On February 26, 2024, 13-year-old Madeline Soto went missing from her home in Kissimmee, Florida. Several days later, on March 1, the teenager’s body was found in a wooded area, the Orange County Sheriffâs Office said at the time. Prior to her body being found, police arrested her mother’s boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, and charged him with possessing child sexual abuse material. The CSAM was unrelated to both Madeline’s death and her disappearance.
On April 24, Sterns was charged with Madeline’s murder. Since the charge, more details about Sterns’ alleged abuse of Madeline have emerged, and police are questioning how much Madeline’s mother knew before her daughter’s death.
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Her mother made a shocking revelation.
Click 2 Orlando reported that Jennifer Soto, Madeline Soto’s mother, told police that the night before Madeline’s disappearance, she had asked her then-boyfriend Stephan Sterns and Madeline to sleep in the bedroom upstairs so she could get a “good nightâs sleep.” She had already claimed that the three had shared a bed regularly.
During the nearly three-hour interrogation, police pushed Jennifer Soto, saying that they believed she knew about Sterns sexually abusing her daughter.
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Jennifer Soto maintained that she knew nothing about the alleged abuse.
“I believe that you became aware of their sexual relationship,â the detectives told her. âI think at a certain point throughout this relationship, you became aware of it, and for whatever reason â your reasons are your reasons, whether it was discussed that it would stop, whether it was discussed how it would go â that you feel some sense of guilt.”
But Jennifer Soto insisted that she had “no idea.” She claimed Sterns “never mentioned anything. Iâve never seen any signs.” She also said “I tried watching her like a hawk. I thought I was doing a good job, but I wasnât. I was oblivious to everything.”
Police did not think Jennifer Soto was emotional enough about her daughter's death.
Despite Jennifer Soto crying throughout the interview with police, an incident report released by the Orange County Sheriffâs Office and shared by Click 2 Orlando called her emotions “fictitious.”
“During portions of the interview, [she] continuously protected Stephan Sterns, was questioned about why she prioritizes Stephan Sterns over [REDACTED] and even at one point referred to the âsex stuffâ as not evil but the murder of [REDACTED] as âevil.â The interview eventually ended, but [Sotoâs mother] did not show the same level of emotion or care in regards to [REDACTED] ongoing victimization by Stephan Sterns than she did her disappearance. It appeared to me that she has already accepted that the victimization was happening,” the report reads.
Sterns had allegedly long been abusing Madeline.
When Madeline’s body was discovered, deputies said they had evidence showing Sterns had been abusing the girl for years and regularly slept with her. In August, the sheriff’s office released a case supplemental report. The report claimed that when she learned that police found photos and videos showing Sterns allegedly sexually abusing a child, Jennifer Soto said, “He’s been grooming and abusing my child,” according to reports from  FOX 35, WFTV, and Click 2 Orlando.
Ultimately, Sterns was charged with first-degree murder in April, in connection with Madeline’s death. He has also pleaded not guilty to 60 counts of sexual abuse charges, the Osceola News-Gazette reported. Jennifer Soto has not been charged in connection with the case.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
