ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The body of a missing 13-year-old girl has been found in Osceola County, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Madeline Soto’s body was found around 4:30 p.m. in the woods off Hickory Tree Road. Sky 6 flew overhead as law enforcement officers searched along Hickory Tree Road on Friday afternoon. Investigators said the girl’s family has been notified.
In a release, Kissimmee police Chief Betty Holland provided the following statement:
“It is with a heavy heart I inform everyone that as we expected, Madeline Soto is deceased. I am thankful that she was found and for the coordinated efforts of the Kissimmee Police Department, Saint Cloud Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office that are able to bring some closure to the family. This is a sad day for our community and we mourn the loss of such a young life.”
Chief Betty Holland of the Kissimmee Police Department
During an update Friday afternoon, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said investigators believed the girl was dead and efforts were shifted to locate her body.
“Last night, detectives from the Kissimmee Police Department met with Madeline’s mother and they had to tell her the very devastating news that although we have not found Madeline, we are now confident that she is dead,” Mina said.
The girl was reported missing Monday after Stephan Sterns, the boyfriend of the teen’s mother, said he had dropped her off near her school, Hunter’s Creek Middle School. The sheriff’s office said Sterns was the last person to see the girl alive.
The sheriff said detectives determined she was never dropped off at school Monday morning.
“Instead, we believe she was already dead at the time and that Stephan Sterns moved her body in the early morning hours on that day,” Mina said. “We have video evidence that shows Stephan Sterns discarding items in a dumpster in that apartment complex in Kissimmee at 7:35 a.m.”
The sheriff said around 8:19 a.m., detectives found the girl’s backpack and her school-issued laptop in the dumpster.
“We have evidence that shows Stephan Sterns returning to the complex and Madeline was visible in that vehicle. We believe she was already dead at that time,” he said. “As a result of that, although the initial missing persons investigation started in Orange County, the Kissimmee Police Department will now be taking over the investigation and will become the lead agency.”
Holland said Sterns was seen driving a 2010 Lincoln MKC with the Florida tag IYL-L82 on Monday, Feb. 26, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the area of State Road 192 and Old Hickory Tree Road, and Old Hickory Tree Road and Nolte Road.
“During this time frame, it is believed that Sterns had a flat tire and might have been seen changing the tire in this area. If anyone saw this vehicle or noticed anything suspicious, we’re asking that they call Crimeline,” she said.
Sterns was arrested Wednesday on charges of sex battery and possession of child sex abuse material after “images and videos that were criminal, and sexual in nature” were found on his phone during the investigation into the teen’s disappearance, deputies said.
He initially told deputies he “accidentally” performed a factory reset on his phone the day she was reported missing.
The sheriff’s office said the crimes depicted in the images and videos were committed at the family home in Kissimmee, so they notified the Kissimmee Police Department to take the lead on the sexual battery case.
During the interview with detectives, Sterns said he dropped Madeline off in front of Peace United Methodist Preschool at 8:40 a.m. even though the middle school is further down the street and classes started at 9:30 a.m., according to an affidavit released Thursday.
Madeline’s mother went to the school around 4:30 p.m. Monday to pick up her daughter and was told that she was not there and that she never came to school that day, the sheriff’s office said.
Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez released a statement about Madeline after Mina announced Friday that he’s confident the girl is dead.
“I am heartbroken to hear from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office of the tragic death of our precious student, Madeline Soto. My thoughts and prayers go out to Maddie’s family and her school community. To lose a child so suddenly and tragically is extremely difficult, especially for family and friends,” the statement read. “Counselors continue to be available for any student or staff member dealing with the news. I ask that you keep the entire Hunter’s Creek Middle School community in your prayers as they grieve the loss of one of their own.”
A vigil for Soto was held on Friday near Hunter’s Creek Middle School in Orlando.
Sterns was transferred Friday from the Orange County jail to the Osceola County jail.
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