Found Deceased FL - Madeline Soto, 13, Missing Child Alert, 13500 blk Town Loop Blvd, Orlando, 26 Feb 2024 *arrest* #6

[Leilei]

With the "voluminous" amount of evidence they mentioned, you'd think if there was any indicating JS criminal culpability in any way, they'd have found it by now. All those folks investigating all the evidence and still no charges against her.
That tells me, there's likely nothing to charge her with.

jmo

I'm not so sure about that. Over seven weeks for SS to finally get charged with her murder, and they stated several times at the presser earlier that it is on ongoing investigation. Grand Jury recommended the charges today, so they might just be making sure they have a solid case before they charge her. IMO.

 

[Leilei]

Correct. But we do know, after examining it enough to warrant 1st degree murder charges against SS, they still haven't found anything to charge JS, with anything.

Respectfully, no, we don't know that. They weren't answering questions regarding JS, because, again, it's an open and ongoing investigation. They had SS on video toting Maddie's belongings and Maddie herself, and it still took a while to charge him. IMO.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Again, we don't know that. For all we know another grand jury could be hearing evidence against her as we speak.

Yes, there certainly could be.

If they uncover any evidence that she willfully and knowingly allowed her child to be assaulted and/or murdered, then she deserves the same punishment as SS.

If they find absolutely nothing to charge her with, she deserves a heck of a lot of apologies & decent human compassion as she would be considered a secondary victim. I will continue to give her the benefit of the doubt until then.

jmo

 

[MassGuy]

With the "voluminous" amount of evidence they mentioned, you'd think if there was any indicating JS criminal culpability in any way, they'd have found it by now. All those folks investigating all the evidence and still no charges against her.
That tells me, there's likely nothing to charge her with.

jmo

This was a grand jury indictment, with the intent of obtaining murder charges. JS not being charged yet, does not move the needle for me one bit. We know she claimed to have seen her daughter over a half hour before SS dumped her backpack.

My sense is that Madeline was in fact dead hours before that though.

If he’s not talking, it may be hard to prove the more serious charges she may be looking at.

To believe she’s innocent, I’d have to suspend disbelief. All the inconsistencies, all the strange behavior, and the bomb that was her account of when she last saw her daughter.

To me, this comes down to if she is merely a terrible mother, who lied to protect her boyfriend, thereby committing a minor crime.

Or if she was more involved, actively participating in the coverup of her daughter’s murder.

 

[PayrollNerd]

2024 CF 000632
STERNS, STEPHAN MICHAEL
CSAM Case

Documents on the CSAM case are now available for viewing. On the Discovery document I highlighted, it mentions Jennifer Soto Interviews. No details, just that they need to provide a USB drive for the information to be shared with them.

https://courts.osceolaclerk.com/BenchmarkWeb/CourtCase.aspx/Details/3358251?digest=pY70TGDxny7z%2FLwaUHbh3Q

 

[Mack the Knife]

So to my recollection, public opinion on JS started really changing on March 5, when WFTV shared part of an incident report that said JS swore she saw MS getting dressed at about 8am on February 26, the day she went missing. This was alarming because LE believes she was already dead by "early morning hours," and SS was filmed dumping some of her belongings at 7:35am.

Many people felt they could no longer give JS the benefit of the doubt, and this reporting led to WS mods allowing JS to be discussed as a POI, not a victim.

Has there been anything official or semi-official since then? I know sleuths and vloggers have continue to analyze what is already out there, but has there been anything new from LE or LE sources or MSM? The main thing I can think is that LE has noticeably declined to rule JS out as a suspect, or comment on her specifically at all.

 

[lonetraveler]

Good! Now directly to the execution.

Honestly, I think he should be housed in the actual execution chamber.

 

[Universecalling]

This was a grand jury indictment, with the intent of obtaining murder charges. JS not being charged yet, does not move the needle for me one bit. We know she claimed to have seen her daughter over a half hour before SS dumped her backpack.

My sense is that Madeline was in fact dead hours before that though.

If he’s not talking, it may be hard to prove the more serious charges she may be looking at.

To believe she’s innocent, I’d have to suspend disbelief. All the inconsistencies, all the strange behavior, and the bomb that was her account of when she last saw her daughter.

To me, this comes down to if she is merely a terrible mother, who lied to protect her boyfriend, thereby committing a minor crime.

Or if she was more involved, actively participating in the coverup of her daughter’s murder.

If he is still not talking…I think the reason he got charged is because they uncovered something in HER interview(s).

 

[Ontario Mom]

So to my recollection, public opinion on JS started really changing on March 5, when WFTV shared part of an incident report that said JS swore she saw MS getting dressed at about 8am on February 26, the day she went missing. This was alarming because LE believes she was already dead by "early morning hours," and SS was filmed dumping some of her belongings at 7:35am.

Many people felt they could no longer give JS the benefit of the doubt, and this reporting led to WS mods allowing JS to be discussed as a POI, not a victim.

Has there been anything official or semi-official since then? I know sleuths and vloggers have continue to analyze what is already out there, but has there been anything new from LE or LE sources or MSM? The main thing I can think is that LE has noticeably declined to rule JS out as a suspect, or comment on her specifically at all.

Good summary, pretty accurate.

Also, no. Nothing official at all. LE's never actually named her directly as a suspect, and never officially said she wasn't a suspect. Just that they haven't ruled anyone out, or words to that affect.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

So to my recollection, public opinion on JS started really changing on March 5, when WFTV shared part of an incident report that said JS swore she saw MS getting dressed at about 8am on February 26, the day she went missing.

RSFF.

At the time I couldn't say it here, but the interviews she gave made me suspicious from the get-go, for reasons that have been discussed ad nauseam here, so I won't repeat them.

 

[Gemmie]

I wonder when we'll hear anything in regards to JS?

Replying to my own post. (I know... like nails on a chalkboard).

While we didn't hear anything in regards to JS, we actually did in a round about way when Will Jay said in the Q&A section:

Only SS at this time, it's still an ongoing investigation.

 

[Sjöberg]

So to my recollection, public opinion on JS started really changing on March 5, when WFTV shared part of an incident report that said JS swore she saw MS getting dressed at about 8am on February 26, the day she went missing. This was alarming because LE believes she was already dead by "early morning hours," and SS was filmed dumping some of her belongings at 7:35am.

Many people felt they could no longer give JS the benefit of the doubt, and this reporting led to WS mods allowing JS to be discussed as a POI, not a victim.

Has there been anything official or semi-official since then?

As far as I know, the police has never said that JS is a person of interest, a suspect, not co-operating or that there are any more people to be charged in this case.

Personally, I can see it going either way, but maybe even more likely that JS will not be charged with anything.

Yes, she probably lied about seeing her in the morning (there are a few other options, but nothing too likely). However, we are all pretty sure who told her to say that. There are tens, hundreds, thousands of ways how this could have happened and why she said that. Is it good? No. Does it mean she was involved in any way? No. SS is charged with killing her (pre-meditated!), SS is on video disposing of her items, SS is on video with her dead body, SS is on video sexually abusing her.

Anyone who says it is not possible she did not know of the sexual abuse because of lenght of time or space issues - it makes me really angry if people claim such things. From everything I've heard, that is super common. If you imagine a Hollywood scene with SS kicking open the door, slamming her to the ground and MS screaming and fighting back, SS yelling at her and beating her into unconscious submission then AFAIK this is not the main scenario that happens, especially not with familial abuse that started with a very young kid.

So as I said, I can really see it going either way with JS and I am very surprised that people have such strong opinions based on pretty much no data.

 

[Universecalling]

Good summary, pretty accurate.

Also, no. Nothing official at all. LE's never actually named her directly as a suspect, and never officially said she wasn't a suspect. Just that they haven't ruled anyone out, or words to that affect.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t there been many cases when LE stood by the victim’s family and assured the public none are POIs if there were hurtful rumors flying?
They’d cut the suspicion and let the victims (as they are) grieve and at least alleviate as much extra pain as they can for them?
Especially in cases like these?

 

[ChatteringBirds]

JS swore she saw MS getting dressed at about 8am on February 26, the day she went missing

Asking anyone who is qualified to know:
What if JS has significant cognitive issues and truly believed she did see MS getting dressed around 8:00 that same morning? Could there be cognitive issues as a side effect of medication, for example, or if SS was regularly slipping something into her drinks, something that affects her memories and sense of time? Can't that happen with some prescription sleeping medication? I don't know, but it's one way I could see her claim not even being a "lie."
MOO.

 

[MassGuy]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t there been many cases when LE stood by the victim’s family and assured the public none are POIs if there were hurtful rumors flying?
They’d cut the suspicion and let the victims (as they are) grieve and at least alleviate as much extra pain as they can for them?
Especially in cases like these?

If they had no evidence she committed a crime, there’s just no way in my mind that they’d continue to allow that cloud of suspicion to linger, especially this long.

That would be tremendously cruel to a grieving, innocent mother.

 

[modesty blaise]

Only time will tell if mother had any involvement.
We will know more than our hearts can take before long.

 

[lonetraveler]

Asking anyone who is qualified to know:
What if JS has significant cognitive issues and truly believed she did see MS getting dressed around 8:00 that same morning? Could there be cognitive issues as a side effect of medication, for example, or if SS was regularly slipping something into her drinks, something that affects her memories and sense of time? Can't that happen with some prescription sleeping medication? I don't know, but it's one way I could see her claim not even being a "lie."
MOO.

I think she did see her getting dressed. Dressed by someone else prior to being dumped like trash.

 

[Leilei]

If they had no evidence she committed a crime, there’s just no way in my mind that they’d continue to allow that cloud of suspicion to linger, especially this long.

That would be tremendously cruel to a grieving, innocent mother.

Exactly. During the pressers, the words "at this time" or something to that effect say a lot, IMO. If they aren't still investigating JS, they would say so.
Again, IMO.

 

[cvaldez1975]

Odd, because in Utah, Montana, parents are called right after attendance in the morning. But at least this is a positive change.

Orange County Public Schools to change absence notification policies in wake of Madeline Soto case

Madeline's mother told law enforcement she didn't know her daughter was missing until she came to pick her up from school Feb. 26 and found out she had never arrived.

www.wesh.com

California too, they changed the law after Sierra Lamar. She went missing on the way to the bus but her mom was not autocalled until the afternoon.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

To me, this comes down to if she is merely a terrible mother, who lied to protect her boyfriend, thereby committing a minor crime.

Or if she was more involved, actively participating in the coverup of her daughter’s murder.

Snipped for focus

If she simply lied to protect her boyfriend, what would she have been protecting him from, if not her daughter's murder?

I guess I don't really see the difference between lying to protect her boyfriend and actively participating in the coverup. Lying is active.