Florida authorities are asking authorities to launch an investigation after a photo of a missing teenage girl was mistakenly posted on social media after she was found dead. ing.
Screenshot posted on Instagram. fox orlando It appears to show Madeline Soto’s body in a grassy wooded area.
The state attorney’s office for the 9th Judicial Circuit has asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to open an investigation into the matter, the news organization said.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office told Fox Orlando that an investigative photo was “inadvertently” included in a photo collage intended to highlight Sheriff Marcos Lopez’s attendance at a community event for senior citizens. said.
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Officials said Madeline Soto never went to school on February 26 and was found dead several days later. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
The sheriff’s office said, “A post was made on social media about a community event for seniors. The post mistakenly included an investigative photo. The photo was quickly removed. This caused confusion and confusion. We deeply apologize for causing this.” .
State Attorney Andrew Bain’s office told the outlet that Bain was “deeply disturbed” that the photo was “inadvertently released” but did not believe it would affect the investigation. He said he has not done so.
“While we do not believe these photos will have any evidentiary impact on the case at this time, they have been released in bad taste. Our primary focus is to ensure justice is served for 13-year-old Madeline Soto. “It’s about being able to give,” he said.
FOX News Digital reached out to the Florida Attorney’s Office, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
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Stephen Stearns, 37, has been named the “prime suspect” in the investigation into the disappearance of his girlfriend’s 13-year-old daughter, Madeline Soto. (Orange County Department of Corrections)
Soto, 13, did not attend school on February 26 and her body was found several days after she went missing.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said last week: “If anything, we believe she was already dead at the time and that Stephen Stearns moved her body earlier in the day.”
Soto’s body was discovered on March 1st.
Stearns is the boyfriend of Madeline’s mother, Jen Soto, and is now the main suspect in the case. Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland said he was arrested last week on unrelated sexual assault charges.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office has also been criticized for a second photo posted by Chief Executive Officer Nirva Rodriguez that shows her in front of a handcuffed Stearns. Rodriguez posted the image on his Facebook page with a caption written in Spanish that read, “If God’s love is in your life, then what God has in store for you. Don’t let evil keep you from what it has given you,” the Tampa newspaper reported. Bay Times reported.
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Former Sheriff Russ Gibson, who is running against Mr. Lopez, said he was “shocked and appalled” after receiving both images from concerned citizens.
“This is 100% unacceptable and 100% shameful and disrespectful to Madeline, her family and friends,” Gibson wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday. “I have a copy of the post, but out of respect and respect for Ms. Madeline, the photo will not be published. Marcos López and some members of his administration have committed themselves, our agency, And it’s time to dishonor our great county” to the end! ”
