Murdered Florida schoolgirl Madeline Soto’s stepfather has been charged with sixty child porn and sex abuse crimes, but not with the 13-year-old’s killing despite being a prime suspect.
Stephan Sterns, 37, the boyfriend of Jenn Soto, Madeline’s mother, was charged with a slew of new charges on Tuesday involving children.
The charges include: sexual battery on a child under 12; five counts of sexual battery of a child aged 12 to 8; seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. Additionally, 40 counts of unlawful possession of 10 or more images depicting a sexual performance by a child, according to the Kissimmee Police Department.
Sterns was already faces charges of sexual battery of a child under 12, and was being held without bond at the Osceola Count Jail.
Officials said he has not been charged in connection with Soto’s death.
Madeline ‘Maddie” Soto went missing on February 26, a day after she celebrated her 13th birthday that was on February 22nd
Stephan Sterns, 37, was charged with a slew of new charges on Tuesday including, sexual battery on a child under 12; five counts of sexual battery of a child aged 12-18; seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation
Soto’s body was found in a wooded area of Osceola County on March 1
Stearns supposedly drove his stepdaughter to school on the morning of February 26, and claimed that he dropped her off at a nearby church.
When Soto’s mom went to pick her daughter up at her middle school, Hunter’s Creek Middle School, she discovered that her daughter never showed up at school.
Mom, Jennifer Soto, is pictured alongside her 13-year-old daughter Maddie
The frantic mother called police and filed a missing person’s report.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies searched extensively for the teen using bloodhounds as they canvassed the school grounds and nearby area, eventually widening their search.
Missing posters of the light brown-haired, blue-eyed Maddie Soto were also distributed, and a press conference was held by the Orange County Sheriff John Mina.
On February 28, three days after Soto went missing, Stearns was arrested on unrelated charges and named ‘prime suspect’ in the case.
On March 1, Stearns is moved by police from Orange County to Osceola County.
Police found messages on Madeline’s phone that said once she was 13, she wanted ‘to go live in the woods.’ The girl is seen in a picture with her mother Jenn and her boyfriend Sterns
Orange County Sheriff John Mina and Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland announces that their investigation has led them to believe that 13-year-old Madeline Soto was killed by primary suspect Stephan Sterns
Soto’s body was found in woods during a coordinated search in the area off Hickory Tree Road around 4.30pm Friday afternon. She was in the clothes she was last wearing – a green sweatshirt, black shorts and white Crocs.
Accrording to reports, Sterns was seen driving his silver 2010 Lincoln MK car with the teenager’s lifeless body still in the vehicle after dumping her backpack and laptop in the trash.
The area where Soto’s body was discovered is where Sterns had been seen driving and seen at the side of the road changing his tire.
Soto was reported missing on Monday night in Orlando, Florida, after initial reports that she was last seen that morning near Town Loop Boulevard and Hunter’s Park Lane.
However, cops have since said she may have already been dead during her final sighting.
Deputies said they believe Madeline was never dropped off at Hunter’s Creek Middle School on Monday morning, and was dead before then.
They also said Sterns allegedly moved her body in the morning hours of Monday after killing her in Kissimmee.
Police found the teenager’s body a short distance away from where she lived
On Friday afternoon, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference in which that stated that they were ‘confident’ the girl was dead.
Sheriff John Mina broke the ‘devastating news’ to Madeline’s mother Jenn on Thursday night.
‘We believe he moved her body in those early morning hours, and all that is still under investigation,’ Sheriff Mina explained.
‘Searches are continuing as we speak, and we have people who are working nonstop. So every lead that comes in, every piece of evidence that we receive, we’re gonna follow up on that, and if that leads us to a new search area, we’ll be out all weekend,’ Mina said.