According to authorities, the mother of 13-year-old Madeline Soto has informed the police that her boyfriend was involved in the misconduct and exploitation of the teenager before he allegedly took her life.
According to a recent case supplemental report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, authorities claim that Jennifer Soto, a mother, made a disturbing statement to the police after being shown photos discovered on her boyfriend’s phone. FOX 35, WFTV, and Click Orlando have reported on the matter.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Madeline went missing from her home in Kissimmee, Fla. on Feb. 26. As a result, Sterns was arrested on unrelated charges of possessing child sexual abuse material. A body was discovered in a wooded area on March 1st.
According to authorities, during their investigation, Jennifer expressed her belief that Sterns was guilty of grooming and abusing her child, based on the photos shown to her. This information was reported by FOX 35, WFTV, and Click Orlando.
According to the supplemental report, Jennifer reportedly stated that Sterns’ alleged sexual abuse was not characterized as “evil,” although she did acknowledge that her daughter’s killing was indeed “evil,” as reported by the Orlando Sentinel, WESH, and Click Orlando.
According to the supplemental case report, authorities claim that Jennifer allowed Madeline to sleep in the same room as Sterns on the night before the child went missing, as reported by WESH. According to reports, she reportedly explained to the authorities that her actions were due to exhaustion after a tiring day at work.
According to Orange County Sheriff John Mina, Sterns was caught on video throwing away items in a trashcan at his residence with Jennifer and Madeline. This incident was reported by Click Orlando. Madeline’s backpack and laptop were found by the police in the trashcan.
According to reports from FOX 35 Orlando, WESH, and Click Orlando, it was determined by a medical examiner that Madeline’s cause of death was strangulation.
Sterns faced charges of first-degree murder in April for Madeline’s death, as stated in court records from Osceola County, Florida that were reviewed by PEOPLE.
It remains uncertain whether Sterns has entered a plea to the murder charge. According to the Osceola News-Gazette, he has entered a plea of not guilty to 60 counts of sexual abuse charges. His attorney could not be reached immediately, according to PEOPLE.