Madeline Soto missing: Mother talks timeline leading up to daughter's disappearance in Florida
Full interview: Madeline Soto's mom talks timeline, opens up about 13-year-old daughter's disappearance
Jenn Soto, Madeline Soto's mom, spoke to FOX 35's Hannah McKenzie this week about the disappearance of her 13-year-old daughter. "Maddie" Soto has been missing since Feb. 26, days after her 13th birthday, and hours after she was dropped up at school. Jenn Soto's boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, dropped Maddie near the school, but the girl never made it to class.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - UPDATE: Madeline Soto was killed by her mother's boyfriend, Stephen Sterns, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference on Friday afternoon. The update comes after five days of searching for the missing teenager. Click here for the latest update.
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Madeline Soto was reported missing earlier this week after she did not make it to school on Monday morning.
In the latest development, her mother's boyfriend Stephan Sterns, 37, was arrested Wednesday on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material after detectives said they found "disturbing" images on his phone. Sterns has not been arrested in connection to the 13-year-old girl's disappearance but was the last person to see her. He is now considered a "prime suspect," police said.
TIMELINE: Everything we know about 13-year-old Madeline Soto's disappearance
Detectives said it appears that whatever alleged actions were captured in the images and videos happened at the family's home in Kissimmee, Florida, which is just south of Orlando. They also said that Sterns had allegedly attempted to delete evidence from his phone.
WHO IS STEPHAN STERNS? What we know about Stephan Sterns, 'prime suspect' in her disappearance
Madeline's mother Jenn Soto spoke with FOX 35 on Tuesday night about the timeline of her daughter's disappearance, who was last seen after being dropped off at a church down the street from her elementary school. You can watch the full interview in the video player above.
According to police, surveillance video shows that Madeline was last seen with Sterns when he dropped her off in the Peace United Methodist Church parking lot, just a few blocks from Hunter's Creek Middle School. At a news conference earlier this week, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said that she was possibly "embarrassed" by the vehicle and asked her mom's boyfriend to be dropped off there instead of at school.
Madeline Soto: 'Prime suspect' accused of having child porn
Stephan Sterns, 37, the boyfriend of a Central Florida mother whose daughter, Madeline "Maddie" Soto, disappeared earlier this week has been arrested on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material, officials said. Sterns has not been arrested or charged in Soto's disappearance. However, he is considered to be a suspect in her disappearance and was the last person to see her, officials said.
What happened in the days leading up to Madeline Soto's disappearance?
The day before Maddie disappeared, her family celebrated her 13th birthday. Madeline Soto turned 13 on Feb. 22.
"She was so happy. She showed us all her gifts. She's just a happy girl, and she showed it on Sunday. When she went to bed, she was so happy," said Soto.
Jenn Soto said there was no moment in the evening from when she got home that she had a phone or a laptop indicating that she was having conversations or making plans for Monday.
‘I JUST WANT HER BACK’: Madeline Soto's mom begs for daughter's safe return home
On Monday morning, Stern drove Madeline Soto to school, where she was seen on surveillance video crossing the street, appearing to walk to school from the church Sterns dropped her off at.
When Sterns was arrested, he invoked his right to an attorney and declined to speak further before being booked into jail.
Jenn Soto said her daughter had never run away before. She said the teen had forgotten her cell phone at home that morning, but that was normal.
When deputies searched Madeline Soto's phone, they learned that she had told her friends that she wanted to "live in the woods" after her birthday. This triggered searches in the woods behind her middle school, but she hasn't been found yet.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Madeline Soto is "endangered," meaning that her physical safety is in danger, such as a predatory abduction or kidnapping.
An Amber Alert has not yet been issued for Soto. These kinds of emergency alerts are triggered when law enforcement has a well-founded belief, based on an active investigation, that a kidnapping has occurred, according to FDLE. There could also be a well-founded belief that the missing child is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.
"We don't know if she was taken. We don't know if she stepped away. She left her phone at the house," Sheriff Mina said.
Stephan Sterns was arrested and booked into the Orange County jail on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material after detectives found "disturbing" images on his phone, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.
Have you seen Madeline Soto? How you can help
Madeline "Maddie" Soto is a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing this week. She was reported missing on Tuesday after she was last seen at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 26, in the area of Town Loop Boulevard and Hunter's Park Lane in Orlando.
Soto is a 5-foot-1, 110-pound girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Officials said she was last seen wearing a green jacket, black shorts, and white Crocs. She has a mole on the left side of her nose and the right side of her chin.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office thanked those wanting to help search for Madeline Soto but asked the public to avoid entering the search area.
"For now, we are asking that people refrain from coming to the search area, and to let our Emergency Response Team handle that. But we will advise if that changes," the sheriff's office wrote on X.
If you have information about Madeline Soto's disappearance or whereabouts, contact the Orange County Sheriff's Office at 407-836-HELP.