05 March 2024 , 17:53
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Police have come under fire after accidentally sharing a disturbing image of murdered Madeline Soto's body on Instagram.
Sheriff Marcos Lopez, from Osceola County in Florida, reportedly posted a photo of the missing 13-year-old's body on Saturday which showed a close-up view of the crime scene.
His account shared a number of photos on Instagram with the body appearing on the third image. The caption of the post said: “Great day with our seniors. #florida #senior @sheriffmarcoslopez,” along with a halo smiley face emoji.
Soto, who was reported missing last Monday, was found dead after a week-long search. A Osceola County spokesperson said the photo was never intended to be included in the social media post and later issued an apology for what he claimed was a horrifying accident.
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Stephan Sterns has been identified as the prime suspect in her murder (OrangeCoSheriff)“Earlier today a post was made on social media about a community event for seniors," the statement said. “In the post, an investigative photo was accidentally included. The photo was immediately removed. We deeply apologise for any confusion or disturbance this may have caused."
The picture was shared the same morning that civilian sheriff’s office employee Nirva Rodriguez shared a selfie with the prime suspect in the case - Stephan Sterns.
A caption with the selfie read: “If God’s love has been poured out over your life, don’t allow evil to keep you away from what He has prepared for you."
She was last seen with Sterns (fox35orlando)Rodriguez's post was later deleted. A spokesperson for the department refused to comment on an ongoing investigation, WKMG reported.
State attorney Andrew Bain said in a statement that although it was an accident, it was done in “poor taste.” It read: “I am deeply disturbed that (the photos) were carelessly made public. While I do not believe these photos will have any evidentiary impact on the case as of now. They were released in poor taste.”
Police announced on Friday evening at around 6.25pm local time that Madeline's body was found by Osceola County deputies in the wooded area along Hickory Tree Road 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 . Further information about the discovery was not immediately available.
Sterns being led away by police (Orange County PD)Soto vanished on Monday, 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. Sterns, 37, the boyfriend of Madeline's mum, 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.