Cause of Death for Florida Teen Madeline Soto Confirmed Six Months After Tragic Murder

Investigators have finally revealed the cause of death in the murder case of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on the six-month anniversary of her disappearance in Central Florida.

Related: Investigators Drop Bombshell Announcement About the Mom in Madeline Soto’s Murder Case

WARNING: The following article mentions topics that may be distressing for certain audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

Just Days After Her 13th Birthday, Madeline Soto Suddenly Vanishes

Thirteen-year-old Madeline Soto was reported missing by her mother, Jenn Soto, on the evening of Monday, February 26, 2024. Soto arrived to pick up her daughter from her middle school in Kissimmee, Florida, and discovered that the young teen had never shown up for classes that Monday morning.

It was not uncommon for Jenn Soto’s live-in boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, to take Madeline to school in the mornings, but on the morning of February 26, Sterns never delivered the young girl to school.

The specific events of that morning continue to be investigated as law enforcement works to piece together clues to help them determine how the young girl was murdered.

Things Unfold Quickly As the Search For Maddie Intensifies

Stephan Sterns told detectives that he drove Madeline to school that February morning. He claimed that as they approached the location where he usually dropped Madeline off in front of her school, the young girl asked Sterns to stop instead in front of Peace Church, located approximately half a block from Hunters Creek Middle School, where Madeline was enrolled in the seventh grade.

Related: New Bodycam Video Gives Shocking Insights Into the Events That Transpired After Madeline Soto Was Reported Missing

During a press conference held on February 28, just two days after Madeline Soto was reported missing, Orange County Sheriff John Mina shared law enforcement’s determination to find the young girl:

This is every parent’s worst nightmare. We can’t even imagine the pain and anguish that Madeline’s family is going through. We will not stop until we find her. 

Sheriff Mina continued, saying that at that time, law enforcement still was not sure what had happened to the young teen:

We don’t know if she was taken. We don’t know if she stepped away. She left her phone at the house. That’s why we’re putting all this effort into it. That’s why we’re doing this press conference, in hopes that someone from the public may have [seen] something.

It might not have seemed like a big deal at the time, but now, knowing what Madeline looks like, maybe there’s some new information that can help us find her whereabouts.

No Amber Alert was issued in the search for Madeline, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement classified the young girl as “endangered,” meaning that her physical safety was at risk, as the department had reason to believe that she had been the victim of a predatory abduction or kidnapping.

Later that day, Stephan Sterns, the boyfriend of Madeline Soto’s mother, Jenn, was arrested after forensic detectives discovered numerous “disturbing” images and videos on his smartphone.

Madeline’s Body is Discovered 

Two days later, on Friday, March 1, the body of Madeline Soto was found in a wooded area along Old Hickory Tree Road in St. Cloud, Florida, in a rural part of Osceola County.

Earlier that day, Orange County Sheriff John Mina told media representatives that detectives believed that Madeline was already dead before she was reported missing. According to Mina, video surveillance captured Stephan Sterns discarding items in a dumpster at an apartment complex in Kissimmee, Florida. The items turned out to be Madeline’s backpack and school-issued laptop.

Even more disturbing was the revelation from Sheriff Mina that surveillance cameras also captured video footage that showed Madeline Soto seated in the front passenger of Stephan Sterns’ vehicle, but he said that the young girl appeared “slumped over” in the seat.

Authorities believe Madeline was dead and that Sterns had killed her sometime that morning, though discerning the exact time of her death has remained a puzzle for investigators to piece together.

Madeline Soto’s Cause of Death Revealed Six Months After Her Disappearance

On Monday, court documents that became available to the public revealed the cause of the young girl’s death.

An autopsy was conducted by the county medical examiner’s office following the discovery of Madeline’s body in a locked and gated wooded area located approximately 20 yards from the roadway in a rural part of Osceola County on March 1.

But the medical examiner’s office said at the time that the results of the postmortem would not be made public, citing a Florida statute that prohibits the release of such information when the victim is a minor whose death is the result of an act of domestic violence.

In the recently released court documents, the teen’s official cause of death isn’t expressly stated.

But a report included among the documents states that a doctor working on the case “expressed concern over the hyoid bone in Madeline’s neck.” He further stated that it’s possible Madeline was strangled, as a portion of the bone “was not intact.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the hyoid bone is located in the front of the neck. It is the only bone in the human body that is not attached to any other bone, and it plays an important role in speaking and swallowing. The hyoid bone also supports the tongue.

At the time the autopsy was completed, the initial cause of Madeline Soto’s death was listed as “pending,” according to the report, likely because additional information, including toxicology and other laboratory results, would not have been available at the time.

Related: Matthew Perry’s Autopsy Results Raise Eyebrows, Setting the Stage For a Criminal Investigation Into His Death

Where Is Maddie’s Mother In All of This?

Though Stephan Sterns is the prime suspect in the case, questions about whether Madeline Soto’s mother, Jenn Soto, had a role in her disappearance and death have been asked since the search for Madeline began.

Soto’s odd, seemingly emotionless responses during interviews with investigators have drawn criticism, as has the fact that Jenn Soto has changed the details of her account to detectives at least once since the inquest began in late February.

Recently released court documents state that when investigators talked with Soto about Sterns’ victimization of her daughter and the “disturbing” images found on his phone, her response was muted and not what investigators would expect from a mother who just found out her daughter was being abused at the hands of her boyfriend.

Jenn Soto Says the Sexual Abuse Against Her Daughter Was “Not Evil”

According to reports written by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Jenn Soto’s emotional response to the news of her daughter’s disappearance seemed atypical. The incident report further states that Madeline’s mother seemed to have already accepted the fact that Sterns was sexually abusing her daughter.

The report reads in part:

During the interview, Jennifer Soto continuously protected Stephan Sterns, [and] was questioned about why she prioritizes Stephan Sterns over [Madeline], 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 than she did her disappearance. It appeared to me that she has already accepted that the victimization was happening, and her emotion appeared fictitious.

During one interview, [Jenn Soto] said she didn’t notice anything unusual going on between Madeline and Sterns but said that Madeline had recently told [Sterns] that she had a “crush” on a boy. It appeared to me that she had already accepted the victimization that was happening, and her emotion appeared fictitious.

A Bombshell Announcement From Investigators

On Monday, despite inconsistencies in her story and the fact that she seemed to protect Sterns during her interview, law enforcement sources with the Kissimmee Police Department said that Jenn Soto will not be charged in connection with her daughter’s death. Further, the department has no plans at this time to charge Soto with any crimes in the future.

The announcement shocked and enraged those who want to see justice in the case on behalf of 13-year-old Madeline Soto.

Stephan Sterns Will Stand Trial Twice

Stephan Sterns’ will stand trial for first-degree, or premeditated, murder beginning on October 14, 2024. He will also stand trial for the 60 counts against him related to the possession of child pornography, sexual battery with a child, and lewd molestation of a child at a separate time.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those affected by Maddie’s death during this difficult time.