The body of missing Florida girl Madeline Soto was found in a wooded area Friday afternoon, the Orange County Sheriff's Office announced. It came hours after the department said the 13-year-old girl was believed to be dead.
The mother's boyfriend is suspected of having moved the body, and the case is being investigated as a murder. Sheriff John Mina said at a press conference the same day.
Madeline's body was found by an Osceola County Sheriff's Office search team in a wooded area off Hickory Tree Road around 4:30 p.m., according to an update from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
“Madeline's family has been notified. There is no additional information to release at this time. The Kissimmee Police Department is the lead agency investigating this homicide. The investigation continues,” the sheriff's office said in a statement. .
The sheriff's office previously told Madeline: She was last seen Monday morning when her mother's boyfriend, Stephen Stearns, 37, dropped her off a few blocks from Hunters Creek Middle School in Orlando.
Mina said evidence showed she was not dropped off near the school that morning. Friday press conference.
Stearns, who authorities call the “prime suspect” in the case, was charged with sexual assault and child molestation after detectives discovered “disturbing images” and videos of a “criminal and sexual nature.” He was arrested Wednesday night on an unrelated charge of possession of property. His cell phone is undergoing forensic examination.
Madeline was killed in Kissimmee, where her family lived in an apartment, and Stearns is believed to have removed her body early Monday morning, Mina said.
“There is evidence that Mr. Stephen Stern returned to the facility and that Madeline was seen in the vehicle, by which time it appears that she was already deceased,” the sheriff's office said.
Video evidence recovered by authorities shows Stearns dumping items into a dumpster at a Kissimmee apartment complex at 7:35 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 26. Detectives later recovered Madeline's backpack and school-issued laptop from the trash can.
Detectives notified Madeline's mother Thursday night that the death was suspected. She is not considered a suspect in the investigation.
Kissimmee police will take over the case as it turns into a homicide investigation.
Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland urged the public to come forward with information as the search for the child is underway.
Stearns was seen driving a silver 2010 Lincoln MKZ in the area of ​​State Route 192 and Old Hickory Tree and Nulty roads between 1:00 and 2:30 p.m. on Monday. It was witnessed. It is believed the vehicle had a flat tire and may have been seen changing a tire in the area.
Mina said Stearns has not spoken to anyone about the incident. He was transported to the Osceola County Jail and is being held on a charge of assault resulting in death brought by Kissimmee police.