Florida teen vanishes, mom’s boyfriend arrested for child porn is ‘the prime suspect’
Madeline Soto, 13, was last seen on Feb. 26
Maddie Soto was reported missing Monday night, officials said. Deputies have been following leads, searching neighborhoods and nearby areas of Orlando.
The boyfriend of Maddie’s mother, Stephan Stearns, had driven her to school on Monday morning. Authorities say he didn’t drop her off in the carline.
Maddie was last seen at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday when Starns dropped her off a few blocks away from Hunter’s Creek Middle School near Peace United Methodist Church.
When her mother went to pick her up at about 4:30 p.m., she learned that Maddie never made it inside the school that day.
As of Wednesday night, Mina said a team of over 100 deputies, detectives, intelligence analysts, specialized personnel, and Bloodhound dogs were involved in the search for Maddie. The wooded area behind her middle school is among the search locations.
Authorities have asked members of the media and the public not to enter any of the search areas to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. The sheriff’s office said on X, formerly Twitter, that they will announce if the public needs additional help.
