HORRIFIC

Madeline Soto’s Cause of Death Revealed Months After Arrest of Mom’s BF

The then-boyfriend of Madeline Soto’s mother is accused of molesting the teen before killing her in February.

Madeline Soto, a 13-year-old girl whose body was found dumped in a secluded woods earlier this year, was strangled to death, according to records obtained by FOX 35 Orlando. Soto was discovered four days after she was reported missing on February 26. The man dating her mother at the time, Stephan Sterns, 37, was arrested on February 28. He was initially charged with sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material. In April, prosecutors filed a charge of premeditated murder in connection with Soto’s death, and now faces a total of 60 counts of sex-related crimes. Prosecutors have accused him of sexually abusing Soto and filming the assaults, which date back to 2022, when she was 11 years old. The teenager’s mother admitted to police the day her daughter’s remains were found that she knew Sterns had been “grooming and abusing my child,” according to a trove of documents released by the Kissimmee Police Department this week. In a previous interview with police, she said she believed he was “guilty,” calling him a “master liar” and “master manipulator.” Sterns has pleaded not guilty to all charges.