Found Deceased FL - Madeline Soto, 13, Missing Child Alert, 13500 blk Town Loop Blvd, Orlando, 26 Feb 2024 *arrest* #11

[Mack the Knife]

Madeline Soto’s mom knew boyfriend was ‘grooming and abusing’ slain teen: police

The body of Madeline Soto, 13, was found in rural Osceola County on March 1.

nypost.com

It really irks me that major news publications are running with headlines like this (I think Fox and People did the same). It keeps making me think that something new has come out because, at least to me, it reads like police are saying that JS said that she had known prior to MS's murder that SS was "grooming and abusing" her.

But in the text of the articles, JS didn't say this until after law enforcement had arrested SS on the sex abuse and CSAM charges, and law enforcement told JS they believed MS was dead, and they asked if she thought SS had done it.

Just taking a few steps back and imagine this with any other set of people: Girl goes missing. Man was the last person to see Girl. Law Enforcement finds irrefutable evidence of Man abusing Girl. Law Enforcement shows Woman the evidence. Law Enforcement arrests Man for abusing Girl. Law Enforcement tells Woman they believe Girl is dead. Law Enforcement asks Woman if she thinks Man killed Girl. Woman says yes because Man was abusing Girl.

Of course we'd expect the Woman to say she believes the Man did it and of course we'd expect the Woman to say the man was abusing and grooming the girl. The woman being JS doesn't make those actions suspicious at all. The statements don't change the public's understanding of what JS knew.

I don't understand why outlets are trying to make something out of what is no more than "LE showed JS photos of MS being abused by SS. In a future interview JS said MS was being abused by SS."

 

[IzzyBlanche]

 

[photoprose1122]

I didn't know there was any doubt. They are clearly both written by JS. The vowels are by the same author. JMO

The g’s are different

 

[Mauig’ma]

What stood out of me is there isn't a period at the end of that sentence like you have in your quote, it's the last part of the sentence that she wrote after it. All I can make out is "I also have severe trauma responses when I encounter all males that..." Something.

Anyone have any ideas what else she scribbled out? All I know is thankfully it isn't all males, but all males that do.... something.

Here's the cropped image from your post:
View attachment 527975

Almost 6pm, for a girl that supposedly doesn't know her own address (per JS), tells me that vehicle was observed where they live, likely driving by, maybe slowly, and looking toward their unit. And, it's not like they live on a normal street with traffic, you're only there if you have a reason to be there.

“that seem to be my perpetrator “ is what I see. Moo

 

[photoprose1122]

I am pretty confused by my fellow WSleuthers who seem to think it's no big deal that JS said in her sworn affidavit to LE that she SAW Maddie getting ready for school that morning.

It's ridiculous IMO. I don't confuse what I saw with what I heard. I would never say I saw something I didn't actually see.

And the kicker is, JS couldn't have seen or heard whatever she claims to, because poor Maddie was already dead and was never getting ready for school that day for JS to either see her or hear her.

I’m catching up, but I agree. IMO it’s important to differentiate between saw and heard and to take note that she misrepresented, to say the least, what she witnessed that morning. However, regardless of how I feel about JS and what I think her involvement could be, I do think in this particular instance it could simply be chalked up to a negligent mother trying to save face and not disclose that she in fact was indisposed or too preoccupied with her own wellness/comfort to actually account for Maddie’s whereabouts that morning. It does not imply without a doubt that she was complicit with Stern’s actions. She’ll never recover from suggesting that the sexual assault was “not evil,” in my judgement, but I’ll concede that there is no glaring evidence that she is guilty of anything other than being a negligent mother.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

I’ll concede that there is no glaring evidence that she is guilty of anything other than being a negligent mother.

Respectfully snipped for focus

There may not be enough evidence to prosecute her for it, but I'm 100% convinced she knew that Maddie was dead and tried to help SS cover it up. Her lies, inconsistencies, contradictions between her and SS's stories, and a whole bunch of other things prove to me that she is guilty of accessory after the fact, or whatever it's called in Florida.

And there are laws that can be used to prosecute negligent mothers.

 

[shetalksinstereo]

Respectfully snipped for focus

There may not be enough evidence to prosecute her for it, but I'm 100% convinced she knew that Maddie was dead and tried to help SS cover it up. Her lies, inconsistencies, contradictions between her and SS's stories, and a whole bunch of other things prove to me that she is guilty of accessory after the fact, or whatever it's called in Florida.

And there are laws that can be used to prosecute negligent mothers.

This^^^^^^^^ I think SS gave her a sob story about how it was "an accident" and/or implied that she could be in trouble too if she didn't go along with the abduction story and that she helped to cover it up. She seemed way more concerned with SS's wellbeing than the fact that her daughter was missing/dead.

 

[BeeGirl]

Respectfully snipped for focus

There may not be enough evidence to prosecute her for it, but I'm 100% convinced she knew that Maddie was dead and tried to help SS cover it up. Her lies, inconsistencies, contradictions between her and SS's stories, and a whole bunch of other things prove to me that she is guilty of accessory after the fact, or whatever it's called in Florida.

And there are laws that can be used to prosecute negligent mothers.

I agree with this. I often look back at old news, discussions, and speculations to see how our collective understanding has evolved here and our early conversations were littered with questions of “how couldn’t JS know?”

Those questions still remain but now, with all the video releases and documents Mack and others have brought us, we know that she didn’t just say in passing she saw Maddie that morning, she wrote it down. We know she sent Maddie to bed with him despite numerous people pointing out to her that was inappropriate. We know the school pickup story is convoluted (maybe she spoke to someone and they called Maddie’s name over the announcements and maybe she drove away), we know that as the suspicions were stacking up, she was concerned SS looked like the bad guy.

There’s more but you get the gist and, to me,
I can’t look at her ex post facto acknowledgment that SS murdered Maddie as an innocent “lightbulb moment” until the rest of these discrepancies are resolved. Analyzing a case involves weighing facts and there is now an heavy pile of adverse facts that cannot be simply and quickly explained away (and that’s before we even get to her whole “not evil” mess!)

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

I agree with this. I often look back at old news, discussions, and speculations to see how our collective understanding has evolved here and our early conversations were littered with questions of “how couldn’t JS know?”

Those questions still remain but now, with all the video releases and documents Mack and others have brought us, we know that she didn’t just say in passing she saw Maddie that morning, she wrote it down. We know she sent Maddie to bed with him despite numerous people pointing out to her that was inappropriate. We know the school pickup story is convoluted (maybe she spoke to someone and they called Maddie’s name over the announcements and maybe she drove away), we know that as the suspicions were stacking up, she was concerned SS looked like the bad guy.

There’s more but you get the gist and, to me,
I can’t look at her ex post facto acknowledgment that SS murdered Maddie as an innocent “lightbulb moment” until the rest of these discrepancies are resolved. Analyzing a case involves weighing facts and there is now an heavy pile of adverse facts that cannot be simply and quickly explained away (and that’s before we even get to her whole “not evil” mess!)

Yes @BeeGirl ^^!…… and on balance one item in that really stands out IMO:

“she wrote it down.”

Perhaps an alibi script? Is it known when JS is understood to have written that down? (And yes, I am not 100% up on all in this sad case.) MOO

 

[BeeGirl]

Yes @BeeGirl ^^!…… and on balance one item in that really stands out IMO:

“she wrote it down.”

Perhaps an alibi script? Is it known when JS is understood to have written that down? (And yes, I am not 100% up on all in this sad case.) MOO

February 26th. It’s on about page 5 of the docs Mack got for us here and attached below.

If someone can, it would be helpful to have a post of all of Jennifer Soto’s lies and contradictory statements, there are so many it’s hard to keep track and they keep stacking up.

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

February 26th. It’s on about page 5 of the docs Mack got for us here and attached below.

If someone can, it would be helpful to have a post of all of Jennifer Soto’s lies and contradictory statements, there are so many it’s hard to keep track and they keep stacking up.

Thank you for the quick response and reference. And that is from a statement she gave to police investigators on IIUC the same date MS was found? And in a written statement to authorities. Wonder if that will continue to be found as an accepted truthful statement given in the investigation? IANAL. I also wonder if there was a preceding or antecedent statement that was created earlier. MOO

 

[BeeGirl]

Thank you for the quick response and reference. And that is from a statement she gave to police investigators on IIUC the same date MS was found? And in a written statement to authorities. Wonder if that will continue to be found as an accepted truthful statement given in the investigation? IANAL. I also wonder if there was a preceding or antecedent statement that was created earlier. MOO

I did a post a while back on her different versions here before we knew this latest lie and I haven’t found a satisfactory reason it’s acceptable to lie to police so much about your missing child.

 

[BeeGirl]

February 26th. It’s on about page 5 of the docs Mack got for us here and attached below.

If someone can, it would be helpful to have a post of all of Jennifer Soto’s lies and contradictory statements, there are so many it’s hard to keep track and they keep stacking up.

I actually just noticed a new one.

In her handwritten statement (above) she says she “went to school around 4 pm to pick her up” and on p.32 of the big document dump (attached) it says “[Jennifer] stated she normally left her residence at approximately 1430 hours (2:30 pm) and waited about an hour for her to get out before the bell rang. [Jennifer] waited the entire time and when the bell rang, she noticed [Maddie] was not one of the first to come out like she normally was. [Jennifer] then realized she was holding up the parent line and at approximately 1610 hours (4:10 pm), [Jennifer] drove away.”

Strange to not remember from one day to the next if you spent over an hour and a half in a car line.

 

[MamaSleuth5]

I actually just noticed a new one.

In her handwritten statement (above) she says she “went to school around 4 pm to pick her up” and on p.32 of the big document dump (attached) it says “[Jennifer] stated she normally left her residence at approximately 1430 hours (2:30 pm) and waited about an hour for her to get out before the bell rang. [Jennifer] waited the entire time and when the bell rang, she noticed [Maddie] was not one of the first to come out like she normally was. [Jennifer] then realized she was holding up the parent line and at approximately 1610 hours (4:10 pm), [Jennifer] drove away.”

Strange to not remember from one day to the next if you spent over an hour and a half in a car line.

@BeeGirl this jumped out at me too. A child is missing.. her child is missing.. details matter. MOO. JS written statement was made the same day MS was reported missing, so the events JS is recalling in her written statement (~4pm pickup) just happened that day! And the police report about her statement to them (~3pm pickup) is the following day. So I'd think the details of those events should be pretty fresh in JS mind and it can IMO be reasonably expected that those details will be accurate. JMO.

 

[sunspun]

@BeeGirl this jumped out at me too. A child is missing.. her child is missing.. details matter. MOO. JS written statement was made the same day MS was reported missing, so the events JS is recalling in her written statement (~4pm pickup) just happened that day! And the police report about her statement to them (~3pm pickup) is the following day. So I'd think the details of those events should be pretty fresh in JS mind and it can IMO be reasonably expected that those details will be accurate. JMO.

Her phone data also might be able to be used to corroborate (or pinpoint) the time she went to pick up MS. I'm sure she had her phone on her, esp. if she was planning for an hour + wait in line. In fact, she said she also had MS's phone on her at that time, IIRC. So the location data from one or both phones should show where she was, and the school and her home are far enough apart so that they wouldn't be confused, even if it doesn't give an exact location. And not only the location, but phone activity should show something that looks like it was being used by someone while waiting in a line, as opposed to driving or something else.

In fact, it's possible that they could interview the parents of other students who are regularly in that line at the same time to see what they remember about that day. Do they recall being perturbed at someone in the front of the line who was holding up the line? It's probably usually a lot of the same parents in the line every day at the same time. But I suppose it's been awhile now, and they may not be expected to recall.

 

[JennieM]

@BeeGirl this jumped out at me too. A child is missing.. her child is missing.. details matter. MOO. JS written statement was made the same day MS was reported missing, so the events JS is recalling in her written statement (~4pm pickup) just happened that day! And the police report about her statement to them (~3pm pickup) is the following day. So I'd think the details of those events should be pretty fresh in JS mind and it can IMO be reasonably expected that those details will be accurate. JMO.

*Details matter*, as does the truth. She lied.

 

[Simply Caustic]

I am pretty confused by my fellow WSleuthers who seem to think it's no big deal that JS said in her sworn affidavit to LE that she SAW Maddie getting ready for school that morning.

It's ridiculous IMO. I don't confuse what I saw with what I heard. I would never say I saw something I didn't actually see.

And the kicker is, JS couldn't have seen or heard whatever she claims to, because poor Maddie was already dead and was never getting ready for school that day for JS to either see her or hear her.

This is JMO, and MOO. I am speculating that JS could not remember one way or another, because she was in an overmedicated haze courtesy of prescription medications and cannabis that rendered her incapable of putting together her own recent timeline. It is my opinion based off her words and actions that she’s in a sleepy fog a fair amount of the time (and actually asleep a fair bit, too.) This doesn’t negate anything she did (or failed to) but would explain a lot, IMO, about the confusing and obviously untrue things she said.

 

[ttjo]

 

[OceanElix]

Who is interviewing her and when?

 

[IzzyBlanche]

Who is interviewing her and when?

Law enforcement. Don't know when.

Edited: I think they said April 18. This was in the state attorney's office, so not law enforcement.