The mysterious disappearance of Florida girl Madeleine Soto and the dark past of her mother’s boyfriend

Madeline Soto, 13, was dropped off at a church a few blocks from her school on Monday, February 26, and has never been seen or heard from since.

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As the missing girl’s case continues to develop and authorities search for clues about her whereabouts and what exactly happened to her, many questions remain unanswered about the entire situation.

Soto just turned 13 on February 22 and celebrated the big day on Sunday. The next day, her mother Jane Soto’s boyfriend, Stephen Stearns, 37, dropped her off at Peace United Methodist Church on Town Loop Boulevard, a short walk from Hunter’s Creek High School, which she attends.

Jane noticed her daughter missing when she went to pick her up from school around 4:30 that day and was told that her daughter had not been in class all day. Understandably, she panicked, reported her daughter missing and launched an extensive search for the teenager that has now lasted nearly 72 hours.

Stearns was arrested in connection with the disappearance as the “prime suspect”, as he was the last person to see her before she disappeared. Police also found “disturbing” images on her phone that allegedly showed her being sexually assaulted at the family’s residence in Kissimmee.

Here are four of the most pressing unanswered questions about Madeline Soto’s disappearance as the search grows increasingly desperate.

What happened to Madeline after she was dumped?

Perhaps the biggest question on everyone’s mind is what happened to Madeline after she was dropped off at a church near her school.

Reports indicate Stearns dropped Madeline off around 8:30 a.m., and CCTV footage obtained from the church shows her hanging out in the parking lot for a while. But after that and before school started she disappeared.

Did Stearns come back for him and take him away? Or was she left alone, as some text messages on her phone by police suggest?

Why did they drop Madeline off at church and not at school?

Police are investigating how Stearns abandoned Madeline, and Orange County Sheriff John Mina told reporters during a news conference that he and his team are working to determine why Stearns may have abandoned the girl. Age 13 goes to church instead of just going to school.

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