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A search was ongoing Thursday morning for a lacking Florida 13-year-old woman who was final seen Monday, as her mom’s boyfriend, whom police name a “prime suspect,” has been arrested.
Madeline Soto was final seen round 8:30 a.m. Monday when her mom’s boyfriend dropped her off just a few blocks away from Hunter’s Creek Center College in Orlando, Orange County Sheriff John Mina mentioned.
At 4:30 p.m., when Madeline’s mom went to choose her up at college, she realized her daughter by no means made it to high school that day and had left her telephone at house.
A seek for the kid was launched that evening.
Stephan Sterns, 37, the boyfriend of Madeline’s mom and the final individual to have seen her, was arrested Wednesday night on expenses of sexual battery and possession of kid sexual abuse materials, authorities announced.
Although he was not arrested in direct connection to Madeline’s disappearance, the Orange County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned “Sterns is taken into account the prime suspect presently.”
Through the investigation into Madeline’s whereabouts, Orange County sheriff’s detectives found “disturbing pictures” and movies that have been “legal, and sexual in nature” in a forensic examination of Sterns’ telephone, the company mentioned.
Additionally they found makes an attempt to delete proof. It was decided that these crimes have been dedicated on the household’s house in Kissimmee and native police have been notified and are main the sexual battery case.
The division shared video displaying Sterns silently being positioned right into a patrol automotive.
He was interviewed Wednesday evening by Kissimmee police and OCSO detectives. He invoked his proper to an lawyer and was positioned below arrest and transported to jail, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.
“Stephan Sterns had a possibility tonight to return clear with detectives and assist make them details about Maddie’s disappearance,” Mina mentioned. “Her family members deserve solutions and OCSO and the Kissimmee Police won’t cease till we discover Maddie.”
The search to this point
The seek for Madeline began Monday evening.
A bloodhound smelled an merchandise of Madeline’s and did an “in depth search,” however it didn’t result in any outcomes.
Detectives additionally accessed Madeline’s telephone and located data on the telephone “that indicated that she advised folks when she turned 13, which was on February 22, she truly wished to go dwell within the woods,” Mina mentioned.
The search to this point has seen greater than 100 deputies, detectives, intelligence analysts and bloodhounds seek for her, together with in a wooded space close to the varsity.
Mina mentioned Wednesday afternoon that Madeline’s household’s house in Kissimmee was being held by the Orange County Sheriff’s Workplace till police might safe search warrants, which have been anticipated to be executed that night.
Madeline, described as blond with blue eyes and 5 ft, 1 inch tall, was final seen carrying a inexperienced sweatshirt, black shorts and white Crocs.
Anybody with data on her whereabouts is urged to name 911 or the Orange County Sheriff’s Workplace.
This text was initially printed on NBCNews.com
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