, October 25: "I didn't start it" Those are the words Stephen Sterns told his parents in a recorded call from jail, audio which was released to FOX 35 Orlando.
2025:
- Thursday, February 6: Stephan Sterns and his attorney file dozens of motions ahead of his murder trial set to begin in September. Asking to strike the death penalty and to have all physical restraint devices removed from Sterns during trial proceedings.
- Wednesday, February 12: Stephan Sterns wants phone evidence tossed ahead of child sex crimes trial.
- Wednesday, February 19: Stephan Sterns asks judge to ban public, press from court hearing.
- Wednesday, February 26: Remembering the 13-year-old one year later; accused killer preps for trial.
The Source: The information in this article comes from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the North Port Police Department, documents from the Orange County Clerk of Courts and Osceola County Clerk of Courts.