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

[Pruddennce]

I don't recall her saying that. Can you share the link where she says this?

JS said she looked at all of her msgs, and deleted msgs. also in this interview she mentions Madeline did not use any electronics before bed. further in the interview she claims she checked and she wasnt conversing with anyone or made plans. but that is of course, checking Madeline's phone was done after she 'realizes' she never made it to school AND the phone is handed over to investigators.

Im interested in knowing the timeline if it can be validated, when Madeline last used her phone personally.

 

[FansBlowing]

I believe that Florida is going to go for the death penalty on this case and one of the elements involves being charged by a grand jury.

 

[Forest_Wood]

Thanks for sharing that, I do recall watching it before now that I've watched it again.
The way she describes her not thinking they'd find anything there (starting at 3:35) is quite a bit different from the comments here saying JS said they're not going to find her where they're looking.
To be fair & factual, that's not exactly what she said or even how she said it.

She literally qualified her reason for stating she didn't think they'd find anything in that location because there had already been people there all day, and they'd come up with nothing. A perfectly reasonable assumption to make IF she truly had no idea where her daughter was & something I might have said as well, if I were in the same situation.

jmo

Not a reasonable assumption at all IMO. She literally came out with a negative comment about where LE was planning to search. Her statement was within 24 hours. Any mother who frantically wants her 13-year-old daughter found quickly and safely would respond positively to ANY search by LE with sniffer dogs. To negate searching an area "because there had already been people there all day" is negating what LE had planned to do, based on the information she and her bf had given them. Instead, she was discouraging their plan. Why might someone do that? MOO.

 

[FansBlowing]

1. Grand Jury Indictment Capital felonies are prosecuted by indictment in Florida. In order to indict an individual accused of a capital felony, a grand jury must find that probable cause exists that the individual committed a capital offense.

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/aba/FL_report_%20authcheckdam.pdf

 

[CuriousCricket]

Not a reasonable assumption at all IMO. She literally came out with a negative comment about where LE was planning to search. Her statement was within 24 hours. Any mother who frantically wants her 13-year-old daughter found quickly and safely would respond positively to ANY search by LE with sniffer dogs. To negate searching an area "because there had already been people there all day" is negating what LE had planned to do, based on the information she and her bf had given them. Instead, she was discouraging their plan. Why might someone do that? MOO.

I think I would be scared and if someone had been all over a piece of land for most of the day, I'd want them looking other places. It would be very frustrating to see the same territory searched, then re-searched and searched again instead of looking into new territory. Frustration and fear, for me

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

Thank you.

Interesting JS made no mention of this when she talked about going through Madeline's phone that was 'Left behind'. It also sounds like LE isn't getting any help,and have to rely on electronic info,and other evidence. MOO

 

[Forest_Wood]

I think I would be scared and if someone had been all over a piece of land for most of the day, I'd want them looking other places. It would be very frustrating to see the same territory searched, then re-searched and searched again instead of looking into new territory. Frustration and fear, for me

There were no sniffing dogs present when it was searched by friends and family though. Big difference! LE would have been searching for any clues, not necessarily her body, such as ripped clothing, footprints, blood, etc. Getting on television and negating the one and only thing JS mentioned that LE planned to carry out early in the search is not a good look for her unfortunately IMO. SS also negated the tips being received in his interview, saying they were not useful. Maybe they're just two negative peas in a pod who can't focus on the positive. MOO.

 

[Gemmie]

I wonder, if SS recorded the assaults for his own use or for distribution? I don't know too much about the ways you can find eermh "material to his illegal tastes" out there, but I suspect there might be different options that include sending your own video to see some others? Or have I overcomplicated it?

It's been stated that SS was on Telegram at 11:49pm Sunday evening. As we've discussed Telegram is a place where CSAM can be shared privately. Here is my post talking about needing to subtract 5 hrs from 4:49am as Telegram is in Greenwich Means time:

Found Deceased - FL - Madeline Soto, 13, Missing Child Alert, 13500 blk Town Loop Blvd, Orlando, 26 Feb 2024 *arrest* #5

It's really so horrifically sad... it gives one the impression that Maddie truly had no one she could lean on or ask for help. Now she is gone and where are her loved ones to speak for her?? Maddie deserved so much more than this, imo. Justice for Madeline! Yes, very sad, but not...

www.websleuths.com

IF he was uploading extremely distasteful pics or a short video of an "interaction" with Maddie... then Maddie likely was dead by this time.

I also have been pondering more graphic (warning!) details of his assaults. Once again, I don't know too much about the "material to his illegal tastes" and the preferences of child abusers in general, but the high preference for oral stood out to me when we first saw the document.

Just a guess on my part but his preference for oral could simply be the fact you can't get pregnant that way.

But the main thing I cannot put my finger on, is the motive behind the killing. Why now?

Perhaps once she turned 13 she had made some mature decisions. It could have been to tell a secret she (they) had. or maybe she had just had enough of the abuse. During the video of her birthday party she no longer looked like a "little girl". She had matured. She looked very sure of herself to me. Something changed. Or perhaps due to her maturing, she was no longer what he liked (no longer a little girl). Perhaps they had a fight about that (Think Stockholm syndrome) and unfortunately she lost that fight and her life.

But if it was not about "him getting carried away" nor about Madeline threatening to tell, then why? It is possible she was "ageing out of his preferred age group", but this is a rather poor reason for killing her.

I believe it could have been exactly that. See my response in the above paragraph.

 

[Gemmie]

her wording is confusing me too because JS was not at the party. are they still in the party house and JS came after and some family members came back to JS's home?

she said sources told her there were 'multiple people inside that house on sunday nite, we are talking about sunday nite right after MS's birthday party'. all of that video and pics of her bd party...there were multiple people inside that home...we know Madeline was there, JS, SS were there...but there were a couple of other family members there. which they had to go back and interview.'

and then this: SS making the statement about her turning 13 and having her birthday party "she was happy WE WERE ALL TOGETHER HERE"

interesting to know for sure when the party ended and when they were all inside the Soto residence. and if I am interpreting the reporting correctly....family members were at the Soto residence AFTER the party????

What the below tells me is that it is very likely that Maddie was driven home by several family members that were at her party, so she was very likely still alive shortly after arriving home IMO. For how long that was, I don't have a clue. LE would know what time those family members left for home since they've been interviewed. It would be interesting to know how close to 11:49pm (when SS was on Telegram) it was.

Shannon Butler said that "sources told me that there were multiple people inside that home on Sunday night. We're talking about Sunday night right after Madeline Soto's birthday party <...> there were multiple people inside that home and investigators had to go back and interview all of those folks. We know it was Stephan Sterns, we know it was Madeline Soto, we know it was Jenn Soto, but there were a couple of other family members there."

Starts at 10:15: Stephan Sterns Charged with the Murder of Madeline Soto

 

[Universecalling]

But if she had gone through Maddie's phone by then, wouldn't she have seen the message? Presumably she went through it before LE did.

Or they left it there on purpose. Works in their favor. Muddy the waters, public would think maybe then she ran away if they never found her.

 

[Universecalling]

There were no sniffing dogs present when it was searched by friends and family though. Big difference! LE would have been searching for any clues, not necessarily her body, such as ripped clothing, footprints, blood, etc. Getting on television and negating the one and only thing JS mentioned that LE planned to carry out early in the search is not a good look for her unfortunately IMO. SS also negated the tips being received in his interview, saying they were not useful. Maybe they're just two negative peas in a pod who can't focus on the positive. MOO.

They sound rehearsed. I think that’s why she initially said “we” then “my partner”.
She stumbled in the beginning but then got a hang of it.
They both put stops on certain answers. Same stop “and that was it”.
Both negative with where to search and how (focusing on what isn’t there or what can’t be found).

All you have to do is ask yourselves: if your child was missing, coming up on 24 hrs… are you sitting at home with your off/on again boyfriend or are you distributing flyers to every open gas station, store, passer bys.
Are you there with the cops and family searching.
Btw… you aren’t even sure if your child knows their address in this scenario!
Which also resonated with me. She answered that as if she never even considered that scenario- Maddie coming home.

 

[Universecalling]

I think it was a rage killing.
If the narrative that he’s been moved out for a few months is true… then, it is very possible he came over for the party, maybe they told Maddie they’re getting back together.
If Jenn was knocked out sleeping or not at home yet, he probably tried to abuse Maddie again. After months of respite, and growing into a young woman, Maddie had enough. Tried to fight back, he most likely either strangled her or he hits her hard enough.
Jen comes home or he wakes her up. Tells her it was an accident.
She covers for him.

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

I think it was a rage killing.
If the narrative that he’s been moved out for a few months is true… then, it is very possible he came over for the party, maybe they told Maddie they’re getting back together.
If Jenn was knocked out sleeping or not at home yet, he probably tried to abuse Maddie again. After months of respite, and growing into a young woman, Maddie had enough. Tried to fight back, he most likely either strangled her or he hits her hard enough.
Jen comes home or he wakes her up. Tells her it was an accident.
She covers for him.

Either way there is absolutely zero excuse for lying,and covering for him,which leads me to think she's covering for more than just him. MOO

 

[MassGuy]

They sound rehearsed. I think that’s why she initially said “we” then “my partner”.
She stumbled in the beginning but then got a hang of it.
They both put stops on certain answers. Same stop “and that was it”.
Both negative with where to search and how (focusing on what isn’t there or what can’t be found).

All you have to do is ask yourselves: if your child was missing, coming up on 24 hrs… are you sitting at home with your off/on again boyfriend or are you distributing flyers to every open gas station, store, passer bys.
Are you there with the cops and family searching.
Btw… you aren’t even sure if your child knows their address in this scenario!
Which also resonated with me. She answered that as if she never even considered that scenario- Maddie coming home.

Another issue was when she commented something to the effect of “I’m not sure how much I can say.”

That’s an absolutely insane concern at that stage, as there’s literally nothing she could offer that would jeopardize the case.

She simply didn’t have the answers, as that would require thought. The truth requires no such thought.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I am not from there, and I'm wondering - how on earth did LE manage to convene a grand jury in order to charge him with murder without the press ever finding out or reporting on it?

Last year my 25 y/o was called for Jury Duty in Federal Court in Tampa. We suspect it was a Grand Jury case, particularly after she was interviewed by the court. I don’t think the media would have known in advance, unless a reporter just happened to be called for jury duty that day.

They dismissed her for stating she couldn’t be impartial due to the subject matter.

 

[MassGuy]

I think it was a rage killing.
If the narrative that he’s been moved out for a few months is true… then, it is very possible he came over for the party, maybe they told Maddie they’re getting back together.
If Jenn was knocked out sleeping or not at home yet, he probably tried to abuse Maddie again. After months of respite, and growing into a young woman, Maddie had enough. Tried to fight back, he most likely either strangled her or he hits her hard enough.
Jen comes home or he wakes her up. Tells her it was an accident.
She covers for him.

I think if that scenario is true, then she had to have known about the sexual abuse. Murder would be unforgivable, unless you had previously allowed the abuse to happen.

Then I could see it.

 

[Universecalling]

Another issue was when she commented something to the effect of “I’m not sure how much I can say.”

That’s an absolutely insane concern at that stage, as there’s literally nothing she could offer that would jeopardize the case.

She simply didn’t have the answers, as that would require thought. The truth requires no such thought.

Spot on.
I think the most glaring “what LE doesn’t/didn’t say or do” was this.
Once it was realized this wasn’t a runaway for a day situation, the family wasn’t at the presser like they typically are (pleading with the public for any tips).
Crying mothers do grab attention (as cold as that sounds) and if LE needed that assistance they would have asked.

 

[Universecalling]

I think if that scenario is true, then she had to have known about the sexual abuse. Murder would be unforgivable, unless you had previously allowed the abuse to happen.

Then I could see it.

Or, in my scenario he doesn’t tell her what he’s done, but the next day he asks her to sync the stories bc “babe, they always look at the boyfriend first, just tell them you saw her in the morning”. And if she had an ounce of guilt for being more absent of a parent than he’s been, I can see her go with it.
Hence, her comforting him.
Regardless, her story doesn’t add up. And she gave a SWORN STATEMENT she saw her at 8.

 

[Forest_Wood]

What the below tells me is that it is very likely that Maddie was driven home by several family members that were at her party, so she was very likely still alive shortly after arriving home IMO. For how long that was, I don't have a clue. LE would know what time those family members left for home since they've been interviewed. It would be interesting to know how close to 11:49pm (when SS was on Telegram) it was.

Shannon Butler said that "sources told me that there were multiple people inside that home on Sunday night. We're talking about Sunday night right after Madeline Soto's birthday party <...> there were multiple people inside that home and investigators had to go back and interview all of those folks. We know it was Stephan Sterns, we know it was Madeline Soto, we know it was Jenn Soto, but there were a couple of other family members there."

Starts at 10:15: Stephan Sterns Charged with the Murder of Madeline Soto

In this CourtTV episode that you posted, in addition to what Shannon Butler has to say, at the 25:00 mark, Vinnie asks retired Judge Belvin Perry (former Prosecutor and current Attorney):

Vinnie: "How do you see the Mom, is she going to be the key witness or is she a suspect..."?

Judge Perry: "First of all Vinny, her demeanour and affect is totally inconsistent with a Mom whose daughter has gone missing and she has no idea what happened to her. It is quite evident to me by all of the different stories that she has told that there may be some involvement...a lot of roads are going to lead to this mother and until we get additional information, the suspicion is very high as to her involvement.

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

JS: Um, so as far as I know they're conducting a search around the school, behind the school there's a Shingle Creek there's a Wooded Path area that you could walk uh, it's a hiking path they are going back there with their K9 dogs, uh, they've taken a piece of her clothing to see if they can trace her scent, um, they're also taking their own vehicles, I'm not sure what type of vehicles but they're going into the woods to search for her um, but I don't feel like that's going to find anything right now. We've had people all day on that trail sending us photos to see if anything there looks familiar and, like her personal belongings, and nothing is hers, so I'm not sure, I'm not sure where to go from here I'm just contacting the news to get the word out to get some help because I'm desperate I--I'm a wreck right now

Yes…. And some very interesting thoughts from reading this again - thank you for the transcription!

The bold portion above strikes me as odd and unusual……. at that point in the investigation wouldn’t the more apparent ‘natural’ or ‘alarmed’ response from the concerned be along the lines of: “I sure hope they can find her (MS); I am so concerned, and worried sick……. as to where she might be? I haven’t seen her since……… ? And she might be out there without her phone……”. MOO

Instead it almost reads as though…… they are not going to find her….. MOO