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

[Pruddennce]

If calls to CPS or reports to CPS had been made on Maddie/JS in the past, would that have leaked to the media by this point? Sometimes information like that is released quite early, but I know that probably won't happen every time. MOO.

IMO, it appears there werent many people in JS's daily life. seems to me it was insulated other than Madeline having a best friend she spent time with regularly as well as engaging in some activities. IMO, SS was her nucleus. IMO her family was peripheral, and there are no interviews released conducted with a friend(s) of JS. are there any that could give an insight as to her daily life with Madeline?

what I also found interesting in the documents released was the interview with their neighbors Barbara and Gerald Belmore (they resided in the complex during winter and spring for the past 18 years). they stated that Madeline's grandfather lived with Madeline and JS for 'many years' and he 'helped raise her'...the grandfather adored Madeline. further stated, 'a few years ago he (grandfather) moved out and (redacted)-JS MARRIED stepfather Stephan'.

now why would they think JS and Stephan got married??????? of course people can make assumptions, but that is a huge one. IMO, the lie was told to them to 'validate' SS's role in the household, and JS went with it.

 

[Odeto BJ]

IMO, it appears there werent many people in JS's daily life. seems to me it was insulated other than Madeline having a best friend she spent time with regularly as well as engaging in some activities. IMO, SS was her nucleus. IMO her family was peripheral, and there are no interviews released conducted with a friend(s) of JS. are there any that could give an insight as to her daily life with Madeline?

what I also found interesting in the documents released was the interview with their neighbors Barbara and Gerald Belmore (they resided in the complex during winter and spring for the past 18 years). they stated that Madeline's grandfather lived with Madeline and JS for 'many years' and he 'helped raise her'...the grandfather adored Madeline. further stated, 'a few years ago he (grandfather) moved out and (redacted)-JS MARRIED stepfather Stephan'.

now why would they think JS and Stephan got married??????? of course people can make assumptions, but that is a huge one. IMO, the lie was told to them to 'validate' SS's role in the household, and JS went with it.

Trying to recall rather than locate precisely: But didn't one of the past friends of SS as interviewed by Maynard describe the household like they had to visit in the upstairs bedrooms because the "family" lived downstairs? Combined with the Belmore info, that would imply that the grandfather and SS were there at the same time; so was the SA going on while the grandfather and presumably at least one more party lived downstairs? Guess that depends on what "a few years" represents in reality....I would think LE has sorted through that by now.
There was also implication by the grandmother that SS was not her favorite, expressed before the body was found and mainly in a Spanish language interview. I'm sure LE has revisited with JS's mother and sister since and drilled down into their relationships and mindset about SS. JS's mother impressed as deprecatory toward JS and may have been aware of JS's encouraging SS and MS to share a bedroom.
Was JS's mother and father both living at the unit while SS was dating JS? Did they both have a sour take on the relationship? Did they feel that the connection between SS and MS was inappropriate and that SS was a manipulative parasite? What is the current domestic situation for JS's parents?
MOO where/as applicable

 

[Mack the Knife]

I'm trying to get the information pinned down on SS's movements after MS was reported missing (ie. after ~02/26 16:00 and until he was arrested at an unknown time on the evening of 02/28). There's reference to investigators knowing that JS's car was driven (presumably by SS) to North Port in the early hours of 02/28, but does anyone know how they know that?

And while I'm doing that, I know some people have speculated on why JS stayed at a hotel and not with family, but I think it could be as simple as she needed somewhere for her dog, or that they just wanted to do the easiest thing because of how late it was (they ended up checking in at 2am). As well, it's sort of interesting that JS checked out of their room after one night (on 02/28, prior to SS's arrest), but his father CS stayed another night.

Also, I'm curious what everyone else's read is on the storage unit. To me, it seems like the information they originally had (and which they used to get a search warrant) was that CS's storage unit was accessed at around 09:08 on 02/28, but that they later found out that information wasn't correct, and there was no record of CS's storage unit being accessed since 02/16. Which would mean there is no reason to believe SS went to the storage unit. Which makes me think, what the heck did he go to North Port for?

 

[Pruddennce]

I'm trying to get the information pinned down on SS's movements after MS was reported missing (ie. after ~02/26 16:00 and until he was arrested at an unknown time on the evening of 02/28). There's reference to investigators knowing that JS's car was driven (presumably by SS) to North Port in the early hours of 02/28, but does anyone know how they know that?

And while I'm doing that, I know some people have speculated on why JS stayed at a hotel and not with family, but I think it could be as simple as she needed somewhere for her dog, or that they just wanted to do the easiest thing because of how late it was (they ended up checking in at 2am). As well, it's sort of interesting that JS checked out of their room after one night (on 02/28, prior to SS's arrest), but his father CS stayed another night.

Also, I'm curious what everyone else's read is on the storage unit. To me, it seems like the information they originally had (and which they used to get a search warrant) was that CS's storage unit was accessed at around 09:08 on 02/28, but that they later found out that information wasn't correct, and there was no record of CS's storage unit being accessed since 02/16. Which would mean there is no reason to believe SS went to the storage unit. Which makes me think, what the heck did he go to North Port for?

regarding the Lincoln he was driving it appears his day 2/26 was captured from license plate readers and cameras up to returning to the home then leaving to go to gm's place and then returning after leaving gm's business. it seems they got additional info on 2/28 from the lincoln GPS.

its unclear how JS's vehicle travel info was obtained, *Im still reading*, but it is noted they 'discovered her vehicle had been driven on Feb 27 between the hours of 0327 and 0425 in the area of US-192. her vehicle 'also travelled on 2/28 between the hours of 0442 and 1055 between US-192 and southwest to North Port, Fl"

somewhere in this doc dump or maybe it was the previous one, they did obtain authorization to track the phones, and IIRC the vehicles as well?

is there only one Nissan? the doc dump indicates the year 2010 and then 2022 for a nissan. the plate # is blacked out each time it is mentioned.

 

[Megnut]

I'm trying to get the information pinned down on SS's movements after MS was reported missing (ie. after ~02/26 16:00 and until he was arrested at an unknown time on the evening of 02/28). There's reference to investigators knowing that JS's car was driven (presumably by SS) to North Port in the early hours of 02/28, but does anyone know how they know that?

And while I'm doing that, I know some people have speculated on why JS stayed at a hotel and not with family, but I think it could be as simple as she needed somewhere for her dog, or that they just wanted to do the easiest thing because of how late it was (they ended up checking in at 2am). As well, it's sort of interesting that JS checked out of their room after one night (on 02/28, prior to SS's arrest), but his father CS stayed another night.

Also, I'm curious what everyone else's read is on the storage unit. To me, it seems like the information they originally had (and which they used to get a search warrant) was that CS's storage unit was accessed at around 09:08 on 02/28, but that they later found out that information wasn't correct, and there was no record of CS's storage unit being accessed since 02/16. Which would mean there is no reason to believe SS went to the storage unit. Which makes me think, what the heck did he go to North Port for?

I wonder what is situated NEAR that storage facility. Dumpster, car wash...

Maybe he considered leaving something there, then decided against it.

Possibly he was frantic trying to fugure out WHAT to do and logic factored into none of it.

JMO

 

[FromGermany1]

One thought:

CS: Was he maybe in cahoots with his son regarding abuse of M, without knowing by DS?

I don't know, how it could have been managed, but mostly my fantasy isn't very distinctive anyway.

 

[Odeto BJ]

Checked into: report SCRIBD P. 41 dated 02/28 21:46 hours; Lincoln in driveway of Stern home in North Port Lisc 17DAYD Fl....Is a 2020 Lincoln MKZ belonging to Christopher Sterns. So there were (2) Lincoln MKZ in the Sterns fleet: this one and the 2010 model Stephan drove to Kissimmee lisc. 1YLL82; per docdump PDF P. 34.
Both in Christopher's name. Apparently Christopher liked this model of car.

I was confused for just a moment so chased it....

 

[Mack the Knife]

Okay I tried to combine all we now know, based on evidence, of SS's movement on the "day of" MS's disappearance. This starts in the morning of Feb 26 and moves late into the night and into the early morning hours of Feb 27. This is already very long, so I did cut out some of the point by point driving bits when it doesn't appear that there were any stops or unexplained movements. Event is a factual representation of what is in the two doc dumps from the State Attorney. Narration is my summary and interpretation of those facts, as well as some of what SS's story was (read: MOO).

Edit: Looks like the format got a little wonky upon posting, but I'm guessing you can all interpret it well enough

Time	Event	Narration	Link

My callouts:

• He changed his shirt (red to blue) between the time he was supposed to have been dropping MS off at school and when he goes to the dumpster at 10:54. This would have included the time he moved her body from the front seat to the trunk. It is possible he got something on him, or maybe he got sweaty, or maybe he just felt gross.
  • In an interview with Det. Tagler that occurs on Feb 28th, SS is wearing a blue shirt and says he doesn't believe he'd changed since "the previous morning". Det. Tagler notes that "in videos from earlier in the day" he was wearing a red shirt. The report indicates this interview may have taken place before 01:00, meaning "the previous morning" would be the morning of Feb 26th. I interpret this as him implying he didn't change clothes (from the red shirt) on the day MS went missing.
• Google Maps indicates that the location MS's body was found at is about 15 minutes drive from the start of Old Hickory Rd off of US-192. In my experience, Google Maps usually estimates based off the time it actually takes people to drive, and not posted speed limits. It's possible that SS was hauling *advertiser censored* (heck, maybe that's how he got the flat), especially at 3am, but I also think if I had a dead body in my vehicle, I wouldn't want to risk getting pulled over.
  • That leaves 25 minutes unaccounted for on the first trip to Old Hickory Rd, and 4 on the second. Maybe with driving fast, he could have had as much as 35/14 minutes?
  • 35 minutes to change a tire, get spotted changing that tire but also move a dead body and not get spotted moving that dead body...it sounds quite fast to me. I recall SS even saying it had been a long time since he'd changed a flat, so it took him a while and he made dumb mistakes.
• The new info also tells us about more dumpster visits than I think we knew about. I'm counting 5. Notably, he looks to have thrown the tire tread of his flat out immediately before driving up toward grandma's office to go meet with the rest of the family
  • I think I didn't process before that this means that JS (or whoever) would have called him and told him he needs to come help just 35 minutes after school got out. That makes sense with 16:43 as a listed reported time that MS went missing. Did we ever find out the time of the 911 calls?
  • I'm also just realizing that if the tire was totally blown out like that, there may have been physical pieces or other indications of where that was on Old Hickory Rd

Following this format to pick up where I left off, with SS returning to Venetian Bay Villages (VBV, the Soto home) at 4am on 02/27 in JS's vehicle. I didn't find information on SS's whereabouts until noon that day, when he is interviewed.

02/28 to 02/29 Stephan Sterns timeline
As with the last one, Event is completely factual and source-based, but it is also convoluted as heck, so I'd recommend reading my lightly editorialized Narration and then referencing the Event column for specifics.
Edit: I swear all the formatting looks normal before I post.

Time	Event	Narration	Source
12:05	Det. Hunt interviews SS at [redacted-VBV].	SS is interviewed at least three times by detectives at VBV. At one point, he is asked to not return to his car. JS is told at an unknown time that they will have to sleep elsewhere for the night and that the Lincoln MKZ was going to be towed. At some point after 20:38, detectives ask for the home to be cleared and secured, but this does not mean that JS and SS are made to leave, as SS is interviewed at the residence some time after 23:00. The house is closed and secured at 01:00 on 02/29.	896 page doc dump
Some point after 16:00	At some point after responding to the scene (16:00) Det. Tagler, while she and Det. Acosta conducted an interview, asked SS to not go back into his car (presumably the silver Lincoln MKZ).	896 page doc dump
After 20:38	Dets. Tagler and Acosta ask Det. Hunt to clear and secure the residence (VBV)	896 page doc dump
Unknown time, but likely around 20:38	Dets. Tagler and Acosta interview [redacted-JS] and notify her that she will need to stay somewhere else for the night and that SS's car would be towed for processing because [redacted-MS] was last seen in that car.	896 page doc dump
About 23:00	Det. Hunt interviews SS at [redacted-VBV].	896 page doc dump
Prior to 01:00	Dets. Tagler and Acosta interview SS at [redacted-VBV].	896 page doc dump
About 01:30	SS's vehicle (presumably the silver Lincoln MKZ) is towed to Central Operations.	896 page doc dump
02:13	Surveillance footage from the hotel (TownePlace Suites) shows SS, his father CS, and [redacted-JS] checking in to the hotel at the front desk.	SS, JS, and CS are seen checking in to two rooms at TownePlace Suites. CS estimated that it was about 03:15, but surveillance footage shows it was an hour prior. SS is then seen exiting the hotel at 04:42 and is not seen returning until several hours later.	896 page doc dump
03:15	Christopher Sterns says he met with SS at their hotel (TownePlace Suites), checked in, then the both went to bed in their respective rooms.	North Port PD docs
03:19	Debra Sterns heard someone inside her North Port home who she believed could not have been her husband but might have been her son, SS. She believed SS might have returned to abandon redacted-MS in the woods near the house.	DS very specifically remembers that her dogs alerted at 03:19 and was confident it was not CS but thought it was SS. This is not possible, since SS and CS are seen on camera about 2 hours away just an hour before, and SS is seen on camera again less than an hour and a half later.	North Port PD docs
04:42	SS exits the hotel (TownePlace Suites) through the front entrance.	896 page doc dump
04:42 to 10:55	Unspecified information shows that [redacted-JS]'s vehicle was driven on US-192 and southwest toward North Port.	After leaving the hotel, unspecified information shows JS's vehicle, presumably driven by SS, driving toward North Port, entering at 06:29 and leaving at 07:46. Early information indicated that CS's storage unit may have been accessed at 09:08, but it appears this was a misinterpretation of the data, and that nothing other than his presence in North Port points toward SS accessing the storage locker.	896 page doc dump
06:29	A vehicle connected to [suspect-SS] entered North Port at approximately this time.	North Port PD docs
07:28	SS's father CS exits the hotel (TownePlace Suites) through the front entrance.	CS left the hotel at 07:28, and nothing indicates where he might have gone. JS contacted him around 09:00-09:45 to ask if he knew where SS was, and he presumably stated he didn't. JS took her dog out at 09:54 and came back a few minutes later. CS returned to the hotel at 10:50.	896 page doc dump
07:38	Detectives arrived to execute search warrant of [redacted-VBV]	896 page doc dump
07:46	A vehicle connected to [suspect-SS] left North Port at approximately this time.	North Port PD docs
Possibly 09:08	SS is believed to have visited his father's storage unit in North Port for approximately 10 minutes before returning to I-75. Later information (59) may contradict this.	North Port PD docs
Between 09:00 and 09:45	CS says [redacted-JS] contacted him and asked if he know where SS had went, as he had left their hotel shortly before.	North Port PD Docs
09:54 to 10:03	[redacted-JS] exits the hotel (TownePlace Suites) through the main front entrance then returns.	896 page doc dump
10:50	SS's father CS re-enters the hotel (TownePlace Suites) through the main front entrance.	896 page doc dump
10:55	SS re-enters the hotel (TownePlace Suites) through the main front entrance.	SS returned to the hotel at 10:55. It is possible that he made stops on his way back from North Port, but 3 hours is also a plausible driving duration for that time of day. CS says SS returned around 11:15-11:30 and he found out SS went to North Port, but it's unclear if SS told him this or told him why.	896 page doc dump
Between 11:15 and 11:30	CS says SS returned to the hotel. He later learned his son had traveled to North Port, but says he did not know. ~2 redacted sentences elaborate on this.	North Port PD Docs
15:02	[Redacted-JS] is transported by LE from the hotel (TownePlace Suites) to the Sheriff's Office for a planned press conference. SS was also taken in a separate car, so presumably that happened at the same time.	896 page doc dump
15:07	[Redacted-JS] checks out of the hotel (TownePlace Suites) room that she and SS were staying in. SS's father (CS) stays another day.	JS checks out of the hotel at 15:07 and she and SS are driven separately to the Sheriff's Office Central Operations for a press conference that had been planned. The press conference begins at 15:33. It is unknown if JS or SS were ever planned to appear in the press conference, but they ultimately do not.	896 page doc dump
15:12	Det. Acosta drives from the hotel (TownePlace Suites) to Central Operations for a planned press conference.	896 page doc dump
15:33	Orange County Sheriff's Office holds a press conference. Only Sheriff Mina appears on camera.	Orange County Sheriff's Office - Sheriff FB
After 16:45	At some point after 16:45, Det. Morris interviews SS at the Sheriff's Office.	SS is interviewed again at some point after 16:45, and then arrested for sexual battery and possession of CSAM, at which point he can obviously no longer move freely.	896 page doc dump
Evening, prior to 19:00	SS is arrested for sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material and named as the prime suspect in MS's disappearance. LE specifies only "evening," but posted a video of SS around 19:00.	Orange County Sheriff's Office - Sheriff FB

My callouts:

• Not all of the detectives put times when they conduct an interview, which is a big bummer for me.
• It seems like investigators were at VBV, interacting essentially nonstop with JS and SS on 02/27 from noon until they sent them to get lodging for the night, somewhere between 23:00 and 01:00. SS was out in the middle of the night both nights, so probably got very little sleep since the morning of 02/26. No wonder he was sleeping at the Sheriff's Office before his interview.
• He was in North Port for a little over an hour. Presumably, if he went to his mother's house, she would have seen him. From the jail emails, I think she's at home during the day. What was worth him being suspiciously gone for 6 hours?
• He also had apparently left North Port by the time the storage unit was allegedly accessed, so I'm thinking my reading was correct and there was just something misinterpreted, SS didn't visit the storage unit.
• What the heck was CS doing in the morning? I mean getting breakfast, probably, but then what? Maybe talking to attorneys. And what did he think his son was doing? He didn't find it odd his son drove to North Port without telling him? Or without going to see his mom?
• I would think whatever DS heard could have been SS coming to the house in the early mornings, maybe looking to grab his computers or something, if she didn't seem so certain it was 03:19, which couldn't be him.

Completely inconsequential but does JS's dog just never pee? Took them out once in the morning, then nothing for the rest of the day. And where did the dog go when JS went to the Sheriff's office after she checked out at 3?