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

[TexLil]

One sad point that my mind keeps dwelling on is the 'woods text' on Maddy's phone:

"Investigators determined that Soto had sent text messages or made social media posts indicating she “wanted to go live in the woods” upon her 13th birthday, which was Thursday." (excerpt from this article: Sheriff: Missing girl Madeline Soto said she ‘wanted to live in the woods’)

Thinking about options related to this text:

1) maybe Maddy did write this, SS saw it and was mad that she was 'rebelling' and wanted to get away from him so he prevented that from happening. Perhaps he saw this (turning 13, communicating so directly about wanting to leave) as the beginning of the end and felt he had to act immediately. Could he have coordinated that the party would happen when mom was working?

2) maybe SS wrote this himself and it foreshadowed his plan/or he thought it could give him some wiggle room when he caused her disappearance. Basically planting the idea that she was running away.

3) Maybe SS forced/suggested Maddy post this for same reason as #2.

It could be something entirely different or a coincidence, but it just seems too coincidental that this was on her phone and she truly was murdered so soon (hours) after her 13th birthday party and found near a wooded area.

MOO

 

[TexLil]

MOO, I can’t help but wonder if Maddie said that she wanted to live in the woods after her 13th birthday because SS told her something along the lines of when you’re 13, I’ll be done with you (or something of the like).

Madeline Soto: Missing Florida girl wanted to 'live in the woods' after her 13th birthday, sheriff says

We're thinking the same way (see my post just before yours). Horrible to think what emotional and psychological abuse Maddy likely suffered. MOO

 

[Walela]

IMO, I'm thinking he probably didn't have an actual flat tire but probably 'faked' having one. That would allow him to pull off to the side of that stretch of road and fiddle with the jack etc, remove tire & go through the motions until opportunity arose for him to remove Madeline from the car and put her body into that line of trees alongside the road itself. Just happened to get a flat next to the little entry road that borders the line of trees along the main road. Helped him avoid having to carry her through the ditch too.

As in, "nothing to see here ... just changing my flat..." while he awaits opportunity to hustle her body out and into the trees unseesn.

I think if he was parked along the road there was too much traffic for an opportunity to remove her body from the car and get it to the area behind the row of trees and return to the car without being seen. Also, why would he take the time, with a body in his car, to set up a scene that resembled a flat tire situation before he removed her from the car. I don't think he would take the chance when it appears he could have driven through the gate and behind the trees and not been that visible to passing vehicles which is what I think he did. It was when he was entering that something punctured the tire but it could have been punctured where he was parked or when he was exiting. Whenever it happened, real or fake, pre removal or post removal, the car had to have been out of the roadway on somewhat flat ground to have used a bumper jack or an axle jack effectively.
Always moo.

 

[Citia19791]

Just thinking about the text about the woods…If Maddie did write it, is it possible that all the recent coverage about Audri’s case prompted her to find the courage to want to leave/possibly want to report the SA to the authorities? Maybe SS picked up on this and knew he was losing control over her? Speculation and MOO.

 

[oviedo]

I don't think we've heard when the autopsy is scheduled for, but I would imagine it's going to be done today. I looked at the Orange County Medical Examiner's site, and they perform autopsies 7 days a week (they do both Orange and Osceola counties). My guess is that we hear something on Monday, but hopefully it's sooner.

5 days in the Fl heat …. Ugh - am so glad they found her yesterday

 

[photographer4]

Is she shaking her leg back and forth snd it is causing her whole body to shake?

I noticed this too in what little I watched of it. She stopped shaking when a noise happened in the background too then resumed. She was all jittery in that interview, but calm as a cucumber in the next one where Creep was in the background. Was she taking a medication to present that way? You'd absolutely HAVE to restrain me and medicate me if one of my loved ones was missing. I would absolutely not be found at home - you can interview me as I scream my kid's name and meet with LE, or as I look under every brush, into car windows etc. I imagine I'd be a lot of things, but looking well rested and calm aren't on that list. My neice was about 2.5 when I was visiting my brother and he sounded the alarm that he hadn't seen her in all of 8 minutes. He backed onto a ravine. We both went SCREAMING down into the ravine calling for her and running through the woods as my other sibling contacted police and waited for them. We were screaming so loud other neighbors came out to help - in the end, the kid was FINE! Mom arrived home within about 20 mins of our starting the frantic search and it turned out mom had taken her to the grocery store and forgotten to tell anyone. I was awake and on high alert for DAYS after that. I still think of that and how upset we all were, and how even now, no one laughs when we retell that story to her - it scared the actual crap out of us!! So somehow, I do not imagine I'd be calm, cool or collected if this were me. Of course it isn't me, and its easy to say from here how I'd be so different - hopefully I never have to find out exactly how I'd be if I were her.

 

[Notascreenname]

MOO, I can’t help but wonder if Maddie said that she wanted to live in the woods after her 13th birthday because SS told her something along the lines of when you’re 13, I’ll be done with you (or something of the like).

Madeline Soto: Missing Florida girl wanted to 'live in the woods' after her 13th birthday, sheriff says

I wonder if there was a catalyst for him to take this a step further and kill her. If he had been abusing her for a while, why do it now? Did she threaten to tell? Or was there a pregnancy? Did she fight back and he felt like he had no choice?

Why now, days after her 13th birthday?

 

[oviedo]

The very same pressure he probably put on poor MS. If you tell...

That's how it often happens. We think why didn't she tell. He likely made it so she wouldn't tell, couldn't tell. She knew what would happen if she told. IMO she didn't tell because she thought she was protecting her mom. What a horrible, unfair burden for a small child to have to bear.

So insipid.

He'll never be a free man again. Please.

JMO

My guess is she may have told someone …
JMO

 

[Palisades]

He also listed "Smart Built Homes" on his FB, and "Home Clicks Realty" on LinkedIn, which both are owned by his father. So perhaps these are where he was actually working, but maybe not in a traditional "realtor" position that would require him to hold an active license.

Stephan Sterns

Stephan Sterns is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Stephan Sterns and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.

www.facebook.com

Man arrested in Madeline Soto case was not a Disney Cast Member | West Orange Times & Observer

Stephan Sterns is the boyfriend of Madeline’s mother and is the last confirmed person to see her on the morning of Monday, Feb. 26.

www.orangeobserver.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephan-sterns-8b2609236

Perhaps these ‘jobs’ or family companies that were centered around real estate, is the reason why SS has a separate apartment. Elsewhere in this thread property manager was mentioned, and that fits in with on-site building maintenance.

 

[Walela]

What kind of work did SS do after he quit the real estate business?

I'd like to know that also. How did he make his money and how much did he make.....did it have anything to do with selling what was found on his phone?

 

[photographer4]

I’m curious if there will be a toxicology screen and if so, will it be public. I know it takes weeks to produce. It would not surprise me if he drugged her to induce cooperation, either over the years as the abuse took place, or only the day he murdered her.

Drugs would not surprise me in the least here. He may have given her something to make her sleepy and to induce unconciousness (eg: roofies came to mind). I know of another case where one adult adminstered a noxious substance to a minor child that she was "gifting" to her spouse (Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo - Karla gave him her little sister who was about 15 I think at the time). The minor ended up dying as a result (thinks she aspirated on her own vomit)

The Rape of Tammy Homolka - Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka Story

Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo drug and rape Tammy Homolka.

www.crimelibrary.org

I have wondered if something similar happened to Madeline. Was she drugged and aspirated on her own vomit? Have an adverse reaction to a noxious substance? His crime scene was in my opinion, very disorganized (I may not be using this in the correct forensic context, and I am not claiming to be - this is all just how I'm describing my observations of the scene). He "moved her body in the early morning hours" - LE yesterday's presser. We're not told from where, but body implies she was already dead when he moved her. He then seems to go to the dumpster to dispose of her backpack -- at his building for whatever reason. Did he do anything else there?? Run up to his unit? Bring something (a dead Madeline) back to his car somehow without witnesses noticing? When did he place her body in the car and how? She was at some point visible to LE on video, so he did not conceal her terribly well - especially since they believed she was already dead. His whereabouts are not known to us until about 1-2:30pm at which time we're told he was in the area of the place where her remains were eventually found, and possibly changed a tire.

So what happened? Did she die as a result of drugs given her by someone? Did a plan to abuse her go badly and she resisted so confrontation took place and she died as a result? When did SS get involved here? Its possible that he was called by someone AFTER she was already dead to do damage control / scene clean up (eg: did he sell her to someone for their own gross reasons and she died and he got a call to help)?

I hope karma finds this creep. And soon.

 

[photographer4]

One sad point that my mind keeps dwelling on is the 'woods text' on Maddy's phone:

"Investigators determined that Soto had sent text messages or made social media posts indicating she “wanted to go live in the woods” upon her 13th birthday, which was Thursday." (excerpt from this article: Sheriff: Missing girl Madeline Soto said she ‘wanted to live in the woods’)

Thinking about options related to this text:

1) maybe Maddy did write this, SS saw it and was mad that she was 'rebelling' and wanted to get away from him so he prevented that from happening. Perhaps he saw this (turning 13, communicating so directly about wanting to leave) as the beginning of the end and felt he had to act immediately. Could he have coordinated that the party would happen when mom was working?

2) maybe SS wrote this himself and it foreshadowed his plan/or he thought it could give him some wiggle room when he caused her disappearance. Basically planting the idea that she was running away.

3) Maybe SS forced/suggested Maddy post this for same reason as #2.

It could be something entirely different or a coincidence, but it just seems too coincidental that this was on her phone and she truly was murdered so soon (hours) after her 13th birthday party and found near a wooded area.

MOO

Well, when were the texts / posts made? How far in advance?? Enquiring minds want to know how far ahead he may have pre-meditated this because it almost seems like this went down in an unplanned way (MOO).

 

[SMK777]

Drugs would surprise me in the least here. He may have given her something to make her sleepy and to induce unconciousness (eg: roofies came to mind). I know of another case where one adult adminstered a noxious substance to a minor child that she was "gifting" to her spouse (Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo - Karla gave him her little sister who was about 15 I think at the time). The minor ended up dying as a result (thinks she aspirated on her own vomit)

The Rape of Tammy Homolka - Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka Story

Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo drug and rape Tammy Homolka.

www.crimelibrary.org

I have wondered if something similar happened to Madeline. Was she drugged and aspirated on her own vomit? Have an adverse reaction to a noxious substance? His crime scene was in my opinion, very disorganized (I may not be using this in the correct forensic context, and I am not claiming to be - this is all just how I'm describing my observations of the scene). He "moved her body in the early morning hours" - LE yesterday's presser. We're not told from where, but body implies she was already dead when he moved her. He then seems to go to the dumpster to dispose of her backpack -- at his building for whatever reason. Did he do anything else there?? Run up to his unit? Bring something (a dead Madeline) back to his car somehow without witnesses noticing? When did he place her body in the car and how? She was at some point visible to LE on video, so he did not conceal her terribly well - especially since they believed she was already dead. His whereabouts are not known to us until about 1-2:30pm at which time we're told he was in the area of the place where her remains were eventually found, and possibly changed a tire.

So what happened? Did she die as a result of drugs given her by someone? Did a plan to abuse her go badly and she resisted so confrontation took place and she died as a result? When did SS get involved here? Its possible that he was called by someone AFTER she was already dead to do damage control / scene clean up (eg: did he sell her to someone for their own gross reasons and she died and he got a call to help)?

I hope karma finds this creep. And soon.

Yes, these are good questions. The actual death may have been an accident. Which now exposed his pedophilic criminality.

 

[photographer4]

I think if he was parked along the road there was too much traffic for an opportunity to remove her body from the car and get it to the area behind the row of trees and return to the car without being seen. Also, why would he take the time, with a body in his car, to set up a scene that resembled a flat tire situation before he removed her from the car. I don't think he would take the chance when it appears he could have driven through the gate and behind the trees and not been that visible to passing vehicles which is what I think he did. It was when he was entering that something punctured the tire but it could have been punctured where he was parked or when he was exiting. Whenever it happened, real or fake, pre removal or post removal, the car had to have been out of the roadway on somewhat flat ground to have used a bumper jack or an axle jack effectively.
Always moo.

On FB - there was a post by a man who seems to have provided LE with the tip that lead to them finding Maddie's body. If you scroll any of the FIND groups that may still be up on FB and open to the public, you'll probably find the post / link to the post in question. It was an interesting read that made me realize again how easy it can be for a tip to be overlooked or brushed off as nothing when in fact, it is the biggest something!

 

[photographer4]

I wonder if there was a catalyst for him to take this a step further and kill her. If he had been abusing her for a while, why do it now? Did she threaten to tell? Or was there a pregnancy? Did she fight back and he felt like he had no choice?

Why now, days after her 13th birthday?

Did she have a secret diary or something that he found out about wherein she detailed what had been happening? What threats did he make to keep her quiet? Or did he drug her and maybe she herself had no idea what had been happening to her (if it was indeed her, and I believe it was).

 

[SMK777]

Are we allowed to link the arrest affidavit from the Facebook group about searching for her?

 

[Hestia's Fire]

As horrifying as this is for me to write, the 'go live in the woods when I turn 13' thing strikes me as being a potential response to something he may have told her was going to happen when she officially became a teenager. I can't imagine what else he might have threatened her with, considering what he was already doing to her (nor do I really want to imagine), but it seems like such a 'rite of passage' kind of age. I wouldn't be surprised if he had some other sick perversion in mind he was planning for when she was older/more developed and she was panicking about what he had in store for her.

Of course, she was right to be terrified.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

Awww, poor lil snowflake.

"Stephan Sterns was a no-show for his first appearance in Osceola County court. His lawyer didn't want the judge reading out the charges."

Madeline Soto: Stephan Sterns waives first appearance day after teen's body found in Osceola County

Stephan Sterns was a no-show for his first appearance in Osceola County court on Saturday. His lawyer didn't want the judge reading out the charges.

www.fox35orlando.com

 

[shetalksinstereo]

As horrifying as this is for me to write, the 'go live in the woods when I turn 13' thing strikes me as being a potential response to something he may have told her was going to happen when she officially became a teenager. I can't imagine what else he might have threatened her with, considering what he was already doing to her (nor do I really want to imagine), but it seems like such a 'rite of passage' kind of age. I wouldn't be surprised if he had some other sick perversion in mind he was planning for when she was older/more developed and she was panicking about what he had in store for her.

Of course, she was right to be terrified.

I feel like he is the source of her "saying" she wanted to "go live in the woods". That way, when she went missing, it might be more likely to LE/family that she ran away.

 

[Notascreenname]

I feel like he is the source of her "saying" she wanted to "go live in the woods". That way, when she went missing, it might be more likely to LE/family that she ran away.

I can't even begin to imagine how uncomfortable and unsettled she felt at home possibly being told that, as well as everything else. Home should be your safe space where you feel loved and wanted and it sounds like she hasn't had that for at least a very long time. And now this.