Found Deceased FL - Madeline Soto, 13, Missing Child Alert, 13500 blk Town Loop Blvd, Orlando, 26 Feb 2024 *arrest* #10

[photoprose1122]

Yeah... I dunno. I'd know what two (or 1) shoe would feel like in my hands.

Agreed - even if it were dark one would still recognize if they picked up only one shoe.

 

[Odeto BJ]

From the DocDump STERNS 1-1008 redacted.pdf. P.34.... "tracking orders on vehicles bearing Florida tags IYLL82, NVJS91 , and 1N49T1".

We know the IYLL82 plate was the Lincoln SS was using. There are repeated references in the pdf to a 2022 Nissan sedan as well as a 2010 Nissan Sentra. Multiple indications that the 2022 Nissan belonged to JS. Anyone know who corresponds to the 2010 Nissan and whether that car bears any of the indicated plates? Has it been established when CS showed up in the Kissimmee area?

 

[photoprose1122]

I’m actually really hung up on this one croc thing. No scenario makes sense.

A) Maddie dressed herself (unlikely) why did she only put on one croc.

B) it fell off when SS carried her out of the bedroom - why was he carrying her out of JS bedroom, if she really was oblivious to what was happening?

C) SS grabbed the croc to dress Maddie - again, why only grab one?

D) the croc was in her backpack so he didn’t even realize he threw it out - again, would suggest Maddie put it in her backpack so why only one croc? And why was it in her backpack?

E) SS somehow only dressed her with one croc and threw it in the dumpster - what’s the point of putting them on her at all if he just threw it out outside the apartment anyway? And as others have said, why not get the other one and throw it out too?

makes no sense. He either really was a complete idiot or there’s something else we don’t know.

 

[Gemmie]

I’m actually really hung up on this one croc thing. No scenario makes sense.

A) Maddie dressed herself (unlikely) why did she only put on one croc.

B) it fell off when SS carried her out of the bedroom - why was he carrying her out of JS bedroom, if she really was oblivious to what was happening?

I'm in the camp that whatever occurred did so in Room #4. Not JS's bedroom.

C) SS grabbed the croc to dress Maddie - again, why only grab one?

D) the croc was in her backpack so he didn’t even realize he threw it out - again, would suggest Maddie put it in her backpack so why only one croc? And why was it in her backpack?

I can help potentially eliminate 1 of these for you.

I don't think the croc was in the backpack. I believe it was in the same white trash bag that the backpack was in. The way they worded what is in red makes me think that. Also, what's in green confirms that for me or I'd think they'd have said that the croc was inside the backpack like they did with the laptop.

Pg 35: the Crime Scene investigators located a white trash bag that contained a black backpack with what appeared to be a purple Hawaiian print and a white Croc. Inside the backpack, CSls located an Orange County Public School computer with 's Maddie's name on it.

E) SS somehow only dressed her with one croc and threw it in the dumpster - what’s the point of putting them on her at all if he just threw it out outside the apartment anyway? And as others have said, why not get the other one and throw it out too?

makes no sense. He either really was a complete idiot or there’s something else we don’t know.

I have to agree that 1 croc makes NO sense any way you look at it. Unless he was SOOOOO freaked out at A) what he had just done, or B) how in the heck is he going to get her into the car without anyone seeing him, especially with the roommate up and about as she usually leaves by 7:45am (Pg 875), or C) where the heck is he going to dispose of her, and how, or D) ALL of the above!

I'm voting for D. And I'd LOVE to hear what LE thinks about that lone croc!!!

 

[iamshadow21]

I'm in the camp that whatever occurred did so in Room #4. Not JS's bedroom.

I can help potentially eliminate 1 of these for you.

I don't think the croc was in the backpack. I believe it was in the same white trash bag that the backpack was in. The way they worded what is in red makes me think that. Also, what's in green confirms that for me or I'd think they'd have said that the croc was inside the backpack like they did with the laptop.

Pg 35: the Crime Scene investigators located a white trash bag that contained a black backpack with what appeared to be a purple Hawaiian print and a white Croc. Inside the backpack, CSls located an Orange County Public School computer with 's Maddie's name on it.

I have to agree that 1 croc makes NO sense any way you look at it. Unless he was SOOOOO freaked out at A) what he had just done, or B) how in the heck is he going to get her into the car without anyone seeing him, especially with the roommate up and about as she usually leaves by 7:45am (Pg 875), or C) where the heck is he going to dispose of her, and how, or D) ALL of the above!

I'm voting for D. And I'd LOVE to hear what LE thinks about that lone croc!!!

Maybe the croc he threw out had blood on it.

MOO

 

[Anika]

I’m actually really hung up on this one croc thing. No scenario makes sense.

A) Maddie dressed herself (unlikely) why did she only put on one croc.

B) it fell off when SS carried her out of the bedroom - why was he carrying her out of JS bedroom, if she really was oblivious to what was happening?

C) SS grabbed the croc to dress Maddie - again, why only grab one?

D) the croc was in her backpack so he didn’t even realize he threw it out - again, would suggest Maddie put it in her backpack so why only one croc? And why was it in her backpack?

E) SS somehow only dressed her with one croc and threw it in the dumpster - what’s the point of putting them on her at all if he just threw it out outside the apartment anyway? And as others have said, why not get the other one and throw it out too?

makes no sense. He either really was a complete idiot or there’s something else we don’t know.

My thinking is that he always meant to dress her in them, and that she would have had the shoes on as he/they were claiming and as would be logical if he dropped her off, but then the Crocs weren't staying on (because they don't, on a limp foot), so as they kept falling off, he discarded that idea and at least one of them with the rest of the stuff in haste while cleaning up other evidence, accidentally leaving the other behind.

I do realize this points to him dressing her in J's room or in the area of J's room (MS's official area was right outside that, but she could have kept some clothes/shoes in JS's room), because I don't think he just grabbed a single shoe and brought it upstairs to dress MS in Room #4, but I can't find another way to make this all fit. At least, for what we know right now.

Edit: Not making any claims that JS was there or knew about the dressing episode, just that I think it had to take place there (in her room).

 

[Anika]

Regarding when he may have moved her to the car, and when it might have run the risk of being very obvious to others, here are the darkness periods for Kissimmee on Feb 25 of this year (from Sunrise and sunset times in Kissimmee):

 

[ttjo]

From the DocDump STERNS 1-1008 redacted.pdf. P.34.... "tracking orders on vehicles bearing Florida tags IYLL82, NVJS91 , and 1N49T1".

We know the IYLL82 plate was the Lincoln SS was using. There are repeated references in the pdf to a 2022 Nissan sedan as well as a 2010 Nissan Sentra. Multiple indications that the 2022 Nissan belonged to JS. Anyone know who corresponds to the 2010 Nissan and whether that car bears any of the indicated plates? Has it been established when CS showed up in the Kissimmee area?

is it possible they have it mixed up? they have a 2022 nissan ( jenns )
2010 lincoln,( ss dad), and there is a Honda that allegedly belongs to SS. I have never heard of a 2010 Nissan other than in this document.

 

[ttjo]

I actually think he was up for her birthday. Specifically because a neighbour interviewed by police commented that they had noticed him about a week prior at the home of Js - and this lines up with him being there around the time of February 22, which would’ve been Madeline‘s 13th birthday. Him being there for her birthday does not necessarily mean he would’ve attended the party. I don’t think there was any fondness between him and Madeleine’s extended family.

SS may very well have been there earlier. I could never quite understand how he had his dads phone and his dads car but his dad was not with him the night of the 25th.

 

[Megnut]

I'm in the camp that whatever occurred did so in Room #4. Not JS's bedroom.

I can help potentially eliminate 1 of these for you.

I don't think the croc was in the backpack. I believe it was in the same white trash bag that the backpack was in. The way they worded what is in red makes me think that. Also, what's in green confirms that for me or I'd think they'd have said that the croc was inside the backpack like they did with the laptop.

Pg 35: the Crime Scene investigators located a white trash bag that contained a black backpack with what appeared to be a purple Hawaiian print and a white Croc. Inside the backpack, CSls located an Orange County Public School computer with 's Maddie's name on it.

I have to agree that 1 croc makes NO sense any way you look at it. Unless he was SOOOOO freaked out at A) what he had just done, or B) how in the heck is he going to get her into the car without anyone seeing him, especially with the roommate up and about as she usually leaves by 7:45am (Pg 875), or C) where the heck is he going to dispose of her, and how, or D) ALL of the above!

I'm voting for D. And I'd LOVE to hear what LE thinks about that lone croc!!!

Even if I accept that JS might not exhibit natural emotion, I'll try to give her this -- if she had somehow kept all suspicion at bay (she never once questioned SS's over-reach?), and that carried over into the Sunday/Monday, and being that IMO she did not see MS on Sunday night (only SPOKE with her, by phone or video) and most certainly didn't see her Monday morning, AND would have been aware she never had a conversation with MS about after school pick up, so she may not have been excessively worried yet

BUT when MS wasn't at the Gma's and she hadn't been at school, NO ONE wants to think the worst. In fact, I think it's NATURAL to EXHAUST every single thing that could have happened. WHY DIDN'T JS leave her family at the storefront and speed home? If MS is at home, whew. But if she's not there, who wants her to be abducted? Or worse? NO ONE. Why isn't JS going through MS's things to determine what might be missing ON THE HOPES that MS RAN AWAY? Because a RUNAWAY child has a much greater chance of STILL BEING ALIVE than an abducted one.

Did JS ever go back to her house that evening? When did LE seize it? When did they go to the hotel? Because if she was at the house FOR EVEN TWO MINUTES, that ONE CROC should have scared the hell out of her.

Why wasn't JS spouting off all the places MS might be? I'm telling you, most parents don't want it to be the WORST thing so they're desperate to think of all of the better, safer, still alive scenarios because, if you run out of those, what's left is very bad --

So.... why didn't she think it important to inventory MS's possessions to see what she might have taken with her when she left? See if there were any clues, anything giving indication of where she might have gone, how long she intended to be gone...

Someone must'a got her.

So maybe it's her affect, or lack thereof, but I've just never seen such a passive responce....

JMO

 

[Vanilletx]

I’m actually really hung up on this one croc thing. No scenario makes sense.

A) Maddie dressed herself (unlikely) why did she only put on one croc.

B) it fell off when SS carried her out of the bedroom - why was he carrying her out of JS bedroom, if she really was oblivious to what was happening?

C) SS grabbed the croc to dress Maddie - again, why only grab one?

D) the croc was in her backpack so he didn’t even realize he threw it out - again, would suggest Maddie put it in her backpack so why only one croc? And why was it in her backpack?

E) SS somehow only dressed her with one croc and threw it in the dumpster - what’s the point of putting them on her at all if he just threw it out outside the apartment anyway? And as others have said, why not get the other one and throw it out too?

makes no sense. He either really was a complete idiot or there’s something else we don’t know.

Piggybacking on this:
Why did jen say she heard Ms getting ready downstairs?

Did SS and Ms sleep in js bed ? Why would she say “downstairs” per se

 

[Gemmie]

Piggybacking on this:
Why did jen say she heard Ms getting ready downstairs?

She didn't say she heard Maddie, she said she "heard people" (and assumed).

Did SS and Ms sleep in js bed ? Why would she say “downstairs” per se

To me "downstairs" meant exactly that. "Downstairs" was where the kitchen was (for breakfast), and also where Maddie's makeshift "room" and dresser were (But I think she was in room #4 and not downstairs), and also where the front door was to exit the house no matter what room or floor you were in/on.

Pg 32: JS heard people in the kitchen and as far as she knew, Maddie had gone downstairs to get ready for school.

 

[Vanilletx]

But isn’t js bedroom on the same floor as the kitchen? Why would she say downstairs then? I have my bedroom on the same floor as the kitchen - I would say I heard people getting ready in the kitchen, or I heard them upstairs.
ETA: I swear there is another quote where she says she heard them downstairs.

Strange isn’t it?

She also mentioned that she saw her getting ready on the tv interview, and we took her to school.

So many discrepancies that I can’t overlook.

 

[Gemmie]

But isn’t js bedroom on the same floor as the kitchen? Why would she say downstairs then? I have my bedroom on the same floor as the kitchen - I would say I heard people getting ready in the kitchen, or I heard them upstairs.
ETA: I swear there is another quote where she says she heard them downstairs.

Strange isn’t it?

She also mentioned that she saw her getting ready on the tv interview, and we took her to school.

So many discrepancies that I can’t overlook.

Even if I was in the room on the first level of a house... I'd distinguish if I heard people upstairs (above me) or downstairs (on my level, or on a floor below if there was one. There isn't one in this layout)).

So to me, saying "downstairs" means the lower level. I'm not going to say "on the same floor that I'm on". Downstairs to me means exactly that. The downstairs level (either below me or the "downstairs" (1st floor level))

 

[Observant-ADHD-ENFP-BSc]

You might want to listen to this again. I did get a lot of info from these four friends of SS's. Their impressions. One of the four SS friends, Josh, said he never saw SS lose his temper, but Chase says a head injury made SS lost his temper super fast. Josh talked about visiting the condo at the 1:15:40. Said they had to go right upstairs to the bedroom to have the visit. Said some of Jenn's family lived there too. He seemed to think MS had her own room, but it could've been the little LR section. ​

Stephan Sterns - All Full Interviews With Chapters (my notes)
Ryan 1:19 (from back when they were preteens)
Frank 23:43 (more recent friend - a gamer friend)
Josh part 1 47:49 (16 when met SS in CA, SS hit on his ex wife) (1:02:00 Josh did meet MS once / 1:04:11 met JS, tells his impression.)
Josh part 2 1:13:31 (Josh met MS & JS. Josh went to condo 1:15:40)
Chase 1:36:50 (friend from high school, lived in same room for five yrs. Knew SS when he was 17-27 yrs. old. SS pulled a gun on him. Now he says after SS got hit in head he lost his temper quick!)

At 1: 43:00 ish.
Chase talks about the shared folder a mutual friend and roommate found on a specific part of the network.
GH asks Chase why it was there, and he doesn't know, but JMO, I think SS did that to make it unprovable if it was his folder or the roommates'.
We knew about it only because the roommate mentioned he found it. Still, if the roommate had never found it and, for some reason, his IP address or address was searched for anything, LE would find the file within the network of both SS and the roommate, making it a little more challenging to prove whose it was; but as we know digital forensics are pretty good at what they do and being good with networks is one of the specialties.

 

[Observant-ADHD-ENFP-BSc]

You might want to listen to this again. I did get a lot of info from these four friends of SS's. Their impressions. One of the four SS friends, Josh, said he never saw SS lose his temper, but Chase says a head injury made SS lost his temper super fast. Josh talked about visiting the condo at the 1:15:40. Said they had to go right upstairs to the bedroom to have the visit. Said some of Jenn's family lived there too. He seemed to think MS had her own room, but it could've been the little LR section. ​

Stephan Sterns - All Full Interviews With Chapters (my notes)
Ryan 1:19 (from back when they were preteens)
Frank 23:43 (more recent friend - a gamer friend)
Josh part 1 47:49 (16 when met SS in CA, SS hit on his ex wife) (1:02:00 Josh did meet MS once / 1:04:11 met JS, tells his impression.)
Josh part 2 1:13:31 (Josh met MS & JS. Josh went to condo 1:15:40)
Chase 1:36:50 (friend from high school, lived in same room for five yrs. Knew SS when he was 17-27 yrs. old. SS pulled a gun on him. Now he says after SS got hit in head he lost his temper quick!)

At the very end, Chase is talking about people growing up and admitting their mothers were right when they didn't like a certain friend of their child, GH asks him to describe SS's mother he says at 1: 59:15 ish " It's so hard to describe her because of how vial of woman that lady is".

And Ryan talks about is mother in more detail, accusing her of abusing Stephan.
The talk of accidents and head injuries seems to have many different excuses between Ryan and Chase. Car driving over Stephan being the one Ryan mentions and two? others that Chase mentions (maybe one).
They also both mention that his father, Chris, and his half-brother distanced themselves from SS and his mother.


What was going on between them two? This is bizarre, if true. I have a feeling there is going to be many more twists and turns.

 

[Observant-ADHD-ENFP-BSc]

Crap, stop raising more questions: I totally agree with your surmise, but then... SS was at the house alone with the shoe at 10:55 resetting MS's phone or whatever he was doing with it (deleting texts or something). Why didn't he get it then?? It was still there on the 28th when LEOs found it.

Curse this dude, he's giving me a migraine with his illogic!

If I had to hastily grab two Crocs, one left and one right, and encountered TWO pais, only one size apart, I would flap.

I think he was concentrating too hard on the left and right and changing his mind that he grabbed one randomly in a rush and dropped it straight away but didn't realize, or Maddi had both ON when he moved her, one fell off, he didn't notice and JS grabbed it, thinking Maddi had just left one random croc there and put it in the correct place not checking for the partner ( I say this as a mother of 5, random shoes in random places is the norm).

 

[Observant-ADHD-ENFP-BSc]

I have some thoughts about MS's prior "boyfriends". I don't get the sense that MS had a lot of freedoms. SS seems to have POSSESSED her..... I wonder if MS's "boyfriends" were.'t actually boys or friends or boyfriends but were instead flights of fantasy. Ones her friends could never meet so she invented their demises. Her actual existence must have felt permanent to her... I actually hope she employed some escapism, to counter they confusing situation she was in and likely felt had no power to fix.

Her abuser, this was a relationship to him. So perverse. But that's how pedophiles frame it. Nothing but love. Such a gross abuse of power, preying on the innocent trust of a child, then twisting it to justify the unjustifiable.

When he told people about his girlfriend who'd do things others wouldn't, I don't think he meant JS at all. He was talking about MS. And SHE had NO CHOICE in the matter.

I'm not surprised that MS was imagining being on her own. At 13 or 18. She was quickly becoming the only mature person in that household, the two adults not doing adulthood well, while she paid the price.

No child should have to pay that price.

JMO

RBBM
This.
Putting this in that perspective makes sense as to what we have heard in the interviews with his friends. He is weird and creepy.

 

[AnyNameIWish]

Re: layout of the condo... Looks like a LOT of the condos at Venetian bay are used as rental properties. Many are listed as airbnbs.

This is the floor plan of a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom unit... which is what I think JS lived in.

Venetian Bay: 4 Bedroom 3 Bathroom floor plans

www.thetraveldirectory.com

It is a very strange layout to me, there is a bedroom on the 1st floor, you can see into the bedroom from the kitchen if the door is open. Odd.

 

[Curious Me]

Putting this in that perspective makes sense as to what we have heard in the interviews with his friends. He is weird and creepy.

snipped to reply....GH asks him to describe SS's mother he says at 1: 59:15 ish " It's so hard to describe her because of how vial of woman that lady is".
And Ryan talks about is mother in more detail, accusing her of abusing Stephan.
The talk of accidents and head injuries seems to have many different excuses between Ryan and Chase. Car driving over Stephan being the one Ryan mentions and two? others that Chase mentions (maybe one)....

RE: The Four Friends of SS video

Thank You for sharing your impressions after listening to it. MOO, those friends really filled in some of the blanks and provided useful past history on SS to help get into his head some.

See, you thought so too. It's odd that both those old friends have a great deal to say about her, and the relationship he had with his mother. The implications hinted at made me wonder. Odd the mom possibly buying him sexy magazines, and once defending him for something else SS had done video taping a young woman. He was described as weird and creepy on more than one occasion, but it sounds like he had voyeur tendencies even back in his teen years.

@Observant-ADHD-ENFP-BSc, yes, the various injuries of SS and then the blaming how he acted after those accidents on possible head injuries with her suggesting such might've been like built in excuses everytime he screwed up. One accident sounded like it caused SS to have a volatile temper, and yet the other friend said never showed a temper. MOO, he sure had a mean, nasty reddit personality at times.

The dad sounds more removed back then, but now days sounds very much aware of his grown son constantly needing help of some kind-- needs help getting a job, needs to borrow the car, the phone, has this constant on-off relationship and keeps moving back home then out again. MOO, both parents must've had an inkling their son was really messed up and immature, maybe even knew from the past that he had some kind of voyeur tendencies. Doubt they imagined what he was capable of doing to a child and I do think they were totally shocked by the murder charges and his arrest. There's no excusing him either, what SS did was ongoing damage he knowingly did for years that resulted in the most tragic end to a young girl's life. This is all MOO. ​