While she hasn’t appeared publicly, Jennifer Soto, the mother of slain Kissimmee 13-year-old gave her account of the day her daughter went missing and some of what led to it, along with details about her relationship with Stephan Sterns.
An April 18 interview with a member of the State Attorney’s Office at the Osceola County Courthouse, with Soto’s lawyer Matthews Bark present, has been released. This was six weeks after young Madeline Soto’s body was discovered south of St. Cloud, and six days before Sterns, Jennifer’s onand- off boyfriend, was charged with her murder. Prosecutors had already arrested him on 60 charges related to evidence of sexual assault on Madeline, and Soto was subpoenaed for this interview.
During the 70-minute interview, a number of topics were discussed, such as her and Sterns’ relationship, and what he told her what happened Feb. 25-26.
Jennifer told the investigator she worked the Sunday night at Disney’s Coronado Springs, arrived home around 10 p.m., when she saw Madeline and Stephan. Madeline’s grandmother threw her a 13th birthday party that day, to which Sterns was not invited; Jennifer said her mother and Stephan did not get along.
That night, she said she told Madeline that Stephan would take her to school Monday, Feb. 26 so she could take her various medications and get “a good night’s sleep” after working. She noted knowing they planned to go to McDonald’s for “a special breakfast,” but thought leaving at 7:30 a.m. was oddly early, as school started at 9:28.
Jennifer said around 10:25 she heard from Stephan—he had left his phone at home “by accident”—who said the morning went great and he dropped her off for school at a nearby church, from where she would walk to Hunters Creek Middle School.
“But she wanted to sleep all the way there,” Jennifer said Stephan recalled.
Soon after, she left for a blood draw at the doctor’s office, and she told the investigator she canceled a Botox appointment for later that day because she didn’t want to pay the $350 office fee. She said Stephan was home when she returned from the blood draw, and he said he drove to a vape shop after he said he dropped Maddie off, but the shop wasn’t open.
He said he was going to run more errands, but planned to return by 2:30 p.m. so they could go together to pick up Maddie from school. Jennifer said he called after she left for school to say he had the flat tire. While witnesses say they saw someone of his and his car’s description changing the tire on Hickory Tree Road, near were Madeline’s body was found, she recanted he said it happened on U.S. 192 and he “pulled into a plaza” to change it, hurting his thumb in the process.
Regarding their relationship, Jennifer said she and Stephan broke up in December 2022, but he continued living with the Sotos because she still “considered him one of my best friends,” and that since he had just gotten a job at Disney, she “Wanted to give him a chance to make something.”
“I saw Stephan as someone who I completely trusted with my child’s life, I thought he cared for her like a father,” she told the investigator.
Jennifer said she told Stephan in October 2023 he had to leave and gave him until December to move out. But, Jennifer said Madeline knew as early as June they were no longer together.
Orange County investigation: Soto “Did not know where the body was” Investigative reports by the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office have also been released about their questioning the mother to see if she had any knowledge of Madeline’s body location on Feb. 29 and March 1, the day the body was ultimately found.
According to their report, investigators say Soto, “Remained steadfast that she did not know where the body was, continued to deny all involvement in regards to having knowledge of (Madeline’s) murder, and continued to deny all knowledge of (Madeline’s) victimization by Stephan Sterns.
“During portions of the interview, Jennifer Soto continuously protected Stephan Sterns ….and even at one point referred to the ‘sex stuff’ as not evil but the murder of (Madeline) as ‘evil’ … Jennifer Soto did not show the same level of emotion or care in regards to (Madeline’s) ongoing victimization by Stephan Sterns that she did her disappearance. It appeared to me that she has already accepted that the victimization was happening and her emotion appeared fictitious.”
Police have said in prior interviews that there is no current plan to charge or arrest Jennifer Soto.
