A 13-year-old girl slept in the same bed as her mother’s boyfriend, accused of sexually abusing and murdering the teenager.
Court documents now reveal details of conversations Jennifer Soto had with police in March, just weeks after the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto was found in St. Cloud, Florida, about 27 miles south of Orlando.
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Madeline disappeared on February 26th when she failed to attend school.
His body was found days later, on March 1.
Now, new details about the morning of her disappearance have come to light.
The documents, obtained by local NBC affiliate WESHcontain sworn statements from Kissimmee police detectives about separate conversations with Jennifer and her boyfriend Stephan Sterns, 37, who faces murder charges in connection with Madeline’s death.
Read more about Madeline Soto
SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
Jennifer reportedly spoke to police detectives on March 14, reportedly detailing the dynamic between her daughter and Sterns.
“(Jennifer Soto) stated that while they were together they… (Jennifer, Stephan and Madeline)… would all sleep in the same bed or (Madeline) would sleep with her when Stephan was not there,” one of the affidavits says repeatedly.
The documents reveal they asked the Florida mother if it was normal for Madeline to sleep with Sterns while she was away.
Jennifer allegedly told police yes, according to the documents.
“(Jennifer Soto) stated that if she needed a good night’s sleep due to her anxiety, she would ask them (Stephan and Madeline) to sleep in a different room,” a statement read.
Another statement about a conversation with Sterns the same day stated that he said Madeline “always needed human contact to sleep.”
“Stephan referred to it as ‘coziness,’” the statement read.
MISSING FROM SCHOOL
On February 26, Madeline was reported missing when she failed to show up to school that morning.
At the time, Sterns told police he dropped Madeline down the street from the school.
“She wanted to be dropped off a little away from school,” Sterns told police on Feb. 27, according to WESH.
He reportedly stated that Madeline was “very specific about the car she (was seen) getting out of in front of the school.”
Police later revealed they found video evidence of Sterns discarding items in a dumpster at an apartment complex around the time he was supposed to take Madeline to school.
Detectives later found Madeline’s backpack and school laptop in the trash can.
His body was discovered in a wooded area near Hickory Tree Road.
It was known that Sterns drove down that street between 1pm and 2:30pm on the day Madeleine disappeared.
Chronology of Madeline Soto’s disappearance
- On February 26, Madeline Soto, a 13-year-old girl from St. Cloud, Florida, went missing.
- Stephan Sterns, Madeline’s mother’s boyfriend, told police that he had left the girl on the street from school that morning.
- However, police allege they discovered surveillance footage that showed him throwing bags into a dumpster around the time he was supposed to be with Madeline.
- On February 28, Sterns was arrested.
- Police said they found unrelated illicit sexual material of children on his phone.
- On March 1, Madeline’s lifeless body was found in a wooded area.
- On March 15, Sterns was hit with 60 additional charges and was accused of sexually abusing Madeline for years, according to an affidavit.
- On April 24, authorities announced that Sterns had been charged with her murder.
LOADED
Two days after Madeleine’s disappearance, Sterns was arrested and charged with sexual assault and possession of child sexual abuse material.
He agreed to turn over his phone to detectives for their investigation into his disappearance, and an arrest affidavit previously obtained by The US Sun stated that materials found on the device showed that Sterns sexually abused the teen for years.
Sterns, who remains in custody, was also accused of trying to delete explicit videos and photos of Madeline taken when she was 11 years old.
On April 24, Sterns was officially charged with the 13-year-old’s murder.
He currently faces one count of first-degree murder and unrelated charges, including sexual assault and possession of child sexual abuse material.
He also faces approximately 60 additional charges, including sexual assault of a child under the age of 12, lewd and lascivious molestation and unlawful possession of materials depicting the sexual performance of a child.
A jury trial in the case has been set for Aug. 19, according to the NBC affiliate WFLA.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
