OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Prosecutors charged a man they said is associated with the disappearance of 13-year-old Madeline Soto with 60 counts, many including sexual battery on a child, more than a week after her body was found.
Stephan Sterns faces the following, according to the Florida State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Court:
- Eight counts of sexual battery on a child under 12
- Five counts of sexual battery with a child 12-18 (familial/custodial authority)
- Seven counts of lewd or lascivious molestation
- 40 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child 10 or more images
Kissimmee Police said during their investigation into Soto's disappearance, they found several images and videos on Sterns' phone.
“The State Attorney’s Office has been working closely with KPD and received evidence that gave us cause to file formal charges against Sterns," State Attorney Andrew Bain said in a statement. "We appreciate the thoroughness and detailed attention of their investigation and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to build a strong case against the defendant.”
Authorities say Sterns is currently being held on no bond in the Osceola Department of Corrections and is set to be arraigned on the charges.
Soto's body was found Friday, March 1 in a wooded area off Hickory Tree Road in Central Florida. Before discovering her body, law enforcement said they were certain Sterns, who was her mother's boyfriend, had killed the 13-year-old and moved the body.
According to an arrest affidavit, Sterns told investigators he dropped Soto off for school earlier that week.
The sheriff's office said video evidence shows Sterns throwing out items in a dumpster that Monday morning at the apartment complex where he lived with Soto and her mother. Investigators found the girl's backpack and school-issued computer in that same dumpster.
Other surveillance video shows Sterns at the complex in a car with Soto seen inside, although deputies say they believe she was already dead at the time.