Recently released police bodycam footage shows Stephan Sterns, the Florida man facing more than 60 charges connected to the murder of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, reporting the teenager missing.
Sterns has been charged with the teen's murder, as well as capital sexual battery, lewd or lascivious molestation and unlawful possession of child sexual abuse materials. Madeline's body was found several days after Sterns and the teen’s mother reported her missing.
The new footage shows Sterns and Madeline's mother, Jenn Soto, meeting with Orange County Sheriff's deputies to report her missing after she failed to return home on February 26.
Soto explains in the footage that Madeline was dropped off near her school earlier that morning but never made it to class.
The mother then told the deputy she wanted to be dropped off away from the school because she reportedly was embarrassed by Stern's car.
"She didn't want to be dropped off at school. She wanted to be dropped a half block away so she could walk," Soto said.
Sterns then chimes in, saying the teen was "in a phase."
"I thought she was looking for headphones before she kind of walking on, but she was just kind of in that direction, looked the same as any other morning,” he told deputies, describing the last time he said he saw the teen.
More than 50 law enforcement officers spent the days following Madeline’s disappearance searching for her in the nearby woods. Officers had found messages on her phone that she said she wanted to live in the woods when she turned 13.
Madeline's body was eventually found in the woods near Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County on March 1, a few days after she was reported missing.
On February 28, two days after Madeline disappeared, the sheriff’s office announced it had arrested Sterns, following the discovery of “disturbing images” on his phone, which he had tried to delete. These photos and videos were “criminal and sexual in nature”, the office said.
The footage was found despite the suspect saying he had accidentally performed a factory reset on his phone the day Madeline disappeared.
On March 4, another arrest warrant was issued for Sterns, alleging he had been abusing Madeline since 2022, when she was 11 years old.
Investigators said they had further examined Sterns’ phone and found that some of the sexually explicit material was dated from August 2022.
Sterns has reportedly been unwilling to cooperate with investigators and skipped his arraignment hearing in April, WESH reports. A pre-trial hearing was set for July 10, and Sterns trial is scheduled to begin on July 16, according to court records.
Sheriff John Mina told reporters in March that they had gathered evidence pointing to Sterns as Madeline's killer.
“Our detectives have determined that Madeline was never dropped off on the morning of February 26 near her school. Instead, we believe she was already dead.”
At the briefing on 1 March, Mina said that investigators believe Sterns dumped Madeline’s belongings before moving her body, rather than taking her to school as he had originally claimed.
He explained how the sheriff’s office had video evidence which appeared to prove that, showing Sterns throwing items into a dumpster behind their apartment building around 7:35am. Those items included the teen’s backpack and her school-issued laptop.
“At 8:19am, 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,” the sheriff said.
Investigators found Madeline's body later the same day they informed Soto of her daughter's death.
The department said on March 6 that it was still working on the murder investigation, and additional details would not be released.
“Our detectives and forensic unit are working tirelessly to uncover the truth behind this heartbreaking incident,” the department said on X. “We understand the desire for updates, and we assure you that every effort is being made to get justice for Madeline.”
Madeline’s mother is not considered a suspect at this time.
