Madeline Soto dead: Body of minor, reported missing four days ago, found on Hickory Tree Road

Orange CountyA very difficult day for the family of Florida Madeline Soto. Hours after the Orange County Sheriff reported there were elements to suspect the 13-year-old girl was dead, The discovery of the body of the teenager was confirmed.

Through its X account, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office reported that “on Friday at approximately 4:30 p.m., in Hickory Tree RoadOsceola County Sheriff’s Office search teams They found the body of Madeline Soto In a forested area.”

In the release, the authority added that Madeline’s family has already been informed.

“We have no additional information to release at this time. Kissimmee police are the lead agency in the homicide investigation”, and concluded that the investigation is ongoing.

Earlier Friday, the Orange County Sheriff, John MinaReported that the evidence was found at the time he was allowed to confirm it Madeline Soto had already died.

In the surveillance video, Meena reported, Stephen Stearns –Madeline’s mother’s boyfriend was arrested on Wednesday– Disposing of various items in the trash The child was last seen alive on February 26 around 7:35 a.m. at the apartment complex where the family lives in Kissimmee.

in that place, Investigators later found Madeline Soto’s backpack.

About an hour later, the camera They captured Stearns’ vehicle returning to the complex; It was possible inside the car See Madeline. “We believe she was already dead.”.

It was around That same day at 1 p.m. when Stearns experienced some problems with his vehicle, like a flat tire; It is unknown if Madeline’s body was in the car at the time. For this reason, authorities are asking the community for information if anyone finds anything useful in the investigation.

The sheriff clarified that now The investigation is for homicideOnce detectives determined that the suspect may have killed Madeline Soto on or before Monday morning, and never dropped her off at the school as he initially said.

Meena added that so far, Jane Soto, the girl’s mother, is not considered a suspect In this research.

Stearns was the last person to confirm seeing the girl; He was arrested on Wednesday For unrelated charges And then he was admitted Orange County Jail Without right of bail. However, he was transferred this Friday Osceola.

As a result of those charges “Disturbing” findings on Stephen Stearns’ mobile phone. He is accused Sexual assault and possession of child sexual abuse material.

That one Assault against another minorWhich apparently took place in the same house in which the family lived, despite the fact that there is no information about another minor living with them.

In his affidavit, the detainee He claimed he “accidentally” did a factory reset on his phone

On a certain day, Madeline disappeared. However, researchers They were able to recover photographs and videos from the device.

Jane Soto’s boyfriend Stephen Stearns is 37 years old. He said this on Monday He dropped off Madeline in the parking lot of Peace United Methodist Church, a short walk from the school. of the girl, but when her mother went to pick her up, she found out The minor did not attend.

The girl, her mother revealed, left her mobile phone at home that day, but maintained that it was normal for this to happen to him.

Stearns is from North Port, Florida, about two hours from Kissimmee, where he still has acquaintances.

Meanwhile, although Maddie’s birthday was on February 22, it wasn’t celebrated until the 25th – the day before she went missing.

” She was so happy, she showed us all her gifts. She’s just a happy girl and she showed it on Sunday. When he went to bed, he was very happy,” he said in a statement Fox Orlando Jane Soto.

Madeline Soto is “in danger.”, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement indicated. This means that There was fear for his physical safety.

Maddie was a student at Hunters Creek High School on Town Loop Boulevard in Orlando.

Upon searching his phone, the detectives found it Madeleine wrote to her friends after her birthday that she wanted to “live in the woods”., so even the wooded area behind her school was searched for her without result. Now it is not known whether she was the one who actually wrote it.

They participated in the search Over 100 agents, assisted by bloodhounds. Authorities from Orange, Osceola, Kissimmee and Sarasota.

Since it was suggested that the minor is inanimate, the The Kissimmee Police Department is primarily responsible for the investigation for murder.