Found Deceased FL - Madeline Soto, 13, Missing Child Alert, 13500 blk Town Loop Blvd, Orlando, 26 Feb 2024 *arrest* #4

[Cartie]

Depends what time the license plate scanner got his car driving away from the area of the school, and what time the video (if it actually does exist) was captured at the church I guess?

Js says around 9am on the video we're she's bouncing around

 

[photographer4]

Shes not been charge with lying yet either so I don't think that's necessary true. IMO they are getting all their ducks in a row before they bring her in.

It must feel horrible to feel like a sitting duck just waiting for the police to make their next move, whatever that may be.

 

[Gemmie]

A quote from the linked vid which I found vewy, vewy interesting.

“There’s too many factors to come up with any timeline for potential further charges. For example, if evidence points to another person of interest”.

 

[Beekarina]

The Hughes video of the Four Friends giving their take on SS describes him as to say the least weird. They aren't vocally introduced on the video, just a fast typed intro card for each, so here's the timing.
View attachment 489744
Please you choose what you want to accept as truthful. I don't believe everything I hear, and neither should you, but...

It can't be a coincidence that both Ryan and Chase mention incidences where SS was trying to sneak a camera or video to peek on women on the sly, and have a hard copy of it. MOO, that's what I'd call a sneaky pervert. Outrageous really. Ryan's mother in the bathroom!

Chase never saw SS half brother even tho' he lived with SS 6-7 yrs. Was it Josh who was getting divorced and SS was going to try to date his ex. Josh thinking it's better he knows SS to be around his kids, now finding out SS likes young kids. Not to mention the propensity to like filming unsuspecting people.

By now, I've heard an awful lot about SS's childhood, teen yrs., and up to recent times. SS shared with one of his friends what went on in the bedroom between him and JS. Then, that friend has some disturbing speculations, but you have to listen to it yourself. This is all MOO and limited take on what his friends said.
View attachment 489745​

Thank you for slogging through all of these. The guy who knew SS as a kid was a bit easier to listen to, but all of it really was just weird and disturbing even though the information provided by the callers was useful.

I also was troubled by SS desire to share his p--- with other guys and wondered if that was a habit that could be relevant in this case. Maybe that isn't as weird as it seems, I'm not a guy, but it seemed like it definitely bothered Ryan.

 

[photographer4]

Did she say “I love you, Maddie” or “we” even once in her interviews?

9:26 "Maddie if you see this, I love you very much".

 

[photographer4]

Only the city.
Media keeps inferring “died in her Kissimmee home”, but Mina never says that. Only says the town name.

Only the city: Kissimmee.

 

[photoprose1122]

--Mom's attitude & answers in the interviews
--she was open with US & told us about crush
--SS stayed with them in a spare room even when broke up with mom bc he was so close to Maddie
--zero info or charges in over a week implies lots of evidence to line up and/or complicated case

I feel sick at the thought of this but I'm starting to think that Maddie and SS were in a 'relationship' and that Mom knew. Maddie thought it was her first love bc SS spent years giving her attention & abusing her and he manipulated an irresponsible & stupid mother into letting it happen. She was smart enough to know it was illegal and kept it from friends and family to protect HERSELF. There was an 'accident' and she felt she had to cover for SS bc she believed his story and knew she would go to jail for allowing the relationship.
It's gross, it's awful, it's a mom feeding her child to the wolves, and it fits the situation and makes it make sense.

With complete respect - I disagree with this theory, personally. He started abusing her when she was much too young (IMO) to be thinking about any kind of “relationship.” I realize it could have morphed into something like that but with the comment from the friend about her saying her stepdad was mean to her, and her grandma saying she was scared to sleep alone at night, as well as her anxiety and “tendencies” her mother spoke of, doesn’t line up to me with Maddie thinking they were in a relationship. Plus Maddie’s text about wanting to go live in the woods, which to me communicates a desire to get away from her situation.

All my opinion and said respectfully.

 

[Gemmie]

Exactly how were JS and SS going to explain that Maddie was suddenly gone to THEM?? So no matter what happened, as soon as Maddie was dead, they were going to have to either own up to whatever caused it (be it she suicided, accidental overdose, an accidental death during a conflict, a deliberate death via choking).

Shortened for focus.

Reading your post made me consider that JS might have walked in on "something" going on, or saw evidence of it on SS's phone (snooping for something else), or Maddie finally told her "secret" and mom freaked out and killed Maddie (sometimes the victim gets blamed. Sad but true).

It would have had to be with a gun for that to have happened if SS was there as he is tall and stronger than JS. Or, SS might not have even been there because as we've all seen many times now from the arrest warrant... it's been said he was asked to pick her up and drop her off at school. You don't pick someone up if you are already there.

With all that said... IF it's true that SS isn't the one who killed Maddie (they have him on SA charges from evi from his phone, not for murder (to the best of my knowledge. I'm behind again. lol)), it could make a whole lot of sense out of some things.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

I've wondered the same thing. But when the remains were found, wouldn't entirely different clothing be mentioned?

I did think I read she had jeans on when found, not black shorts.

 

[MassGuy]

The longer we have silence from LE the more I’m believing there is more to this than the murder of a little girl…
Jmo

There's a few different things going on as they're looking at SS for murder, any crimes committed by JS, and further evidence of sex crimes. There's going to be a ton of digital evidence to pore over, subpoenas on lots of different companies (Google, Facebook, phone, etc), and things like surveillance footage and witness statements. There's obviously no rush to charge him, and there's really no reason to rush charging her either, as it's not like she's a danger to the public or anything.

If we don't see any further charges this week, I'm just hope we get some more details as to how this all went down.

 

[Ladyotm]

I really would not call the place where Madeline was left woods. I do believe that is not where he intended to leave her,but was forced to through having a puncture.

I originally thought he may have gotten the puncture leaving the scene. But like you, I believe it had to become the spot where he left her body because that area is where the tire was punctured. IMO, he had all intentions of leaving her body somewhere it would not be easily found. Thank goodness for whatever caused the flat!

 

[Gemmie]

Welcome. If you are on a laptop you can search using the search feature at the top right of the forum page. select "this thread" and type a keyword(s) to find posts about specific topics within this thread. If you are looking for posts made by a specific member in this thread you may search that way as well. good luck.

If using a phone and a tapatalk type feature I am not sure how as I don't use that app but I believe you can also search if using the app.

I don't believe that the info OP was searching for is in this thread as it's rather new. Wish there was a better way to do this but what will have to be done (after searching "this thread" in the event I'm wrong and it is here), is to do that to each and every thread (we're on #4 now) and perform the search you're looking for.

Good luck.

 

[Ladyotm]

She also didn't go out and walk the trails that we know of to look for her daughter - or we just are not aware if she did. It was interesting to me that she was sure they weren't going to find anything, and she was waiting at home for her to come home but almost resigned to the fact that she was dead, she wanted her to come home, whatever that looked like I believe is roughly how she worded that. MOO because I do not have the link handy.

Did anyone else wonder why when she gave her media interviews, no one aside SS stood beside her?We only saw her with SS. Not with the sister, not with her mother. Not with any friends or other family members. I wonder if anyone sat with her at the service for her daughter last week? I wonder if she even went.

All MOO, Family may have been out searching for her while mom was at home. Perhaps family openly demanded answers and accused SS as he was the last to see her. Perhaps JS was reluctant to go along with the families accusations and demands, which caused conflict. IMO, the family likely supported her during the service because of their shared grief and relationship. I also don't believe the reports of inconsistencies were out before Maddie's service.

 

[Wishbone]

I do think its really interesting that they have a "grainy video" they weren't sure was Madeline in the video or not - last we heard at the press conference -- but in that same conference, LE says they believe she was already dead at 8:19am.

ETA: 1:45ish mark he says they believe she was already dead at 8:19am (paraphrased).

Someone in the crowd asks if they have video of the body and he says: "we're not going to go into those exact details but we have video evidence that leads us to believe she was already dead."

Someone asks if they believe she left on her own and he asserts that: "we believe he moved her body in the early morning hours..."

He says its "our belief she was killed in Kissimmee..."

"It has transitioned to a homicide investigation..." (so it can't have been a suicide).

7:32 of the video "we reviewed that footage it was very grainy, we were not able to determine that was her, but like I said, we know that she was never dropped off at school that morning...".

ETA 2: I don't think the grainy video in the church parking lot was ruse by LE. I think possibly it is a coincidence or a ruse by SS and JS.

7:32 of the video "we reviewed that footage it was very grainy, we were not able to determine that was her, but like I said, we know that she was never dropped off at school that morning...".
ETA 2: I don't think the grainy video in the church parking lot was ruse by LE. I think possibly it is a coincidence or a ruse by SS and JS.


The drive to the school was most likely an attempt at an alibi since LE has stated MS died well before that time. I find it hard to believe SS was driving around with a dead MS but stranger things have happened. Could there have been 3 people in that car with only 2 sitting upright. And is it possible, to make the excursion more believable, the upright passenger figure got dropped off near the church and the hidden form was then propped up to take the place of the one left behind? Pure speculation but if MS was killed much earlier then her body could have been placed in the car during the dark of night. Trying to make sense of the senseless but something like this scenario would explain why JS kept referring to “we” did this and “we” did that. JMOO

 

[Skigh]

There's a few different things going on as they're looking at SS for murder, any crimes committed by JS, and further evidence of sex crimes. There's going to be a ton of digital evidence to pore over, subpoenas on lots of different companies (Google, Facebook, phone, etc), and things like surveillance footage and witness statements. There's obviously no rush to charge him, and there's really no reason to rush charging her either, as it's not like she's a danger to the public or anything.

If we don't see any further charges this week, I'm just hope we get some more details as to how this all went down.

If she is not being co-operative, could they arrest and charge her for something such as making a false statement in order to perhaps keep her in custody whilst further investigations are carried out.

 

[Mack the Knife]

I went back to try and assemble a timeline with all the different time-linked things we've heard so far.
Does anyone see anything I'm missing? I'd like to add it to the media thread and I'd be annoyed at myself if I missed anything.

Time	Source	What they said
2/25/2024	JS interview 2/26/2024 - Fox35 (5:43)	MS had a 13th birthday party with JS's whole family
2/25/2024 - evening	JS interview 2/26/2024 - Fox35 (6:09)	MS got home from party and went straight to bed. At no point did she have her phone or laptop. JS says she didn't see MS having conversations or making plans with anyone.
2/26/2024	Kissimee PD - Affidavit for arrest warrant for SS	SS says he accidentally performed a factory reset this day
2/26/2024 - early morning hours	Orange County Sheriff John Mina - 3/1/2024 press conference (3:04)	LE believes MS was dead and SS moved her body
2/26/2024 7:35	Orange County Sheriff John Mina - 3/1/2024 press conference (3:04)	Video evidence shows SS discarding items in a dumpster at their apartment complex. MS's backpack and school-issued laptop were later recovered from the dumpster.
2/26/2024 8:00	Orange County Sheriff's Office - incident report, shared by WFTV	JS says she "observed" MS getting ready for school
2/26/2024 8:10	Kissimee PD - Affidavit for arrest warrant for SS	A license plate reader captured SS's vehicle driving away from Hunters Creek Middle School
2/26/2024 8:19	Orange County Sheriff John Mina - 3/1/2024 press conference (3:04)	Unspecified evidence shows SS returning to the apartment complex with MS visible in his vehicle. LE believes she was already dead at this time. A later comment says video evidence leads them to believe she was already dead. Some media is reporting that her body was "propped up" in the vehicle, but I have not seen any media claiming to have a source for this, and the Sheriff does not say it in this press conference.
2/26/2024 8:25	Orange County Sheriff's Office - incident report, shared by WFTV	Between 8:25 and 8:40, SS says he dropped MS off about one block from her school. He says he watched her leave his vehicle and walk toward the school.
2/26/2024 8:30	Orange County Sheriff John Mina - 2/28/2024 press conference (4:00)	SS dropped MS off in front of Peace United Methodist church
2/26/2024 8:30	Orange County Sheriff's Office - incident report, shared by WFTV	JS says SS took MS to school and dropped her off at the intersection of Town Loop Bivd and Hunter's Park Lane
2/26/2024 8:40	Kissimee PD - Affidavit for arrest warrant for SS	SS says he dropped MS in front of Peace United Methodist church
2/26/2024 - morning	Orange County Sheriff John Mina - 2/28/2024 press conference (10:33)	Grainy surveillance footage shows a person in front of Peace United Methodist Church that could not be confirmed or refuted as MS
2/26/2024 8:40	Orange County Sheriff's Office - incident report, shared by WFTV	SS says after dropping MS off, he went to a nearby vape shop which was closed, then home
2/26/2024 9:00	JS interview 2/26/2024 - Fox35 (0:41)	JS says this is when MS "got up". It is not clear exactly what this means, but this directly follows JS mentioning surveillance footage showing MS walking from Peace United Methodist Church toward the school
2/26/2024 9:30	Kissimee PD - Affidavit for arrest warrant for SS	Hunters Creek Middle School class begins
2/26/2024 10:00	Orange County Sheriff's Office - incident report, shared by WFTV	SS says he stayed for about an hour after getting home, then went out to run errands
2/26/2024 13:00	PD Chief Holland - 3/1/2024 press conference (5:48)	Between 13:00 and 14:30, SS was seen driving his siver Lincoln MKZ with a flat tire near Old Hickory Tree Road
2/26/2024 14:30	Orange County Sheriff's Office - incident report, shared by WFTV	SS says he returned from running errands and did not leave the house after
2/26/2024 16:00	Orange County Sheriff's Office - incident report, shared by WFTV	JS says she attempted to pick MS up from school and learned that MS did not make it to school, so she then went to look for her at MS's grandmother's office at [redacted] Village Park Drive
2/26/2024 16:04	Hunters Creek Middle School	Hunters Creek Middle School final bell
2/26/2024 - school pick up time	JS interview 2/26/2024 - Fox35 (1:11)	JS did not see MS at school, so she drove toward MS's grandmother's office in case she had walked there, and did not see her so drove back to the school. The school was then closed so she reached out to MS's friends and teacher and confirmed they hadn't heard from her, at which point she called 911.
2/26/2024 16:43	Orange County Sheriff's Office - incident report, shared by WFTV	"Reported Time" of missing person
2/26/2024 19:48	Orange County Sheriff's Office - incident report, shared by WFTV	Sheriff's Deputies arrived at [redacted] Village Park Drive, Orlando, Orange County, Florida (note: this is not the address of Hunters Creek Middle School, but is proximal)
2/26/2024 20:00	Kissimee PD - Affidavit for arrest warrant for SS	MS was reported missing by JS
2/26/2024 20:00	Orange County Sheriff John Mina - 2/28/2024 press conference (5:01)	OC patrol deputies arrived at Hunters Creek Middle School to take JS's report
2/28/2024 15:33	Orange County Sheriff's Office - Sheriff FB	Press conference is held
2/28/2024 - evening	Orange County Sheriff's Office - Sheriff FB	SS is arrested for sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material and named as the prime suspect in MS's disappearance
2/29/2024 - night	Orange County Sheriff John Mina - 3/1/2024 press conference (3:04)	Detectives from Kissimmee PD informs JS that they are "confident" MS is dead
3/1/2024 13:00	Orange County Sheriff's Office and Kissimmee Police Department - Sheriff FB	Press conference is held, including the announcement that Kissimmee PD is taking over the investigation
3/1/2024 13:05	Orange County Sheriff John Mina - 3/1/2024 press conference (8:16)	Says "to my knowledge she's not a suspect in this case right now." He later says JS had "the reaction any parent would have".
3/1/2024 16:30	Orange County Sheriff's Office - per Fox35 Orlando	The body of MS was discovered off Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County, wearing clothing similar to what maddie was last wearing.
3/6/2024 9:19	Kissimmee Police Department - PD FB	Reports no new information can be released

 

[Leilei]

There's a few different things going on as they're looking at SS for murder, any crimes committed by JS, and further evidence of sex crimes. There's going to be a ton of digital evidence to pore over, subpoenas on lots of different companies (Google, Facebook, phone, etc), and things like surveillance footage and witness statements. There's obviously no rush to charge him, and there's really no reason to rush charging her either, as it's not like she's a danger to the public or anything.

If we don't see any further charges this week, I'm just hope we get some more details as to how this all went down.

I wonder if they've brought in other agencies to help and are just keeping it all under wraps?

 

[Gemmie]

Question: weren’t we told that Madeline died in the house or was just the city mentioned? I’m getting confused!

Shortened for focus.

I just so happen to have taken a note from one of Mina's pressers!

Q: Is it your belief she was killed at the house?

A: It’s our belief that she was killed in Kissimmee (where “the family lives” according to Mina).

 

[Gemmie]

This just aired - Gray says he has a source on social media who helps out sometimes and this person took the phone number for SS off a document and using some tools that he has, found that SS's account accessed an online social media site that is used by predators for sharing information etc at 4:50am on Monday Feb 25, about 2.5 hours before SS chucked the backpack and pc in the dumpster.

Hope I'm not coming across nitpicky because I'm really curious if it was hours before, or the day before (Monday was the 26th, Sunday was the 25th).

So... was it Monday Feb 26th... or was it Sunday Feb 25th?

TIA!

 

[ttjo]

I don’t think so. That was the coldest interview I’ve ever seen in a case like this. I thought medication was a possibility, but with her apparent attempts to cover for this guy, it makes sense considering her level of involvement.

At least he tried to act concerned, although that performance was hilariously transparent.

Thats the thing, at first I'll consider she may have been medicated, slept, covered up?? Granted we have no updates, but it seems that it's going on too long now, most people would have broken by now.