Found Deceased FL - Madeline Soto, 13, Missing Child Alert, 13500 blk Town Loop Blvd, Orlando, 26 Feb 2024 *arrest* #4

[MassGuy]

I still can’t shake the feeling that the police may have had some sort of video/photo proof she was dead and that’s where their confidence that she was deceased came from before they found her body.

Yup, that's also my leading theory by far. I see no other plausible option for them to have been able to make that determination.

 

[Gemmie]

No, we don't. That was a point I was making earlier. In other cases I have seen LE go out of their way to say that the parents aren't suspects and are cooperating fully with the investigation, but we haven't seen that here as far as I know.

Actually we sorta have. She's not cleared "for now" (my words). From the presser:

"To my knowledge she isn’t a suspect in the case - right now."

Video starting at that point of the presser so you can hear for yourself:

 

[MassGuy]

They did - they said she was visible in his vehicle caught on CCTV and appeared to be deceased, if I remember correctly?

I can't imagine that would be enough. You're not going to be able to simply look at a video like that and make that determination. She could have been sleeping or drugged and you'd have no way of being able to tell from video if she was alive or not.

You'd be able to tell however if there was additional video from earlier however.

 

[Gemmie]

Yes, JS says it in her interview(S), the school tried to ping the laptop but it was off.
I'm gonna try find a link
ETA: I don't know how to cross-thread post but it is discussed on the first thread

You can link to another thread post by the sideways V thingie in the upper right of all posts.

 

[Universecalling]

Is it normal for it to take this long to bring about murder charges?
~10 days since her body was discovered.

How much evidence can they collect from a body that has been exposed to warm/hot at times florida weather for at least whole 4 days? Maybe even 4.5 days.
That’s what worries me. If I remember correctly we’ve had some rain in spurts on those days.
That’s what worries me. I know there could be obvious signs for COD they can determine, but what if it isn’t that obvious? Like a hyoid bone broken, or GSW, something more obvious…

 

[photographer4]

And we/LE/witnesses/cam videos have proof he wasn't. Seriously though... how dumb is the guy for someone that knew their way around computers/technology, yet thinks they can snow LE??? I'm shaking my head over here.

He may have wanted to get caught on some level. Even if just to stop himself in future.

 

[MassGuy]

How much evidence can they collect from a body that has been exposed to warm/hot at times florida weather for at least whole 4 days? Maybe even 4.5 days.
That’s what worries me. If I remember correctly we’ve had some rain in spurts on those days.
That’s what worries me. I know there could be obvious signs for COD they can determine, but what if it isn’t that obvious? Like a hyoid bone broken, or GSW, something more obvious…

I don’t think this has anything at all to do with them not being able to make that determination. They still have to prove who killed her, and there’s no rush at this stage as he’s already behind bars, likely for the rest of his life.

 

[photoprose1122]

I can't imagine that would be enough. You're not going to be able to simply look at a video like that and make that determination. She could have been sleeping or drugged and you'd have no way of being able to tell from video if she was alive or not.

You'd be able to tell however if there was additional video from earlier however.

I guess I always thought when he said Sterns was caught on camera at 8:19 coming back to the complex and Madeline was visible and “we believe she was dead at that time,” that they had determined that visually. Which we were all theorizing about how that was possible a few threads ago… I guess it would make sense though if they had other evidence that supported their belief she was dead when the camera caught them. I went back to watch the presser to refresh my memory and I noticed again Chief Holland said specifically, “there is a lot more information that we can’t release at this time.” Wonder what all of that is.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

Actually we sorta have. She's not cleared "for now" (my words). From the presser:

"To my knowledge she isn’t a suspect in the case - right now."

Video starting at that point of the presser so you can hear for yourself:

Respectfully, I've heard it for myself. But this presser was days ago, before Maddie's body was found, and there has been no indication since then that JS has been cooperating with LE, nor as LE repeated that she is not a suspect.

 

[Forest_Wood]

Respectfully, I've heard it for myself. But this presser was days ago, before Maddie's body was found, and there has been no indication since then that JS has been cooperating with LE, nor as LE repeated that she is not a suspect.

I do wonder if JS has been hospitalized with a breakdown. I imagine we'd never know. MOO.

 

[Universecalling]

I don’t think this has anything at all to do with them not being able to make that determination. They still have to prove who killed her, and there’s no rush at this stage as he’s already behind bars, likely for the rest of his life.

Fully agree. I’m just pondering if potential loss of evidence due to climate and elements is making it harder to determine what exactly happened.
Like skin cells under the nails if she fought. Is it likely that those could have been preserved regardless of the exposure to elements.

 

[Gemmie]

They did - they said she was visible in his vehicle caught on CCTV and appeared to be deceased, if I remember correctly?

Correct. From my notes taken from one of the pressers:

8:19am – (7:25ish in vid) then Sheriff Mina states they have evidence SS returned to the complex and Madeline was visible in the vehicle and they believed she was already dead at that time. During Q&A he was asked why they thought that, was it the position of her body, and Mina said they weren’t going to go into exact details, but they have video evidence that leads them to believe she’s already dead.

Video queued up to that statement:

 

[Forest_Wood]

I can't imagine that would be enough. You're not going to be able to simply look at a video like that and make that determination. She could have been sleeping or drugged and you'd have no way of being able to tell from video if she was alive or not.

You'd be able to tell however if there was additional video from earlier however.

I'm wondering if there was a video recording recovered from his phone. Is that what you're thinking? MOO.

 

[MassGuy]

Fully agree. I’m just pondering if potential loss of evidence due to climate and elements is making it harder to determine what exactly happened.
Like skin cells under the nails if she fought. Is it likely that those could have been preserved regardless of the exposure to elements.

It seems the autopsy was conducted and she was turned over to her family relatively quickly. She was found on the 1st, I imagine her autopsy was conducted on the 2nd, and her service was on the 6th.

I’m not concerned about cause of death being able to be determined, but yeah, there’s certainly a question about forensic evidence with the passage of time and the conditions in which she was exposed.

 

[jtennison7171]

They did - they said she was visible in his vehicle caught on CCTV and appeared to be deceased, if I remember correctly?

I think I remember SS stating that MS was 'sleeping' in the car when he was supposedly taking her to school...do you suppose he said this because he thought there may be CC/video evidence? I am certain that they must have very clear video and it must be extremely obvious she is deceased at this point.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

I'm wondering if there was a video recording recovered from his phone. Is that what you're thinking? MOO.

That hadn't occurred to me before now, but it's plausible.

ICK

 

[MassGuy]

I'm wondering if there was a video recording recovered from his phone. Is that what you're thinking? MOO.

I’m still leaning towards a camera outside capturing her being carried and placed in the trunk or something, but something being found on his phone is a close second to that for me.

We know this guy liked to record his crimes, and maybe he actually caught the murder on camera as well, albeit unintentionally.

 

[jtennison7171]

I'm wondering if there was a video recording recovered from his phone. Is that what you're thinking? MOO.

She may have rigormortis setting in and some discoloration at this point?!?

 

[Gemmie]

I’m still leaning towards a camera outside capturing her being carried and placed in the trunk or something, but something being found on his phone is a close second to that for me.

We know this guy liked to record his crimes, and maybe he actually caught the murder on camera as well, albeit unintentionally.

Record his crimes, or his sexcapades? I'm leaning toward the latter.

 

[Forest_Wood]

She may have rigormortis setting in and some discoloration at this point?!?

I meant he may have recorded her death in the process of recording a sexual assault, for example. And if he was streaming it through his phone or computer system, they may have found it. MOO.