Madeline Soto, the Florida teen who was reported missing earlier this week, was found dead Friday, authorities said.
Police said the 13-year-old’s body was found in a wooded area in Osceola County around 4:30 p.m., wearing the same clothing he was wearing before his disappearance.
Madeline’s mother’s boyfriend, Stephen Stearns, 37, has been named as the “principal suspect” in the case. He was the last person to see her alive after she failed to show up at her school on Monday, the day she was first reported missing.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina told reporters Friday that Madeline was likely already dead before Stearns hid her body that morning. Reported by ClickOrlando.
“We believe that she was already dead at that time and that Stephen Stearns had moved her body earlier in the day,” Mina said. “Video evidence shows Stephen Stearns dumping items into a dumpster at a Kissimmee apartment complex at 7:35 a.m.”
Police said Stearns was seen on video driving a silver 2010 Lincoln MK, dumping things in a trash can, and then returning to the apartment complex, leaving Madeline’s body in the car. As she previously told police, he never dropped her off at her school.
Detectives found Madeline’s backpack and school-issued laptop in a trash can Friday morning, Mina said.
Stearns was arrested Wednesday on unrelated charges of sexual assault and possession of child sexual abuse material, stemming from a search of his cell phone that turned up “disturbing” images and videos.
According to ClickOrlando, the man initially told police that he “accidentally” reset his phone to factory settings on the day she was reported missing.
Police said Stearns told detectives that he dropped Madeline off at 8:40 a.m. in front of her preschool, which is a few blocks from her middle school, where classes begin at 9:30 a.m. .
According to the sheriff’s office, Madeline’s mother picked up her daughter from school around 4:30 p.m. and was told that Madeline had not been to school that day.
Stearns has not been charged in connection with Madeline’s death.
