Some of it is procedural — some is mandated by state law
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New information has been slow to come by in the case of Madeline Soto, the Kissimmee 13-year-old whose body was found near St. Cloud days after her mother reported her missing.
New information has been slow to come by in the case of Madeline Soto, the Kissimmee 13-year-old whose body was found near St. Cloud days after her mother reported her missing.
In the short term, official information may continue to be slow to come, as officials explained their silence regarding the release of those facts.
For instance, while the Kissimmee Police Department, the agency conducting Soto’s death investigation, will use the Medical Examiner’s report heavily in its work, that public document will not be released to the public according to the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, who handles those reports for Osceola County as well.
Citing the report regards the death of a minor related to “an act of domestic violence,” it is exempt from Florida’s public records laws, which are among the most open in the nation.
State Statute 406.135 states that a case like this make the report confidential, “Except that a surviving parent of the deceased minor may view and copy the autopsy report if the surviving parent did not commit the act of domestic violence which led to the minor’s death.”
Thus far, Madeline’s mother, Jennifer Soto, has not been charged. At a press conference two weeks ago, Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland said all those related to the case who have been questioned are, “Treated as involved until proven otherwise.”
Ninth Circuit State Attorney Andrew Bain has also weighed in when asked for details of the investigation. He said information is being kept from the public to prevent any leaks that may taint a potential jury pool in a trial against Stephan Sterns, 37, Jennifer's boyfriend and the main person of interest in the case.
“We want to have a fair trial, and we want the case to be tried by the people in our circuit and them determine the best result for this case,” Bain said.
Thus far, no murder charges have been filed in the case. Soto was reported missing on Monday, Feb. 26, and her body was discovered off Hickory Tree Road on Friday, March 1. During that week, Sterns was arrested by Kissimmee Police and charged with sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material after a forensic search of his phone.
As the investigation continued, the State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth District levied 60 more charges, including 13 counts of sexual battery on a minor, against Sterns, who previous to this case had no criminal record in Orange or Osceola County. Eight counts were for sexual battery on a child under 12 years old, which became a potential capital felony when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a 2023 bill into law, extending the death penalty to those convicted of sexually abused young children.
An arraignment hearing, where Sterns would face the court to hear his charges, was waived on April 2. He is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday, April 24, ahead of his scheduled trial the week of May 13 on the 60 charges.
