Madeline Soto murder suspect Stephen Sterns to face judge

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The sexual battery case against Stephen Sterns will move forward on Wednesday as he will be in court on Wednesday morning.

Sterns is accused of killing 13-year-old Madeline Soto, the daughter of his then girlfriend back in 2024.

This case garnered national attention, and a lot of details have been gradually released over time.

Sterns will be appearing before a judge in Osceola County on Wednesday morning for a pretrial hearing and then again in the afternoon at an Osceola County courthouse.

The 39-year-old Sterns faces a multitude of charges, such as first-degree murder and several child sex abuse charges.

According to investigators, Sterns is believed to be the last person who saw 13-year-old Soto alive before her body was found back in March of 2024 in a rural part of Osceola County.  

Sterns was supposed to be dropping soto off to school on Feb. 26 and he told detectives in previous interviews that he dropped her off between 8:20 a.m. to 8:40 a.m.

But when Soto’s mother went to pick her up later that day from school, officials reported that she was informed that her daughter never made it and that is when the search began for the missing teen.

And after several days of searching, Soto’s body was found.

Investigators later shared video surveillance and other evidence in Stern’s phone, which allegedly showed child sex abuse material dating back to 2022. This all led to his arrest and the 60-plus charges he faces now.

Officials say he remains the sole suspect in Soto’s murder.