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It was just about 12 days ago that 13-year-old Madeline Soto was allegedly dropped off at school by her stepfather, Stephan Sterns. But after an extensive search, her body was discovered last Saturday in a remote area of Osceola County near Pearl Lake. Sterns, who was already in custody on capital sexual battery charges, is considered the prime suspect in the case.
Credit: Family of Madeline Soto
During their investigation, Orange County Sheriff’s Office detectives said they found what they called “disturbing images” on Sterns’ phone, and a forensic investigation showed that he had tried to delete those images. Detectives believe those crimes were committed at the family’s home in Kissimmee. Sterns is currently in prison on those charges.
After Stephan Sterns’ arrest on Wednesday, local news began searching for information on social media. On his Facebook account, Sterns claimed that he was a cast member at nearby Walt Disney World. However, Disney World has since denied that Sterns was a current cast member. A representative for Disney World did not respond when asked if he had ever worked at Walt Disney World.
Credit: Orange County Sheriff’s Office
However, the Internet has done some detective work on this case, and it appears that Stephan Sterns was previously a cast member at Walt Disney World, or at least claimed to be on the Internet. Several investigative sources on YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) found that Sterns has been writing on Reddit under the username Sustinet, and most of his posts involve giving advice on Walt Disney World and explaining how difficult being a cast member can be.
However, as the investigation continues, new evidence has come forward that shows that Stephan Sterns worked at Walt Disney World as soon as last September. The photo from X shows him working at the entrance to Journey Into Imagination with Figment at EPCOT.
Stephan Sterns working at @Disney as a cast member on the Journey into Imagination ride in Epcot just a few months before he was arrested for having child porn in his phone.
Also the prime suspect in the murder of his step-daughter Madeline Soto.https://t.co/66rb90OU0I pic.twitter.com/isnCb6KTM4— JLR© (@JLRINVESTIGATES) March 7, 2024
While the homicide investigation continues, police released new evidence against Sterns and disturbing details about his alleged sexual abuse of Madeline Soto. According to WESH, in court documents, law enforcement claims that Soto was sexually abused for the last two years by Sterns.
The Kissimmee Police Department released these details after Sterns was arraigned last week. Since the crimes were alleged to have occurred at Soto’s home, the Kissimmee PD is leading the investigation with help from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which is conducting the murder investigation.
The Walt Disney Company has not released a statement about Sterns’ past employment. Jenn Soto, Madeline’s mother, also claimed on her LinkedIn account that she was a vacation planner at Disney World.
Sterns is now in the Osceola County Jail being held on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material. The investigation into Madeline Soto’s death is ongoing.
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.
