Madeline Soto’s Stepfather/Alleged Killer Had An Extensive Presence on Reddit, Giving Advice as a Disney World Cast Member

It was just a week 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 on 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.

Related: Authorities Fear Missing 13-Year-Old Girl is Dead, Lead Suspect Claims He Was a Disney World Cast Member

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.

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.

#StephenSterns explains his work as a cast member #MadelineSoto pic.twitter.com/eGr4hNmuR2

— Lilly inLondon (@Lillyin_London) March 3, 2024

Related: ‘He Went Through Hell Over This,’ Son Reacts After Mother’s Remains Found Outside Disney World

Sterns’ last post about Disney World was posted 16 days ago, discussing some of the issues cast members face.

He wrote: 

Do you think you’re putting in a lot of steps on your Disney vacation? Try doing it every day, all year round. Now sprinkle a little bit of getting screamed at by a guest because their child is too short, now add a dash of being understaffed to the point that your area can’t assign any assist roles, and now you’re doing the work of 2 CMs, now slash your areas budget to the bone, so that equipment starts to deteriorate, supplies run out, and maintenance suffers, but you’re still expected to give 110% effort, now get screamed at some more, oh and bonus perk, you’re legally responsible for the safety of everyone on that ride and in that attraction area, also, work faster, because efficiency is a high priority, but don’t screw up or you’re fired, but go faster still.

Stephan Sterns was in the custody of Kissimmee Police but was transferred to the Orange County Jail. He has not been charged with Madeline Soto’s murder yet.

Such beautiful pictures of #MadelineSoto that @TrueCrimeFeline found 🥹❤️ 13 years old! 😭 pic.twitter.com/lrzPqxjwMh

— Gisela K (@truecrimegisela) March 3, 2024

Jenn Soto Worked At Disney World, Too

Madeline Soto’s mother, Jenn Soto, allegedly also worked at Disney World. According to her LinkedIn account, Jenn Soto is a vacation planner at Disney World. She began working for Disney in March 2022. Before that, she worked as a reservation sales agent at Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Resort.

Representatives for Disney have yet to comment on Jenn Soto’s employment status. Stephan Sterns also allegedly started working as a cast member at Disney World in 2022.

I guess it's save to say she's not working night shifts.#MadelineSoto #StephenSterns pic.twitter.com/qXjrBQnckj

— Lilly inLondon (@Lillyin_London) March 3, 2024

Being in Central Florida and in such proximity to Disney Parks, it’s no surprise that both Soto and Sterns claim to work for Disney World.

After giving an initial interview with police, both Stephan Sterns and Jenn Soto have stopped talking to Florida authorities. The Soto family has also stopped giving interviews with local media.

We will continue to update this news at Disney Fanatic.