Florida man arrested for sexual battery amid search for missing 13-year-old
02/29/2024 4:45 pm PST
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (TCD) -- Deputies arrested a 37-year-old man as law enforcement officers continue to search for a 13-year-old girl who was last seen on Monday.
According to Orange County Sheriff John Mina, Madeline Soto was last seen Monday, Feb. 26, at approximately 8:30 a.m. when her mother’s boyfriend dropped her off near Hunter’s Creek Middle School. Soto’s mother went to pick her up from school that afternoon but learned the 13-year-old never showed up. Soto also left her phone at home that day.
The mother called the sheriff’s office, and deputies began searching for her. Investigators interviewed Soto’s mother, the boyfriend, and some of her other friends, and also gained access to her phone. Mina said there was information on Soto’s phone that showed she reportedly "wanted to go live in the woods" once she turned 13 years old on Feb. 22.
A "major development" in the case occurred Wednesday, Feb. 28, when Kissimmee Police Department officers and Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested the mother’s boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material.
The sheriff’s office said in a statement that detectives "discovered disturbing images when they forensically examined Sterns' phone," which they described as "criminal, and sexual in nature." Data from the phone reportedly "revealed attempts to delete evidence." Orange County investigators reportedly concluded "that those crimes were committed at the family home in Kissimmee," so they contacted local police. Kissimmee Police detectives are leading the investigation regarding the sexual battery charge.
Sterns is reportedly "considered the prime suspect at this time."
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office posted a video of Sterns' perp walk, showing him being escorted to a deputy’s vehicle while wearing a white jumpsuit.
Mina said in the statement, "Stephan Sterns had an opportunity tonight to come clean with detectives and help lead them to information about Maddie’s disappearance. Her loved ones deserve answers and OCSO and the Kissimmee Police will not stop until we find Maddie."
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