FL MADELINE SOTO: Missing from Orlando, FL - 26 Feb 2024 - Age 13 *Found Deceased*

Madeline Soto missing: Florida mom begs for daughter's safe return home

A mother in Orange County is begging for help locating her missing daughter.

www.fox35orlando.com

Madeline Soto missing: Florida mom begs for daughter's safe return home​

A mother in Orange County is begging for help locating her missing daughter.

Madeline ‘Maddie’ Soto was last seen on Monday, one day after she and her family celebrated her 13th birthday. Maddie’s mother, Jenn Soto, said surveillance video shows Maddie hanging out in a church parking lot on February 26 after being dropped off for school, but she never made it inside.

"I’m trying to hope for the best, but I’m scared for her," said Jenn Soto. "I want her to be okay; I want her to be safe… I don’t want her to come back harmed. I just want her back – whatever that means, I just want her back."

Jenn Soto said sheriff’s deputies are using K9s and a piece of Maddie’s clothing to try to track her scent near Town Loop Boulevard.

According to Jenn Soto, Maddie had never run away before. She said the teen had forgotten her cell phone at home that morning, but that was normal.

As of Wednesday morning, a variety of search teams are out searching for Maddie.


MEDIA - MADELINE SOTO: Missing from Orlando, FL - 26 Feb 2024 - Age 13

 

[GrandmaBear]

 

[GrandmaBear]

I should add this is on Vinnie's YT channel which isn't one he's done much on and where he has less than 10K viewers by far. Maybe he will get away from TV at some point... I'd suggest it lol.

TV is still trying to catch up with YT and so on channels and learn it. I'd take his own and leave imo from where they are told what to do, who to have and what to produce.

He is still learning as far as how to get around with it and answer viewers and more and so on.

Unfortunately at this point, I think he is doing it for Court TV, still tied, and I think they are letting him test it as himself and seeing how it goes and if they want to pick up his video for the show, etc...

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Osceola sheriff ‘accidentally’ posts possible crime scene photo in Madeline Soto case on Instagram

The Instagram account for Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez posted a confidential crime scene photograph on Saturday morning, which the agency later said had been inadvertently shared with the public.

www.clickorlando.com

Osceola sheriff ‘accidentally’ posts possible crime scene photo in Madeline Soto case on Instagram​

The Instagram account for Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez posted a confidential crime scene photograph on Saturday morning, which the agency later said had been inadvertently shared with the public.

The sheriff’s office has not disclosed whether Lopez himself or another agency employee posted the photo, and it did not specify the criminal investigation from which the image originated.

Former Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson, who is running against Lopez in the 2024 election, said the photograph depicted the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, who was found dead Friday afternoon in a wooded area near St. Cloud.

The clothes seen in the photo are consistent with the outfit Soto was believed to be wearing when she was reported missing on Feb. 26.

In response to questions from News 6, Osceola County sheriff’s officials did not dispute the photo stemmed from the Soto investigation.

A caption below the photograph stated, “Great day with our seniors” followed by an emoji of a smiley face wearing a halo.

“Earlier today a post was made on social media about a community event for seniors,” an unnamed Osceola County spokesperson said in an email to News 6 on Saturday. “In the post, an investigative photo was accidentally included. The photo was immediately removed. We deeply apologize for any confusion or disturbance this may have caused. As with any investigation, the information obtained is confidential and any mistaken disclosures will be immediately rectified.”

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to questions inquiring why the person who posted the Instagram photo was in possession of a confidential investigative photo.

The crime scene photo was posted on Instagram the same morning Nirva Rodriguez, a civilian sheriff’s office employee, shared a photograph on her personal Facebook page posing with Stephan Sterns, the prime suspect in Soto’s disappearance and death.

The selfie-style photograph was taken as Sterns walked out of a door at Osceola County jail Friday morning after being booked on charges of sexually battering a child and possessing child pornography.

“If God’s love has been poured out over your life, don’t allow evil to keep you away from what He has prepared for you,” a caption above the photo of Sterns and Rodriguez stated.

The Facebook post included the hashtag #NirvaRodriguez.

Rodriguez is the executive director of the sheriff’s office, a non-law-enforcement position that oversees multiple divisions including media services.

That division is responsible for running the agency’s social media accounts and providing information to news organizations.

Rodriguez’s Facebook post was deleted shortly after News 6 began inquiring about it Saturday. She did not respond to questions from News 6 sent to her agency email account.

An unnamed sheriff’s office spokesperson said in an email to News 6 that the agency could not answer specific questions about Rodriguez’s Facebook post “due to ongoing investigations.”

Orange-Osceola State Attorney Andrew Bain said his main focus is getting justice for Soto.

“(I) am deeply disturbed that (the photos) were carelessly made public, albeit as an accident according to a statement by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office,” Bain said in an email to News 6. “While I do not believe these photos will have any evidentiary impact on the case as of now, they were released in poor taste.”

News 6 legal analyst Steven Kramer said the two social media posts could potentially impact the criminal case.

“You have a confidential crime scene photo that is protected under Florida law that deals with a dead minor child that’s now been released to the public,” said Kramer. “That could affect the investigation and prosecution of the case, the defense of the case, and it could also affect the potential jury pool.”

According to Kramer, the social media posts may increase the chances that the trial could be moved to another city.

“There’s going to be a potential argument from the defense that the release of this photo taints the jury pool, so you might see a motion for a change of venue,” said Kramer.

Florida law prohibits the release of photographs depicting the killing of a minor, including images or videos of the minor’s body, except to a surviving parent.

A government official who willfully and knowingly disseminates such confidential photos violating Florida law could be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

There is no indication that Osceola County Sheriff’s Office employees intentionally posted the crime scene photo.

But Kramer said the Instagram post showing the crime scene could open the sheriff’s office up to civil liability.

“You’ve got a grieving family that’s suffering, and you may see an argument that this photo, even if it wasn’t intentional, the release was negligent,” said Kramer. “And as a result, you may see a claim for damages and a lawsuit result from that.”

 

[GrandmaBear]

Vinnie is live at this time of day on his own channel. Apparently he is trying to do as many have and get his own thing going on YT. He has under 10K subscribers so it isn't something eh has done much but it will probably explode if he keeps it up...

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Madeline Soto was sexually abused by mom’s boyfriend for years, documents say

New documents released reveal additional details about what led to Stephan Sterns' arrest.

www.wesh.com

Madeline Soto was sexually abused by mom’s boyfriend for years, documents say​

New documents released reveal additional details about what led to Stephan Sterns' arrest.


While law enforcement had initially found evidence that Sterns had been abusing Soto when she was 12 years old, an arrest affidavit breaks down how they were able to determine it went back even further.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said "disturbing images" were found. And metadata showed some of what they found was from August 2022, when Madeline would have been 11 years old.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Madeline Soto: Story Jennifer Soto gave law enforcement doesn’t line up with what investigators know

Channel 9 learned Tuesday that the story Jennifer Soto -- the mother of 13-year-old Madeline Soto -- gave to law enforcement does not line up with what investigators know.

www.wftv.com

Madeline Soto: Story Jennifer Soto gave law enforcement doesn’t line up with what investigators know​

Channel 9 learned Tuesday that the story Jennifer Soto -- the mother of 13-year-old Madeline Soto -- gave to law enforcement does not line up with what investigators know.

Soto told Channel 9 that her boyfriend, Stephan Sterns -- who is now the prime suspect in Madeline Soto’s death -- had taken the girl to school.

She said that the last conversation she had with her daughter happened the night before her disappearance.

But a report Channel 9 obtained Tuesday shows that Soto told deputies that she saw her daughter the morning of the girl’s disappearance.

No one has been charged in Madeline Soto’s death. But investigators are looking into who knew what, when. That means they are reviewing initial interviews of the couple and ones conducted later on.

Sources told Channel 9′s Shannon Butler that the statements about the timeline of Madeline Soto’s disappearance have not always been consistent.

Jennifer Soto told Channel 9 last week that the last conversation she had with her daughter was about her 13th birthday party the night before her disappearance.

“I told her ‘good night,’ and yeah, that was it,” she said.

But according to documents, Sunday night was not the last time Jennifer Soto saw her daughter.

Newly obtained documents show that the girl’s mother told deputies Feb. 26 that she saw her daughter getting dressed for school at 8 a.m. Monday, and Sterns then took her to school.

But since that initial report was taken, Channel 9 learned from Orange County Sheriff John Mina that Madeline Soto was likely dead earlier than that.

“Our detectives have determined that Madeline was never dropped off on the morning of Feb. 26 near her school,” Mina said during a news conference. “Instead, we believe she was already dead at the time, and that Stephan Sterns moved her body in the early morning hours of that day.”

Channel 9 has reviewed statements from Sterns and Jennifer Soto to try to piece together what happened in the final hours of Madeline Soto’s life.

“We dropped her off at school, close to school,” Jennifer Soto told Channel 9. “She wanted to walk the rest of the way.”

But in that same interview, she said this:

“I wasn’t the one who took her to school in the morning. That was my partner.”

Detectives believe that Madeline Soto was likely dead early Monday, because surveillance video recorded at the Kissimmee apartment complex where the family lived shows Sterns dumping her belongings in a dumpster at 7:35 a.m.

At 8:19 a.m., video shows the girl in Stern’s vehicle, and she believed to already be dead in that video, Mina said.

The Kissimmee Police Department has taken over the investigation into the girl’s death since Mina’s news conference.

Sources tell Channel 9 that Jennifer Soto has been interviewed multiple times by detectives from two agencies and that they are looking closely at all the statements she has made.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Florida sheriff apologizes for posting photo of dead body believed to be Madeline Soto: Reports

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos López apologizes for posting a photo of a dead body speculated to be that of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, reports say.

www.dispatch.com

Florida sheriff apologizes for posting photo of dead body believed to be Madeline Soto: Reports​

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office issued an apology Tuesday after Sheriff Marcos López received backlash online for posting a photo of a dead body on his personal Instagram page believed to be that of missing teen Madeline Soto, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

“On March 2, 2024, a post was made on social media about a community event for seniors," said the sheriff's office, in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel. "In the post, an investigative photo was accidentally included. The photo was immediately removed. We deeply apologize for any confusion or disturbance this may have caused."

"As with any investigation, the information obtained is confidential and any mistaken disclosures will be immediately rectified," the statement added.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

No murder charges yet as Madeline Soto’s friends, family mourn

While the body of a Kissimmee teenager who never arrived at Hunter’s Creek Middle School Monday, was recovered Friday in rural St. Cloud, her boyfriend’s mother remains in jail on no bond.

www.aroundosceola.com

No murder charges yet as Madeline Soto’s friends, family mourn​

While the body of a Kissimmee teenager who never arrived at Hunter’s Creek Middle School Monday, was recovered Friday in rural St. Cloud, her mother's boyfriend remains in jail on no bond.

Stephan Sterns, 37, was arrested in connection with the case on Feb. 28 on charges of sexual battery, sexual battery on a person under age 12 and possession of sexual performance materials, and is being held at the Osceola County Jail.

Sterns refused to make a first court appearance on Thursday; although he waived appearing again Monday, an initial court hearing was held with his public defender.

As of the press deadline for this edition, no murder charges have been filed. The Kissimmee Police Department continues to investigate the case, offering up no new information since her body was found Friday off Hickory Tree Road near Pearl Lake.

 

[Guess Who]

Madeline Soto: Story Jennifer Soto gave law enforcement doesn’t line up with what investigators know

Channel 9 learned Tuesday that the story Jennifer Soto -- the mother of 13-year-old Madeline Soto -- gave to law enforcement does not line up with what investigators know.

www.wftv.com

Madeline Soto: Story Jennifer Soto gave law enforcement doesn’t line up with what investigators know​

Channel 9 learned Tuesday that the story Jennifer Soto -- the mother of 13-year-old Madeline Soto -- gave to law enforcement does not line up with what investigators know.

Soto told Channel 9 that her boyfriend, Stephan Sterns -- who is now the prime suspect in Madeline Soto’s death -- had taken the girl to school.

She said that the last conversation she had with her daughter happened the night before her disappearance.

But a report Channel 9 obtained Tuesday shows that Soto told deputies that she saw her daughter the morning of the girl’s disappearance.

No one has been charged in Madeline Soto’s death. But investigators are looking into who knew what, when. That means they are reviewing initial interviews of the couple and ones conducted later on.

Sources told Channel 9′s Shannon Butler that the statements about the timeline of Madeline Soto’s disappearance have not always been consistent.

Jennifer Soto told Channel 9 last week that the last conversation she had with her daughter was about her 13th birthday party the night before her disappearance.

“I told her ‘good night,’ and yeah, that was it,” she said.

But according to documents, Sunday night was not the last time Jennifer Soto saw her daughter.

Newly obtained documents show that the girl’s mother told deputies Feb. 26 that she saw her daughter getting dressed for school at 8 a.m. Monday, and Sterns then took her to school.

But since that initial report was taken, Channel 9 learned from Orange County Sheriff John Mina that Madeline Soto was likely dead earlier than that.

“Our detectives have determined that Madeline was never dropped off on the morning of Feb. 26 near her school,” Mina said during a news conference. “Instead, we believe she was already dead at the time, and that Stephan Sterns moved her body in the early morning hours of that day.”

Channel 9 has reviewed statements from Sterns and Jennifer Soto to try to piece together what happened in the final hours of Madeline Soto’s life.

“We dropped her off at school, close to school,” Jennifer Soto told Channel 9. “She wanted to walk the rest of the way.”

But in that same interview, she said this:

“I wasn’t the one who took her to school in the morning. That was my partner.”

Detectives believe that Madeline Soto was likely dead early Monday, because surveillance video recorded at the Kissimmee apartment complex where the family lived shows Sterns dumping her belongings in a dumpster at 7:35 a.m.

At 8:19 a.m., video shows the girl in Stern’s vehicle, and she believed to already be dead in that video, Mina said.

The Kissimmee Police Department has taken over the investigation into the girl’s death since Mina’s news conference.

Sources tell Channel 9 that Jennifer Soto has been interviewed multiple times by detectives from two agencies and that they are looking closely at all the statements she has made.

Mom's story was contradiction after contradiction. I won't be surprised if we find out she knew her daughter was dead prior to her being reported missing. I am not sure if I will go as far as saying she was involved in anything other than a cover up, but also not convinced she wasn't aware of the prior abuse, either.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Mom's story was contradiction after contradiction. I won't be surprised if we find out she knew her daughter was dead prior to her being reported missing. I am not sure if I will go as far as saying she was involved in anything other than a cover up, but also not convinced she wasn't aware of the prior abuse, either.

Simply her saying she saw Maddie getting dressed for school at 8:00 am, but there was proof he was disposing of things by 7:30... Yeah.

 

[Guess Who]

Simply her saying she saw Maddie getting dressed for school at 8:00 am, but there was proof he was disposing of things by 7:30... Yeah.

And that's just one of the things.

 

[RoundPeg]

Mom's story was contradiction after contradiction. I won't be surprised if we find out she knew her daughter was dead prior to her being reported missing. I am not sure if I will go as far as saying she was involved in anything other than a cover up, but also not convinced she wasn't aware of the prior abuse, either.

I will never understand how a parent can help cover up their child's murder. There is literally no doubt in my mind I would be in jail myself if I got ahold of anyone who hurt my daughter or grandchildren.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I have a ton of questions and things that don't add up but unusual for me, I have not decided yet that she lied or decided what if anything she knew.

She was asked when what her and Maddie last talked about, when they last talked and she said the night before about the party, etc. With cops, prior, she said she had seen her getting dressed the next morning (day she went missing). These are wo different things. A last sighting is a lot different than a last conversation and so I am not heading where news and many podcasters have headed yet, calling such lies. Both can be true.

HOWEVER, I too noted he threw her school things away and is on video at 7:30ish something and mom saw her getting dressed at 8. That seems to not add up but that isn't really know either.

This creep did not kill the child he was molesting apparently for years until now. I see three possible reasons he did so now and one is pregnancy, the second is she was standing up to him and/or going to tell or had been telling, or three she was pregnant lets say and fancied herself in love with him and carrying his child (she'd been groomed of course) and he told her they'd run away and that was the only way to be together because no one else would understand their "love" and others think it wrong. In THIS scenario Maddie could have believed they were going to run off and he had said her cell phone had to be left, her backpack and laptop had to go so no one could find them, etc.

Sooooo I can still see where these things can add up or make sense. I'm certainly not saying I am sold on that and a lot about the mom bothers me BUT I'm not sold on everything people re jumping to out there is fact.

I need to know more but I don't like how she initially said it as if "we" took her to school. I don't like that she called him her stepfather. I don't like that ALLEGEDLY they were split and he never took her to school but this day he did whether at her behest or his angling to do so, we don't know. I have a VERY hard time believing she picked up on nor knew nothing all these years but I don't know that.

Gray Hughes has had on several friends both former and current of the perp's and there's a lot of info there at least in what he told people and where they were truly together at this time or not and so on.

Of course It is hearsay but they are all giving THEIR accounts of him and that he slept in a spare room, at other times they were split and he lived at his parents and so on.

It is said he "picked" her up that day which implies he did not live there or was not there to have to "pick" her up for school.

There is a lot I don't like but I don't see enough reason yet to convict her. She imo was not emotional enough butt then she is judged for being shaky, jiggling her leg, etc. And I even had to tell myself days ago that at that point she had not been found, he had not been arrested and she likely still had some serious hope possibly.

But again there are many things that make me wonder. She had no clue for all this time? And why is it she couldn't make either the party NOR take her to school? That makes no sense to me at all.
So I don't know but nothing will surprise me, however, I don't yet see reason enough to convince her and no one has shown this to be a lie.

The timeline is troubling even before this part was added to it. Clearly we don't know what LE does/did even before we knew about this because it is odd and all doesn't fit Did he kill her in the apartment and was he there when mom wasn't or when mom was sleeping? Did he haul her dead out of the apartment, dumping her school things OR did he truly "pick" he rup this morning and this comes from LE but then dumped her stuff before she even went to look for it leaving for school? That makes no sense to me either, would't she hamve been upset her backpack and laptop weren't there? Or did she KNOW this and as I said maybe thought they were running away but that wasn't his plan and was a lie...? He was seen on RETURN to the apt. complex at 8 something wasn't it, like 8:30? Or some such?

OR did he kill her once in the car? Well then how is it she didn't have a fit over where was her backpack and laptop or even wake mom to see if she knew, etc.? Her school did not start until NINE THIRTY is what I've heard and seen.

Clearly imo there is other info and video LE has that we don't, I think there has to be. Because even without this new addition of mom's supposed lie which I am not sure was one yet, it all didn't add up quite right. There was mention somewhere early on that she wanted to be at school early. Conjecture on my part but did that make it before om would be home na could take her there by giving her the excuse to have him take her...? It is not far fetched to think he lied to Maddie, controlled her and had since a far younger age, and promised her they were leaving and he'd take care of her or some other such sick lie. Was she dead before he threw the belongings in the apt. dumpster? It almost seems to make more sense that she wasn't, he fed her a lie and she was 13 and thought she was not going back to school and they were leaving and backpack, etc. had to go. He got her in car for their plan and then killed her. I was not leaning this way out of all the possibilities I saw but it fits the odd time frame and facts known the best...Ankdk perhaps she didn't even want to go but felt it her only choice if pregnant or some such OR threatened...

I've not convicted mom yet but I also don't run to defend her nor would I. A lot bothers me and we will be finding out more. I don't think enough is known by a long shot. I have even worse thoughts, not that she was involved but as to reasons she turned a blind eye OR even condoned something... Nothing I'm going to talk about as it is sheer conjecture but not impossible or unheard of either...

I have a leaning as to whether she knew or not, both of the SA and after the fact of the "murder" or whatever he may have told her. I'm not at a point I think it fair or there is enough to have a lsrong leaning as to her and add to all the hype that so far is a lot for smoke with not much proof both of mom's statements couldn't be true.

Again though there ARE things that bother me and nothing is going to surprise me. Just not ready to convict her yet when she lost her daughter and I don't know a single thing that shows she knew anything or was involved in any way.

There is plenty to question though and which needs answers.

 

[Guess Who]

I will never understand how a parent can help cover up their child's murder. There is literally no doubt in my mind I would be in jail myself if I got ahold of anyone who hurt my daughter or grandchildren.

me either. She had too many holes in her story to not know more than she originally let on. What i am not sure of is if he gave her some bogus story and she went with it believing his side or if she was blatantly covering for him or if she had any prior knowledge and/or involvement. Her story about seeing her in the morning all the way up to her story about picking her up and the times involved in that make no sense through not reporting her missing until 8pm after that. With the info we have just found out about him and his history with Madeline, I'm finding it very, very hard to believe mom was clueless. They also are very blurry about who stayed where and when that night. Was he supposed to not be staying with them and the fuzziness is coming from that because he was actually staying there or similar?

 

[GrandmaBear]

Saw it confirmed last night she did call at 4:40 something. Even though LE has 8 as a time. Both are true the way it sounds.

I think she was definitely parroting his story in the beginning which was the story given LE to and he gave her.

I find it hard to believe she was clueless, I don't like the "we" thing with dropping her off, I don't like her comforting him in the one interview as if HE lost someone he cared more for than she and she was her daughter. TO ME, that alone is huge. He even said something about how she is holding up and stronger than him (paraphrasing), tear, tear, sniffle.

I know I am talking to self lol, psheesh, but nothing would surprise me here. I do think In the same way she shared HIS STORY as theirs of dropping her off, believing and repeating his, as if "they" know or did this, I think she also believed him and he gave her a story.

BUT I also think at some point he could have also told her man I didn't mean it it was an accident.... And if she still buys that --and that makes her really something--or very stupid.

But I think what we likely see in her video is her WANTING to believe what he told her and the story he gave LE and a sense of WORRY that it isn't the case...

It's funny when as far as I know no one knows sh*t about some other things, all go so quiet. Says a lot. Speaking of reading between lines.

I don't know what to pray for here. Justice I guess. Can't pray for her safe return. And I for one wouldn't forgive him as some would and that alone will say a lot about mom.

 

[Regina]

Why was he even returning to the complex.....

That's a very good question!

 

[Regina]

I have a ton of questions and things that don't add up but unusual for me, I have not decided yet that she lied or decided what if anything she knew.

She was asked when what her and Maddie last talked about, when they last talked and she said the night before about the party, etc. With cops, prior, she said she had seen her getting dressed the next morning (day she went missing). These are wo different things. A last sighting is a lot different than a last conversation and so I am not heading where news and many podcasters have headed yet, calling such lies. Both can be true.

HOWEVER, I too noted he threw her school things away and is on video at 7:30ish something and mom saw her getting dressed at 8. That seems to not add up but that isn't really know either.
I need to know more but I don't like how she initially said it as if "we" took her to school. I don't like that she called him her stepfather. I don't like that ALLEGEDLY they were split and he never took her to school but this day he did whether at her behest or his angling to do so, we don't know. I have a VERY hard time believing she picked up on nor knew nothing all these years but I don't know that.
Of course It is hearsay but they are all giving THEIR accounts of him and that he slept in a spare room, at other times they were split and he lived at his parents and so on.
It is said he "picked" her up that day which implies he did not live there or was not there to have to "pick" her up for school.
There is a lot I don't like but I don't see enough reason yet to convict her. She imo was not emotional enough butt then she is judged for being shaky, jiggling her leg, etc. And I even had to tell myself days ago that at that point she had not been found, he had not been arrested and she likely still had some serious hope possibly.
So I don't know but nothing will surprise me, however, I don't yet see reason enough to convince her and no one has shown this to be a lie.

At this point, my impression of the mother is that she's easily convinced. (To me, she appeared convinced that it was a fact that her daughter was seen on video after having been dropped off.)
Apart from that, I remember her saying something along the line of not knowing how much she should say (publicly), which to me, sounds as though she was cautioned by someone- could have been LE- and I wonder what that's all about.
Lastly, I don't necessarily take it to the bank that all of the info in the police document is accurate, I mean, I have seen errors in police reports, usually due (I think) to misinterpretation of the info. (Btw, I don't think it's the mother but the media and LE whose referred to Sterns as the step-father, which I don't believe is accurate.)
Anyway, at this point, while the info that the mother saw her daughter getting ready for school is contrary to how LE reports events unfolded, I'm actually more bothered by the info that he returned to the apartment with the Madeline's body in the vehicle, I mean, I can't wrap my head around the reason why, but then again, as you've pointed out, the man's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

 

[Guess Who]

At this point, my impression of the mother is that she's easily convinced. (To me, she appeared convinced that it was a fact that her daughter was seen on video after having been dropped off.)
Apart from that, I remember her saying something along the line of not knowing how much she should say (publicly), which to me, sounds as though she was cautioned by someone- could have been LE- and I wonder what that's all about.
Lastly, I don't necessarily take it to the bank that all of the info in the police document is accurate, I mean, I have seen errors in police reports, usually due (I think) to misinterpretation of the info. (Btw, I don't think it's the mother but the media and LE whose referred to Sterns as the step-father, which I don't believe is accurate.)
Anyway, at this point, while the info that the mother saw her daughter getting ready for school is contrary to how LE reports events unfolded, I'm actually more bothered by the info that he returned to the apartment with the Madeline's body in the vehicle, I mean, I can't wrap my head around the reason why, but then again, as you've pointed out, the man's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Both times being on the reports could easily be that they were actually called two different times and/or another report later was made because the officer changed. It also could be because of how they lived in one county and she went to school in another. That is one thing I don't have an issue with.

 

[Kimster]

Madeline Soto was sexually abused by mom’s boyfriend for years, documents say

New documents released reveal additional details about what led to Stephan Sterns' arrest.

www.wesh.com

Madeline Soto was sexually abused by mom’s boyfriend for years, documents say​

New documents released reveal additional details about what led to Stephan Sterns' arrest.


While law enforcement had initially found evidence that Sterns had been abusing Soto when she was 12 years old, an arrest affidavit breaks down how they were able to determine it went back even further.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said "disturbing images" were found. And metadata showed some of what they found was from August 2022, when Madeline would have been 11 years old.

I was afraid this was the case. What a monster!

 

[Kimster]

Mom's story was contradiction after contradiction. I won't be surprised if we find out she knew her daughter was dead prior to her being reported missing. I am not sure if I will go as far as saying she was involved in anything other than a cover up, but also not convinced she wasn't aware of the prior abuse, either.

Sometimes these women are so blinded by whatever it is, they will cover up for the perp.