Found Deceased FL - Madeline Soto, 13, Missing Child Alert, 13500 blk Town Loop Blvd, Orlando, 26 Feb 2024 *arrest* #8

[KooshBall]

SS says " So we woke up early, the plan was we were going to go get McDonald's breakfast on the way so we made amazingly good time.

Now that we know they slept together, the "we" in "we woke up early", makes me gag.

Also, the night of her party, MS seemed to be able to go to bed on her own, without a bedmate, according to the story that JS and SS told.

 

[Sjöberg]

The order of things in the morning is still kind of odd, even if I have seen some good reasons suggested. Do I have it right? Info from this link.
SS arrived on Sunday night? No idea of any timestamps at all after the party?
And then in the morning:
1. SS dumps M's personal items at 7:35
2. At an unknown timepoint SS leaves the house, either with or without M (and in an unknown condition)
3. SS returns to the house with M and it is said that "We believe she was already dead at that time"
4. Drives away from the house with M again (SS was also claiming he dropped her off at around 8:40)
And a factory reset of phone on Monday Feb 26, but afaik no time given.

 

[Gemmie]

Then LE asks about him not having his phone that day "Yeah, I was so busy riding herd ? to get us out the door on time, that I left my phone at home, and she left her phone at home...”
Riding herd to get us out the door on time? on time for what? McDonalds?

What I heard...

SS – I left my phone at home in the morning too, I was so busy riding her to <unintelligible> to get us out the door on time that I left my phone. She left her phone. We both left our phones.

The above cued up here:

notable:
She came home from the party showed them her gifts and went to bed and “that was it”. but this day he now remembers that she sang for him last night and he immediately wanted to show her the movie sister act. So irritating that he adds this extra info like it's important.

I thought this was worth another mention.

From The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker:

TOO MANY DETAILS – When people are telling the truth they don’t feel they need to elaborate on their story with ‘too many details’.

Talks about this “ phase she's going through” about being seen in certain cars? What phase? He has been gone for 2 months. Jenn’s been taking her. what phase??? Please.

And uh, she wanted to be dropped off a little down the ways from the school. She’s got this phase that she’s been into lately where she’s very particular about what car she’s seen getting out of in front of the school. Uhm, she prefers her mom’s car but my car is kinda hoopties. I get it. It’s an image thing, but uhm, that was, sometime probably between 8:20-8:40ish. Somewhere in there, it was along this stretch of the road that uhm, on the right side it has all the communities on it. Before you get to the overpass, you can see the overpass from where it was.

Cued up:

 

[Gemmie]

The order of things in the morning is still kind of odd, even if I have seen some good reasons suggested. Do I have it right? Info from this link.
SS arrived on Sunday night? No idea of any timestamps at all after the party?

According to his 2/27 LE interview he arrived around 8:00 or 8:30pm Sunday evening, 2/25/24.

LE – Like, cuz you live down south, right? When did you come back up north to help her?

SS – Uhm, I just got here this weekend.

LE – Do you remember what day it was?

SS – Uhhhhhh… SSSSSSSunday? <Then sounding MUCH more confident about his answer> Sunday was her birthday party so yeah, it was, it was the evening after her birthday party. Sunday.

LE – OK. Do you remember what time you got here on Sunday?

SS – Mmmm…. 8:00? 8:30ish?, maybe?

Cued up:

4. Drives away from the house with M again (SS was also claiming he dropped her off at around 8:40)

SS said he dropped her off between 8:20 & 8:40.

LE – Do you remember what time you dropped her off?

SS – Uh, I estimated it to be sometime between 8:20, 8:40 (Gemmie’s note – No pause and said louder than statements just before. Like, confidentially and well rehearsed. It was just said in a different voice than I’ve been listening to)

Cued up:

And a factory reset of phone on Monday Feb 26, but afaik no time given.

I don't have an exact time but this is what SS told LE. Note that since this interview was 2/27, "yesterday morning" would have been the morning she went missing. Also, I believe "she" in the last sentence was JS because it was while he was "hanging out" (the morning of 2/26).

LE –OK. And then I also noticed… I was checking your call history. I noticed that you don’t have anything before this morning. Is that usual on your phone?

42:00 SS – Uh… No. It’s-it’s a new phone I erm stupid, I went to do an update yesterday morning, uhm, and I don’t know what the F (spelled out), pardon me, uhm, I don’t know what the heck I did but somehow during the massive OS update I managed to factory reset my phone and lose all of my contacts, all my information.

LE – Mm hm. What time was that? Do you remember?

SS – Oh, sometime (short pause) while I was hanging out I looked at her and said what did I just do?

Cued up:

 

[ttjo]

What I heard...

SS – I left my phone at home in the morning too, I was so busy riding her to <unintelligible> to get us out the door on time that I left my phone. She left her phone. We both left our phones.

I thought it was unintelligible also, so I listened to the cleaned-up version GHI did and the close caption said it was herd" so I went with that but yikes..."I don't want to think about what else it sounds like. you could be right... I thought it might be some slang I've never heard of.

Was there really a massive update on the 26th? did he have an iphone or a samsung? (He said OS update) I checked and the closest iphone update around that date was 1 or 2 weeks before, but isnt iphone IOS?, maybe he just said it wrong ( maybe someone who knows better can confirm) I doubt someone who spent most of his time online, would wait 2 weeks to do an update.

 

[Gemmie]

I thought it was unintelligible also, so I listened to the cleaned-up version GHI did and the close caption said it was herd" so I went with that but yikes..."I don't want to think about what else it sounds like. you could be right...
Was there really a massive IOS update on the 26th? I checked and the closest one around that date was 1 or 2 weeks before, ( maybe someone who knows better can confirm) I doubt someone who spent most of his time online, would wait 2 weeks to do an update.

Yeah, I don't have a lot of faith in close captions. I've seen some really bad captions that are pretty laughable.

I should listen to the cleaned up version to see if I can hear something more clearly. Do you have a timestamp for when that's said?

 

[ttjo]

The order of things in the morning is still kind of odd, even if I have seen some good reasons suggested. Do I have it right? Info from this link.
SS arrived on Sunday night? No idea of any timestamps at all after the party?
And then in the morning:
1. SS dumps M's personal items at 7:35
2. At an unknown timepoint SS leaves the house, either with or without M (and in an unknown condition)
3. SS returns to the house with M and it is said that "We believe she was already dead at that time"
4. Drives away from the house with M again (SS was also claiming he dropped her off at around 8:40)
And a factory reset of phone on Monday Feb 26, but afaik no time given.

very close.
he is seen on the complex surveillance at the garbage cans at 7:35 and (Shannon Butler court TV interview ) said. " LE said M was partially visible in the front seat of the car at that time".
8:10 he is caught on a plate reader driving away from the school. says he was going back to the complex for the clicker,
8:19 arrives back at the complex and says he used his parking sticker to get back in. That " they scanned his parking sticker" he was driving his dad's car, it had a sticker?
Not a pass you might pull out of your wallet, a sticker.
How did the guard not see M in the front seat if LE said she was visible?

This is my understanding, feel free to correct it if it's off.

 

[ttjo]

Yeah, I don't have a lot of faith in close captions. I've seen some really bad captions that are pretty laughable.

I should listen to the cleaned up version to see if I can hear something more clearly. Do you have a timestamp for when that's said?

41:23

 

[Megnut]

very close.
he is seen on the complex surveillance at the garbage cans at 7:35 and (Shannon Butler court TV interview ) said. " LE said M was partially visible in the front seat of the car at that time".
8:10 he is caught on a plate reader driving away from the school. says he was going back to the complex for the clicker,
8:19 arrives back at the complex and says he used his parking sticker to get back in. That " they scanned his parking sticker" he was driving his dad's car, it had a sticker?
How did the guard not see M in the front seat if LE said she was visible?

This is my understanding, feel free to correct it if it's off.

I was thinking, on his return trip, Maddie was more visible, but now I'm wondering if that's when "he moved her at some point", no longer visible in the car. Possibly he relocated her. To the truck or a temporary storage location. Whatever he went back for must have been really important.

JMO

 

[Sheila Terranova]

Not saying anything you guys don't already know, but I just listened to SS police interview again. Shocking how ridiculous it sounds now that we have more information. but the lies...
SS says " So we woke up early, the plan was we were going to go get McDonald's breakfast on the way so we made amazingly good time.
“amazingly?? ” school didn't start for another 2 hours.
Amazingly, profusely …
After making amazingly good time he asks if she's okay to be dropped off 1.5 hours early.
When questioned again about why his car is seen at 810 he says he made a u-turn because he forgot something ( clicker) even tho, "we were nearly at the school. we turned around and had lots of time ...
Then LE asks about him not having his phone that day "Yeah, I was so busy riding herd ? to get us out the door on time, that I left my phone at home, and she left her phone at home...”
Riding herd to get us out the door on time? on time for what? McDonalds?
notable:
She came home from the party showed them her gifts and went to bed and “that was it”. but this day he now remembers that she sang for him last night and he immediately wanted to show her the movie sister act. So irritating that he adds this extra info like it's important.
Talks about this “ phase she's going through” about being seen in certain cars? What phase? He has been gone for 2 months. Jenn’s been taking her. what phase??? Please.
he also says Jenn and Maddi had a good relationship for the most part, but he's the one she goes to for comfort if they have a disagreement. another red flag, not just because of the comfort, but he's triangulating.
He makes me so sick, this is when you wish you were a baseball bat on the wall, forget the fly.

Exactly! And he calls her “baby girl.” As her mother’s boyfriend who sleeps in bed with her because he says she likes to cuddle and needs human contact and calls her baby girl” I bet the police were on to him immediately.

 

[grannygates]

very close.
he is seen on the complex surveillance at the garbage cans at 7:35 and (Shannon Butler court TV interview ) said. " LE said M was partially visible in the front seat of the car at that time".
8:10 he is caught on a plate reader driving away from the school. says he was going back to the complex for the clicker,
8:19 arrives back at the complex and says he used his parking sticker to get back in. That " they scanned his parking sticker" he was driving his dad's car, it had a sticker?
How did the guard not see M in the front seat if LE said she was visible?

This is my understanding, feel free to correct it if it's off.

There is a third interview listed in the discovery with someone with the name starts with “C”. So perhaps that’s the guard?

Also it doesn’t make any sense that you forget your gate clicker so you drive all the way back from the school and drive through the guard house to get the clicker so that you don’t have to drive through the guard house later. That’s such a bad story.

 

[Gemmie]

8:19 arrives back at the complex and says he used his parking sticker to get back in. That " they scanned his parking sticker" he was driving his dad's car, it had a sticker?
How did the guard not see M in the front seat if LE said she was visible?

Recently we've heard that he was seen moving her from the car to somewhere else. That somewhere else might not be someplace other than his car which I had wondered about, but it could simply be from the front seat to the trunk, so that she wasn't seen when he "had to" *eyeroll* return for his clicker.

 

[Forest_Wood]

According to his 2/27 LE interview he arrived around 8:00 or 8:30pm Sunday evening, 2/25/24.

LE – Like, cuz you live down south, right? When did you come back up north to help her?

SS – Uhm, I just got here this weekend.

LE – Do you remember what day it was?

SS – Uhhhhhh… SSSSSSSunday? <Then sounding MUCH more confident about his answer> Sunday was her birthday party so yeah, it was, it was the evening after her birthday party. Sunday.

LE – OK. Do you remember what time you got here on Sunday?

SS – Mmmm…. 8:00? 8:30ish?, maybe?

Cued up:

SS said he dropped her off between 8:20 & 8:40.

LE – Do you remember what time you dropped her off?

SS – Uh, I estimated it to be sometime between 8:20, 8:40 (Gemmie’s note – No pause and said louder than statements just before. Like, confidentially and well rehearsed. It was just said in a different voice than I’ve been listening to)

Cued up:

I don't have an exact time but this is what SS told LE. Note that since this interview was 2/27, "yesterday morning" would have been the morning she went missing. Also, I believe "she" in the last sentence was JS because it was while he was "hanging out" (the morning of 2/26).

LE –OK. And then I also noticed… I was checking your call history. I noticed that you don’t have anything before this morning. Is that usual on your phone?

42:00 SS – Uh… No. It’s-it’s a new phone I erm stupid, I went to do an update yesterday morning, uhm, and I don’t know what the F (spelled out), pardon me, uhm, I don’t know what the heck I did but somehow during the massive OS update I managed to factory reset my phone and lose all of my contacts, all my information.

LE – Mm hm. What time was that? Do you remember?

SS – Oh, sometime (short pause) while I was hanging out I looked at her and said what did I just do?

Cued up:

So I wonder if one of his errands in the morning was to go purchase a new phone? He said it’s a new phone. I also wonder if he took that phone with him while driving to where he dumped Maddie later that afternoon. MOO

 

[ttjo]

Recently we've heard that he was seen moving her from the car to somewhere else. That somewhere else might not be someplace other than his car which I had wondered about, but it could simply be from the front seat to the trunk, so that she wasn't seen when he "had to" *eyeroll* return for his clicker.

she couldnt have been moved to the trunk and visible in the front seat at the same time. Does the PCA say that she is seen ( on camera) or that she is visible ( witness) ( at the 8:19 time)

 

[Forest_Wood]

There is a third interview listed in the discovery with someone with the name starts with “C”. So perhaps that’s the guard?

Also it doesn’t make any sense that you forget your gate clicker so you drive all the way back from the school and drive through the guard house to get the clicker so that you don’t have to drive through the guard house later. That’s such a bad story.

So logically, if he and JS had been broken up, would he have even had access to the entrance clicker. I would think if they had split up in December, his keys and clicker would have been returned to JS because when you break up, the person usually takes their keys back. Did he go back to get it from JS so he could gain easy access later that day?!!! MOO

 

[AnyNameIWish]

After hearing the most recent audio with SS and the two Detectives... my takehome?

- Entenmanns? Lol. He didn't have that in his car.
- Maddie wasn't even alive by 7am. Don't even need to entertain this discussion of McDs. It's all garbage
- His phone wasn't new. What was it? A Samsung? No matter. He didn't buy a phone, he didn't accidently do anything....
- The security guard? Why would they even look up or notice if Maddie were sitting with head knocked back? It's like a split second interaction.

Does the car have a back seat that folds down, where he could have just pushed her body from front seat into the trunk without taking her out of the vehicle? That would have been the easiest way, but..... in broad morning light???

 

[Gemmie]

she couldnt have been moved to the trunk and visible in the front seat at the same time. Does the PCA say that she is seen ( on camera) or that she is visible ( witness)

Very true, but he was caught on multiple cameras at multiple times so he still could have moved her to the trunk. As you point out, she obviously can't be 2 places at the same time, but it might be on a different video footage. Below talks about her being seen on video footage showing her in the car when he left with her.

According to the report, during the search for Madeline, detectives obtained surveillance video from the entrance to the gated community in Kissimmee where Sterns, Jenn and Madeline lived.

The surveillance video showed Sterns' vehicle leaving the complex with a "female wearing a green sweater" in the front seat, the report said.

"The female was slumped over to her left, which is an abnormal way for a person to be seated in a vehicle," the report added.

Then whatever video we've recently heard about where he was seen moving her. That would be sometime after leaving with her. Perhaps that video that we haven't seen shows him moving her to the trunk so that he can return home for his 'clicker' and NOT have her seen slumped/deceased because he knows he'll have to deal with the gatekeeper.

So to me, whatever it was that he had to return home for (it wasn't his clicker, IMO), was pretty dang important to him to do so with a dead child in the car.

Source: Madeline Soto case: New Stephan Sterns documents detail Google Drive, sleeping arrangements, security footage

 

[CuriousCricket]

IWas there really a massive update on the 26th? did he have an iphone or a samsung? (He said OS update) I checked and the closest iphone update around that date was 1 or 2 weeks before, but isnt iphone IOS?, maybe he just said it wrong ( maybe someone who knows better can confirm) I doubt someone who spent most of his time online, would wait 2 weeks to do an update.

He said it was a new phone (easy to verify, I'd guess). Don't phones do updates once charged and operational?

 

[Gemmie]

- His phone wasn't new. What was it? A Samsung? No matter. He didn't buy a phone, he didn't accidently do anything....

An S23 Ultra according to his 2/27 interview with LE.

LE – What kind of phone is this?

SS – Uh, S23? Ultra? I think?

LE – I don’t know how to work this thing.

SS – I’m sorry I barely know how to work it myself.

 

[ttjo]

Very true, but he was caught on multiple cameras at multiple times so he still could have moved her to the trunk. As you point out, she obviously can't be 2 places at the same time, but it might be on a different video footage. Below talks about her being seen on video footage showing her in the car when he left with her.

According to the report, during the search for Madeline, detectives obtained surveillance video from the entrance to the gated community in Kissimmee where Sterns, Jenn and Madeline lived.

The surveillance video showed Sterns' vehicle leaving the complex with a "female wearing a green sweater" in the front seat, the report said.

"The female was slumped over to her left, which is an abnormal way for a person to be seated in a vehicle," the report added.

Then whatever video we've recently heard about where he was seen moving her. That would be sometime after leaving with her. Perhaps that video that we haven't seen shows him moving her to the trunk so that he can return home for his 'clicker' and NOT have her seen slumped/deceased because he knows he'll have to deal with the gatekeeper.

So to me, whatever it was that he had to return home for (it wasn't his clicker, IMO), was pretty dang important to him to do so with a dead child in the car.

Source: Madeline Soto case: New Stephan Sterns documents detail Google Drive, sleeping arrangements, security footage

for all we know the guard did see her( sleeping) I just wasnt sure what the arrest warrant said. Ill go look.