Florida authorities have made an arrest and named a suspect amid a massive manhunt for a 13-year-old girl who was last seen on Monday.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Madeline “Maddie” Soto was last seen by her mother’s boyfriend, 37-year-old Stephen Stearns, on Monday morning, and as of Wednesday night, he was dead. He is considered the “prime suspect.”
Stearns was arrested Wednesday by Kissimmee police on charges of sexual assault and possession of child sexual abuse material, the sheriff’s office said. He has not been charged with anything in connection with Maddy’s actual disappearance.
During the investigation into Stearns’ disappearance, OCSO said detectives discovered “disturbing images” on Stearns’ cell phone, and after examining the phone’s data, they discovered there had been an attempt to “delete evidence.” announced that it had been found out.
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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)
In announcing Stearns’ arrest, the sheriff’s office said its digital forensics unit found the images and videos stored on Stearns’ cell phone were “criminal and sexual in nature.” He said he could.
The crime was determined to have taken place at his parents’ home in Kissimmee, and local police took control of the sexual assault case against Stearns. Authorities have not said whether Maddie is involved in the photos or videos.
Stearns said in an interview with Kissimmee police and OCSO detectives before he was taken to jail that he was seeking an attorney and is currently being held without bail.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said, “Stephen Stearns had the opportunity tonight to reveal the truth to detectives and help lead to information regarding Maddie’s disappearance.” “Her loved ones deserve answers and OCSO and the Kissimmee Police Department will not stop until they find Maddie.”
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Madelyn “Maddie” Soto, 13, was last seen around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 26, after her mother’s boyfriend dropped her off near her middle school. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
Mina said Maddy was last seen around 8:30 a.m. Monday when Stearns dropped her off at Hunters Creek Middle School a few blocks away near Peace United Methodist Church. . When her mother picked her up around 4:30 p.m., she learned Maddie wasn’t allowed in school that day.
Mina said she also left her cell phone at home on Monday. Authorities searched her cell phone and found that after her 13th birthday on February 22nd, Maddie had told her friends that she wanted to live in the woods.
Mina said it remains unclear why Maddy was not dropped off at school, but suggested she may have been “embarrassed” by the car she was in and asked to be dropped off at church instead.
According to the report, Maddie’s mother, Jen Soto, said surveillance footage showed Maddie in the church parking lot that morning. FOX 35 Orlando.
“I want to hope for the best, but I’m worried about her,” she told the outlet. “I want her to be okay, I want her to be safe… I don’t want her to come back hurt. I just want her back – whatever that means. , I just want her back.”
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Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Maddy turned 13 on February 22 and had told a friend that she wanted to live in the woods after her birthday. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
As of Wednesday night, Mina said a team of more than 100 deputies, detectives, intelligence analysts, specialized personnel and bloodhound dogs were involved in the search for Maddy. The wooded area behind her middle school is one of the search locations.
“The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is concerned for Madeline’s safety and our team is working around the clock on this investigation,” the agency said on Facebook.
Authorities asked members of the media and members of the public not to enter the search area to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. The sheriff’s office said on X (formerly Twitter) that it will make an announcement if additional assistance from the public is needed.
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Maddie was wearing a green sweatshirt, black shorts and white Crocs when she disappeared, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Missing Child Alert. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, is 5 feet and 1 inch tall, and weighs approximately 110 pounds.
“This is every parent’s worst nightmare,” Mina said Wednesday, later adding, “We won’t stop until we find her.”
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at 407-836-4357.
