Madeline, 13, has been missing since Monday morning when her mom’s boyfriend dropped the teen off near the Peace United Methodist Church, a few blocks from Hunters Creek Middle School in Orlando.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Madeline’s mom goes to pick her up and finds that Madeline never reported to school. Police started canvassing the area, looking for any witnesses or surveillance video. Later that evening, police called in bloodhounds. The dog did an extensive search but did not provide any results about her whereabouts.
The last person to see Madeline Soto before she vanished, was the mom’s boyfriend Steven Stearns. He is now under arrest for sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material. As part of the investigation into the whereabouts of Madeline, Orange County Sheriff’s Office Detectives forensically examined Stephan Stearns’ cell phone and discovered disturbing images.
Looking into the phone’s data, detectives uncovered attempts to delete evidence from the device as well. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is still actively investigating Madeline Soto’s disappearance and 37-year-old Stephan Sterns is now the prime suspect.
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[Feature Photo: Orange County SO]
