Girl's murder suspect appears in background of mum's interview in creepy footage
Creepy footage has emerged of the prime suspect linked to the death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto where he lingers in the background of an interview given by Madeline's emotional mother while the teen was still missing. The body of missing 13-year-old Madeline Soto was found in a wooded area near where she went missing. Madeline had been reported missing four days earlier by her mother when she did not attend class.
Police announced on Friday evening at around 6.25pm local time that her body was found by Osceola County deputies in the wooded area along Hickory Tree Road in Florida at approximately 4.30pm local time. Her heartbroken family was notified of the discovery, which came after Orange County Sheriff John Mina announced earlier in the day that the search had turned into a recovery mission, according to local station WFTV.
Madeline was last seen on February 26 after her mother's boyfriend reportedly dropped her off at Peace United Methodist Church on Town Loop Boulevard, just a few blocks away from Hunter's Creek Middle School, which she attended. She was reported missing that afternoon when her mother, Jenn Soto, went to pick her up and discovered that she had never attended class that day. The teen had just turned 13 on February 22, having celebrated the milestone date on Sunday.
READ MORE: Madeline Soto missing: Heartache as officers say girl, 13, found dead in woodland
Stephan Sterns, 37, Jenn's boyfriend, was arrested on unrelated charges of assault and the possession of child abuse material on his phone and was immediately deemed the "prime suspect" in the case, as he was the last person to have seen Soto alive after dropping her off. CCTV footage from the church showed her hanging out in the parking lot at around 8.30am that morning before she disappeared and was not seen or heard from again until her body was discovered.
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View the interview here:
Sterns has not been charged in connection with the girl's murder. Creepy footage has now emerged of Sterns lingering in the background of an emotional interview given by Jenn hours before police confirmed they had found a body. In the interview with Fox 35 Orlando the distraught mother pleads for information about her daughter.
During the interview Sterns does not speak to the camera but instead lingers in the background and leaves the frame several times as well as looking at something out of shot.
Madeline Soto suspect Stephen Sterns appears in background of mum's interview in creepy footage (Fox 35 Orlando)As well as this footage, an earlier interview given by Sterns the day after the teenager was reported missing has resurfaced where he says "We don’t know where she could be, and we’re scared. I just want her home."
He added: 'It just keeps coming in waves, reality keeps hitting. We don’t know where she is, we don’t know if she’s safe. It’s a living nightmare. I just wanna wake up.' Sterns has been arrested for other offences and not charged with the murder.
The body of missing 13-year-old Madeline Soto was found in a wooded area four days after the teenager was reported missing (fox35orlando)Investigators said they discovered 'disturbing images' when they looked through Sterns' phone, along with proof that he attempted to delete evidence of the related material.
After his arrest, Sterns invoked his right to an attorney and declined to speak during his interview. Sterns did not appear at his first court hearing.
Stephan Sterns, 37, was arrested on unrelated charges of assault and the possession of child abuse material on his phone and was immediately deemed the "prime suspect" in the case, as he was the last person to have seen Soto alive after dropping her off. (OrangeCoSheriff)Hickory Tree Road, where the body was found, is located either 20 or 30 miles from the church at which Madeline was allegedly dropped off that fateful morning — depending on whether it was the Hickory Tree Road in St. Cloud or the one in Longwood, which are neighbourhoods located on opposite ends of Orlando. Kissimmee and Hunter's Creek are both located on the southwest side of the city, just outside its limits.
The police believe Madeline may have been killed at the family's Kissimmee residence. But ultimately, they're still looking into the case. No details about injuries or the condition of her body were made available when she was found.
Stephan Sterns is considered the prime suspect after being arrested for different offences (Orange County PD)The authorities believe, according to NBC News, that Sterns, of Florida, killed her in the early morning hours, then propped her dead body up in the car, which was seen on the CCTV footage, before dumping it.
Mina said during a press conference on Friday that the authorities "have evidence that shows Stephan Sterns returning to the complex, and Madeline was visible in that vehicle." He added: "We believe she was already dead at that time." He wouldn't reveal exactly what time that footage was captured.
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Sterns was seen driving his silver 2010 Lincoln MK car with the teenager's lifeless body still in the vehicle after dumping her backpack and laptop in the trash. The area where Soto's body was discovered is where Sterns had been seen driving and seen at the side of the road changing his tire.
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