Months after Florida teen Madeline Soto was allegedly murdered by her mother’s boyfriend, her cause of death has been revealed. The body of Soto, 13, was found in a secluded wooded area.
Documents obtained by WKMG revealed that Soto’s death was ruled a homicide by strangulation. She was first reported missing on February 26 after she failed to turn up for class at her Orlando middle school. Her body was discovered in the woods in Osceola County four days later. Orange County Sheriff’s Department said that Soto was possibly already dead before the search for her started.
Stephan Sterns, who was dating Soto’s mother Jenn Soto at the time of the crime, has been charged with murder in the teen’s death. The 37-year-old was confirmed to have been the last person to see Soto before she disappeared.
“I dropped her off [at school] early, I could have waited longer. She looked okay she was walking towards the school,” Sterns told a local news channel in February before being arrested. He was later arrested and initially charged with sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material. He was later charged with first-degree murder.
Stephan Sterns allegedly began sexually abusing Madeline Soto in 2022
An arrest affidavit filed in Osceola County revealed that Sterns allegedly began sexually abusing Soto in 2022, when she was 11. On February 26, Soto disappeared after Sterns dropped her off at Peace United Methodist Church on Town Loop Boulevard. This was a few blocks away from Hunter's Creek Middle School, which Soto attended.
{{/usCountry}}An arrest affidavit filed in Osceola County revealed that Sterns allegedly began sexually abusing Soto in 2022, when she was 11. On February 26, Soto disappeared after Sterns dropped her off at Peace United Methodist Church on Town Loop Boulevard. This was a few blocks away from Hunter's Creek Middle School, which Soto attended.
{{/usCountry}}Sterns also faces 40 counts of Unlawful Possession of Materials Depicting Sexual Performance by a Child Ten or More Images, five counts of Sexual Battery with a Child 12-18, Seven counts of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation, and eight counts of Sexual Battery on a Child Under 12, according to WKMG. He is scheduled to appear in court on October 14 for a status hearing.