Boyfriend of Madeline Soto’s mother charged with 13-year-old’s murder

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (WWSB) - Stephan Sterns has been charged with first-degree murder following the death and disappearance of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, according to Osceola County court records.

Sterns, of North Port, was dating Soto’s mother at the time of her disappearance and detectives say he had been sexually abusing the 13-year-old for years.

Soto was reported missing on Feb. 26 after staff members at Hunter’s Creek Middle School in Orlando said she never arrived that day. Officials said Sterns was the last person to confirm seeing Madeline before she was reported missing.

Soto’s body was found days later on March 1. The indictment says he allegedly killed Soto between Feb. 25 and Feb. 27.

(Source: Orange County Sheriff's Office)

Sterns remains in custody at the Osceola County Jail after he was arrested on Feb. 28 on unrelated charges. He had been scheduled to be in court for those charges on Wednesday, but his public defender filed a motion to delay the trial as they continue preparing their defense.

Sterns faces life in prison or the death penalty if found guilty of either first-degree murder or sexual battery of a child.

A jury trial has been set for August 19, 2024.