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

[Pruddennce]

It is kind of a grey area but in my opinion she was indirectly responsible for the harm that was inflicted on MS over the years and at the end. Jmo

I agree with you. she chose to cover for SS from the onset by lying to LE she last saw Madeline at 8am. (LE interview docs) IMO, she lied to divert attention away from SS as being a suspect since he was the last person with Madeline that morning. she used we we we we and eeked in the truth she wasnt with him and Madeline that morning. (if you blinked, you would miss it in her interviews). IMO, it was no different while Madeline was alive, more value was placed on her relationship with SS and continued when she was 'missing'.

Im very curious at what age did Madeline begin the cycle of not wanting to sleep alone. from birth? did she always sleep with JS due to JS always cohabitating with others in her home/lack of space and developed this dependency?
Madeline could have had her own room in the current home where she would be able to do her homework, play her games, change her clothes, use her phone, have her personal 'stuff'. instead, she was relegated to a 'space' in the living room while SS had HIS SPACE and a DOOR, now known as Madeline's he))hole.

.....its very plausible Madeline got to the point she was about to blow the whistle....telling friend(s) wanting to live somewhere away was certainly a big reveal things were not good, and a friend may have just thought her mom was awful and mean. especially JS telling Madeline she is going to throw her out at 18.

then there is the abused and abuser relationship. tidbits from her best friend, at one point Madeline said she loved SS. (no timeline when that was said) but..... what caused her to start to complain about him to her friend?

from various school interviews accounts, Madeline was doing much better in school which correlates with SS NOT LIVING THERE. such a short amount of time she was free of the SS/JS relationship in her life. not hearing her LE interview and reading only an abbreviated account when she was confronted with SA pics of her daughter and SS, all we read is 'she was visibly upset' and she denied recognizing the location(s) of those pics.

of course, there's basically much more of her interview statement(s). where did she finally land on the 'knowledge/no knowledge/suspicion/no suspicion' landscape?

 

[Heaven Leigh]

I find it very hard to understand how JS did not know or have some Mom intuition that something was not right all these years. I don't understand because I've never had to go though that.
I've wondered if JS ever worked nights and she was just not there during the nights Maddie was abused. Or when it began.
I don't believe for a minute that Maddie was so afraid to sleep alone that she wanted him in the bed. She wanted her Mom and Mom should have sent him out of the room on those nights.
No arrest..so I will assume JS checked out on being a Mom many years ago. Maddie was just there. SS knew this.
JS oblivious to common sense. It's a shame. So frustrating.
At the end of the day I'm thankful this sick preditor can't abuse ad kill another innocent girl. I doubt JS will be charged with neglect or abuse, even though she should be. imo.
I hope he rots.

 

[photographer4]

It is kind of a grey area but in my opinion she was indirectly responsible for the harm that was inflicted on MS over the years and at the end. Jmo

I view this as she was directly responsible insofar as she brought home the monster and let him take up residence. She allowed not just unsupervised access, but unsupervised access in BED with him. Infact, she didn't just allow it, she REQUESTED that he sleep elsewhere with MS so she could get a good night sleep - we've all seen the links on this, in court documents and news articles but since I know links are required... here is one: Madeline Soto slept in Stephan Sterns' bed, documents say

This isn't indirect harm by any stretch. She directly placed her child at risk of serious harm, physical, mental, sexual... I see a mother with mental health issues who really somehow slipped through the cracks. How was she permitted to keep MS when clearly, other options were widely available? Her mother, MS father and step mother? Other family members on either side? This is a huge failing imo of JS and the system that failed to protect MS.

 

[Poedelini]

I view this as she was directly responsible insofar as she brought home the monster and let him take up residence. She allowed not just unsupervised access, but unsupervised access in BED with him. Infact, she didn't just allow it, she REQUESTED that he sleep elsewhere with MS so she could get a good night sleep - we've all seen the links on this, in court documents and news articles but since I know links are required... here is one: Madeline Soto slept in Stephan Sterns' bed, documents say

This isn't indirect harm by any stretch. She directly placed her child at risk of serious harm, physical, mental, sexual... I see a mother with mental health issues who really somehow slipped through the cracks. How was she permitted to keep MS when clearly, other options were widely available? Her mother, MS father and step mother? Other family members on either side? This is a huge failing imo of JS and the system that failed to protect MS.

I get where your coming from, but in my opinion SS is directly responsible.

Indirectly in my mind does not mean minimizing her lack of parenting and awareness. I think we have the same thoughts only different words.

Jmo

 

[photographer4]

I get where your coming from, but in my opinion SS is directly responsible.

Indirectly in my mind does not mean minimizing her lack of parenting and awareness. I think we have the same thoughts only different words.

Jmo

I think you're right. We seem to agree and just use different words. What a nightmare for MS. I usually err on the side of innocent until proven BARD but for SS, he could not be more guilty. If they get JS for something along the way that is fine too but even if they don't, I don't think anyone will punish her more than she will punish herself.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

I don't think anyone will punish her more than she will punish herself.

Respectfully snipped for focus.

I have seen this sentiment expressed by many, but I don't agree. I've not seen one shred of evidence that JS cared that much about MS.

For example, even in the initial interviews she didn't say anything positive about Maddie but instead enumerated her perceived shortcomings: she has ADHD, she's very forgetful, yada yada yada. She showed little affection for her either.

If she cared that much about Maddie, she would have taken care that the child had her own room instead of a curtained area in a shared space.* She would have made durn sure she was at Maddie's 13th birthday party. I mean, she knew it was coming 12 years and 364 days ago.

And on and on.

MOO of course.

*O/T I have been watching the Hulu series "Under the Bridge" and in one scene the parents punish their teen daughter's misbehavior by removing the door from her room. It reminded me so much of how I craved privacy at that age. Not to do anything nefarious, but because that's part of being a teen.

 

[iamshadow21]

Respectfully snipped for focus.

I have seen this sentiment expressed by many, but I don't agree. I've not seen one shred of evidence that JS cared that much about MS.

For example, even in the initial interviews she didn't say anything positive about Maddie but instead enumerated her perceived shortcomings: she has ADHD, she's very forgetful, yada yada yada. She showed little affection for her either.

If she cared that much about Maddie, she would have taken care that the child had her own room instead of a curtained area in a shared space.* She would have made durn sure she was at Maddie's 13th birthday party. I mean, she knew it was coming 12 years and 364 days ago.

And on and on.

MOO of course.

*O/T I have been watching the Hulu series "Under the Bridge" and in one scene the parents punish their teen daughter's misbehavior by removing the door from her room. It reminded me so much of how I craved privacy at that age. Not to do anything nefarious, but because that's part of being a teen.

She reminds me increasingly of Letecia Stauch, who went on about Gannon to LE and media in a way that showed just how much she held him in disdain.

MOO

 

[MollyDDD]

I view this as she was directly responsible insofar as she brought home the monster and let him take up residence. She allowed not just unsupervised access, but unsupervised access in BED with him. Infact, she didn't just allow it, she REQUESTED that he sleep elsewhere with MS so she could get a good night sleep - we've all seen the links on this, in court documents and news articles but since I know links are required... here is one: Madeline Soto slept in Stephan Sterns' bed, documents say

This isn't indirect harm by any stretch. She directly placed her child at risk of serious harm, physical, mental, sexual... I see a mother with mental health issues who really somehow slipped through the cracks. How was she permitted to keep MS when clearly, other options were widely available? Her mother, MS father and step mother? Other family members on either side? This is a huge failing imo of JS and the system that failed to protect MS.

I often wonder about MS father. It seems no one really cared about her.

 

[iamshadow21]

I often wonder about MS father. It seems no one really cared about her.

He has his own young family, and seems genuinely grief stricken from what I've seen in the press. I think he took JS's word for it that Madeline was happy and okay. He thought he'd have a chance to build a relationship with her when she was older, and now he never will.

MOO

 

[MollyDDD]

He has his own young family, and seems genuinely grief stricken from what I've seen in the press. I think he took JS's word for it that Madeline was happy and okay. He thought he'd have a chance to build a relationship with her when she was older, and now he never will.

MOO

No excuse, he’s her father. Regardless of what his relationship was with JS, he had a responsibility to remain involved in his child’s life.
Parenting doesn’t end after divorce. Who knows, he could have been the one that she could talk to and open up about things. Too late now.

 

[iamshadow21]

No excuse, he’s her father. Regardless of what his relationship was with JS, he had a responsibility to remain involved in his child’s life.
Parenting doesn’t end after divorce. Who knows, he could have been the one that she could talk to and open up about things. Too late now.

I could be misremembering, but I don't think they were ever married. I think Madeline was the result of a short term relationship. Their parenting arrangements were amicable.

MOO

 

[MollyDDD]

I could be misremembering, but I don't think they were ever married. I think Madeline was the result of a short term relationship. Their parenting arrangements were amicable.

MOO

The poor kid never had a chance.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

No excuse, he’s her father. Regardless of what his relationship was with JS, he had a responsibility to remain involved in his child’s life.
Parenting doesn’t end after divorce. Who knows, he could have been the one that she could talk to and open up about things. Too late now.

I think he was involved to the extent that he could be under Florida law, which IIRC heavily favors the mother.

I'm not willing to throw him under the bus just yet for bad parenting. If JS and Maddie both assured him everything was fine, what was he supposed to do?

 

[Pruddennce]

I could be misremembering, but I don't think they were ever married. I think Madeline was the result of a short term relationship. Their parenting arrangements were amicable.

MOO

I read the same.

 

[MollyDDD]

I think he was involved to the extent that he could be under Florida law, which IIRC heavily favors the mother.

I'm not willing to throw him under the bus just yet for bad parenting. If JS and Maddie both assured him everything was fine, what was he supposed to do?

I’m not familiar with Florida law, but I would hope it would not prevent a parent from continuing to be a part of their child’s life. Having regular visits, holidays, vacation time, telephone communication etc.
It’s so important for a child to have people in their lives that they feel they can trust and confide in. IMO

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

Sometimes have to just shake my head at this sad story of MS.

Is there evidence known of how many times or occurrences that JS had requested for MS to ‘sleep’ in another room with SS her ‘boyfriend’ - in order that she (JS) could get herself a good night of sleep? (Even saying that is frankly maddening and cringe-worthy IMO. And having happened even once seems improper in many respects.)

And let’s not forget that MS was relegated to a small corner of the living room IIUC? And she didn’t even have her own room or private space in which to be a child or growing adult.

IMO I hope that the extended time without any indication of charges for anyone aside from SS - is because authorities are carefully examining any and all evidence before proceeding. And that potential charges including child endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child and other offenses (FL state and federal) that seem to have led to this tragic and also IMO preventable outcome are also being considered. MOO

 

[PayrollNerd]

2024 CF 001293
STERNS, STEPHAN MICHAEL
FIRST DEGREE MURDER (CAPITAL) (782.04 1a1)

No changes to calendar.


Docket:


Jail Calls Discovery notices:

https://courts.osceolaclerk.com/BenchmarkWeb/CourtCase.aspx/Details/3373972?digest=jMcB8KTUtrRjZiLG95%2B1aA

 

[Seattle1]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>

I think it's undisputed that at a minimum, JS is responsible for child endangerment. Obviously, the endangerment led to the death of her only child, and personally, I don't know how she lives with herself.

Maybe she's catatonic and will forever be given there's been no mention or sighting of JS since the arrest of SS and murder charges more than five months ago! In this day, I think this is pretty significant. No leaks, sighting, nothing!

Relative to JS, unfortunately, we only know of and/or observed JS during what would be the worst time in the life of any parent-- including mother, JS.

Based on observation and opinions of body language and behavioral experts who viewed the same videos we've seen, I've long agreed that there is something off about JS. What's not clear is the actual medical and mental history of JS.

Looking back, I think JS was overwhelmed with parenting a child since the birth of MS and speculate she had significant assistance from her father, followed by SS, who targeted JS because she had the golden egg -- a child. And SS was textbook perfect in predation, grooming, and manipulation-- successfully keeping the trust of mother and child until MS began to challenge her abuser.

Lastly, I think it's very much possible that JS had outside forces following their own instincts to separate SS from MS and probably why SS moved out of the Soto residence in December. For example, JS father and MS grandfather, owner of the residence, giving JS an ultimatum to remove SS from the home or forfeit her tenancy. This is all speculation and MOO, and we will probably have to wait until trial to learn the true dynamics of this case.

And I'm also trusting that JS is probably not competent to speak to investigators at this time and/or where they have insufficient information here to determine JS mens rea (specific intent/mental state)-- hence the silence by Investigators.

I'm reminded of Matthew Coleman who confessed to driving his children to Mexico where he murdered them with a spear, and has been in the custody of federal BPO/mental institution going on 4 years hoping to restore him competent to face trial. Here, BOP physician determined that Coleman met the criteria for unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders as set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and was not competent to stand trial. Prior to this unthinkable event, Coleman and his wife ran a successful surfing school in Santa Barbara.

This is such a disturbing case. IMO, giving birth alone does not make for a mother. And while I mostly feel that absent any maternal instinct to protect her child and/or put the needs of her child above her own need for a 'babysitter with benefits,' I don't think JS should have had custody of MS or any child.

But I also have to acknowledge that unlike Coleman, my opinion of JS is absent crucial information about JS's mental history before, during, or after SS.

And so we wait...

MOO

 

[MollyDDD]

I think it's undisputed that at a minimum, JS is responsible for child endangerment. Obviously, the endangerment led to the death of her only child, and personally, I don't know how she lives with herself.

Maybe she's catatonic and will forever be given there's been no mention or sighting of JS since the arrest of SS and murder charges more than five months ago! In this day, I think this is pretty significant. No leaks, sighting, nothing!

Relative to JS, unfortunately, we only know of and/or observed JS during what would be the worst time in the life of any parent-- including mother, JS.

Based on observation and opinions of body language and behavioral experts who viewed the same videos we've seen, I've long agreed that there is something off about JS. What's not clear is the actual medical and mental history of JS.

Looking back, I think JS was overwhelmed with parenting a child since the birth of MS and speculate she had significant assistance from her father, followed by SS, who targeted JS because she had the golden egg -- a child. And SS was textbook perfect in predation, grooming, and manipulation-- successfully keeping the trust of mother and child until MS began to challenge her abuser.

Lastly, I think it's very much possible that JS had outside forces following their own instincts to separate SS from MS and probably why SS moved out of the Soto residence in December. For example, JS father and MS grandfather, owner of the residence, giving JS an ultimatum to remove SS from the home or forfeit her tenancy. This is all speculation and MOO, and we will probably have to wait until trial to learn the true dynamics of this case.

And I'm also trusting that JS is probably not competent to speak to investigators at this time and/or where they have insufficient information here to determine JS mens rea (specific intent/mental state)-- hence the silence by Investigators.

I'm reminded of Matthew Coleman who confessed to driving his children to Mexico where he murdered them with a spear, and has been in the custody of federal BPO/mental institution going on 4 years hoping to restore him competent to face trial. Here, BOP physician determined that Coleman met the criteria for unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders as set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and was not competent to stand trial. Prior to this unthinkable event, Coleman and his wife ran a successful surfing school in Santa Barbara.

This is such a disturbing case. IMO, giving birth alone does not make for a mother. And while I mostly feel that absent any maternal instinct to protect her child and/or put the needs of her child above her own need for a 'babysitter with benefits,' I don't think JS should have had custody of MS or any child.

But I also have to acknowledge that unlike Coleman, my opinion of JS is absent crucial information about JS's mental history before, during, or after SS.

And so we wait...

MOO

Your perspective makes a lot of sense. I suppose I’m jaded by the many criminal cases of abuse, neglect and filicide and the pathetic lies parents use to avoid punishment. You bring up a good point as to why she hasn’t been accused of allowing the sexual abuse of MS to continue or if she was aware of SS involvement in her death.

 

[Bounceycat]

I’m not familiar with Florida law, but I would hope it would not prevent a parent from continuing to be a part of their child’s life. Having regular visits, holidays, vacation time, telephone communication etc.
It’s so important for a child to have people in their lives that they feel they can trust and confide in. IMO

Maddie did have a good relationship with her father and step mother. They live in TX and have children younger than Maddie. She visited them in the summer and on school breaks. They kept in contact when she was back in FL at school. That sounds like a pretty typical interstate custody arrangement to me, especially for a father who wasn't with the mother at the time of the child's birth and never initially lived in the house with the child.

She was very close to her stepmother, especially. Her dad and stepmother have stated repeatedly that they didn't see any signs and wish Maddie has confided in them. We've seen this in multiple interviews and articles written about them since Maddie's murder. They're victims here and baseless accusations* of them not being involved are incorrect as well as disrespectful to them as victims grieving Maddie's loss. JMO.

*Not necessarily in this comment I'm replying directly to, but in some others that preceeded it.