Just hours before Stephan Sterns was arrested for sexual battery and possession of child sex abuse material he spoke to Channel 9 crying and pleading for help to find Madeline.
“I dropped her off early, but I could have waited longer,” Sterns told Channel 9 Tuesday beside Madeline’s mom
According to the arrest affidavit, family and friends said it was unusual for Madeline to be dropped off down the street.
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An arrest affidavit stated Stearns voluntarily handed over his phone to investigators, telling them he had "accidentally performed a factory reset" on the device the day Soto was reported missing.
During an interview with Jenn Soto on February 27, Stearns can be seen in the background fidgeting with his hands and cracking his knuckles.
"That’s a way to release tension," said Susan Constantine. "The point is tension is one of the 27 points of interest. Points of interest that can lead to possible deception or suspect behavior."
"How frustrating is it when you have a prime suspect who is refusing to play ball, or give up information, or just answer questions," asked FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie.
"It’s especially frustrating in cases involving children because it just seems so right in human nature to tell everything you know," Nutting responded. "This is a truly innocent victim. Maddie is a young girl who did not live a high-risk lifestyle, and she’s apparently with this monster, and it’s just frustrating. Why can’t you tell us what happened? Let’s resolve this case and bring Maddie back home."