Madeline Soto, the 13-year-old who allegedly was murdered by her mother’s boyfriend earlier this year, died of strangulationthe authorities have revealed.
The girl was was found dead in a remote wooded area in Florida’s Osceola County on March 1, days after she had apparently disappeared on her way to school.
Authorities initially said they would not release her cause of death because it was related to a domestic violence incident involving a minor and was therefore exempt from disclosure, according to Florida law.
However, the information was recorded in an 80-page document obtained by Sarasota’s ABC 7 from the Kissimmee Police Department.
Her mother’s boyfriend, 37-year-old Stephan Sterns, had been tasked with taking Madeline to school on the morning of February 26, but she never arrived. The girl’s mother, Jennifer Soto, reported her missing around 8 p.m
The night before, Jennifer Soto “sent” Madeline to sleep in a guest room with the SternsOrlando’s Fox 35 reported last week. It wasn’t unusual for the trio to sleep in the same bed, but on that particular night, Soto said she “needed some good sleep” because she had recently started a new job and “hadn’t been rested.”
Soto said she last saw her daughter around 11 p.m. that night, but did not see her go to school Monday morning.
Later surveillance footage recorded the Sterns with Madeline collapsed in the front passenger seat of his vehicle in the early hours of the morning after her disappearance, leading police to believe she was already dead at the time.
The same video evidence showed the Sterns throwing items into a dumpster outside of Orlando, where authorities later recovered Madeline’s backpack and school computer.
Police immediately identified Sterns as the prime suspect, and he was arrested even before they found Madeline’s body. Detectives came across images on his mobile phone which were believed to be “criminal and sexual in nature” and alleged he had sexually assaulted and abused Madeline since she was 11 years old.
His initial charges were for sexual assault and possession of child sexual abuse material, but two weeks later, 60 extra charges added after more gruesome images emerged.
Sterns was officially charged with Madeline’s murder in April. Prosecutors said in June they would seek the death penalty. Stern’s has pleaded not guilty.