An image of Madeline Soto, the 13-year-old child sexual abuse victim who was allegedly murdered by her mother's boyfriend, was posted on social media by a local sheriff.
A social media image of a Florida murder victim is causing outrage, and now the prosecutor trying the case and the sheriff involved in the investigation are engaging in a very public war of words.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez accidentally posted an image of 13-year-old child sexual abuse victim Madeline Soto after his deputies discovered her body.
State's Attorney Andrew Bain, the top prosecutor in Florida's ninth district, then filed a 60-count indictment against Stephan Sterns, the boyfriend of Madeline's mother, on March 12, charging him with:
- Eight counts of sexual battery on a child under 12
- Five counts of sexual battery with a child 12-18 (familial/custodial authority)
- Seven counts of lewd or lascivious molestation
- 40 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a Child Ten or More Images
In the wake of this filing, Bain and his office announced they would release no additional information on the case and since that time have gone to great lengths to keep most information under seal.
As a result, there is still no information about how the victim died, her autopsy results have not been shared with the public, and prosecutors have yet to reveal a motive.
This is why the publication of a photo showing the victim at the murder scene has led to some fighting behind the scenes as Bain is now questioning the credibility of Lopez.
Madeline Soto Murder Photo
Lopez and Bain's fight dates back to March 2, the day after deputies with Lopez's department discovered the body of Madeline. On that day, Lopez posted a photo of the crime scene that showed Madeline on his Instagram account.
That posting of the photo was a mistake said Lopez, who included it with a gallery of images and the caption "Great day with our seniors."
A spokesperson for the Osceola County Sheriff released a statement just a few hours later, saying: “Earlier today a post was made on social media about a community event for seniors. In the post, an investigative photo was accidentally included. The photo was immediately removed. We deeply apologize for any confusion or disturbance this may have caused. As with any investigation, the information obtained is confidential and any mistaken disclosures will be immediately rectified.”
Inside Edition Digital is not publishing the photo in question, and in the state of Florida, it is illegal to publicly disclose a photograph depicting the killing of a minor victim.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) interviewed Lopez about the image after launching an investigation into the social media post, and he explained that one of the deputies on the scene sent him the image as protocol and he accidentally posted it with the images of senior citizens.
The FDLE released a report on the incident earlier this month, at which time Bain announced he would be fining Lopez $500 for this infraction. Bain also noted that if that investigation determined Lopez "willfully or knowingly" posted the photo he could have faced up to a year in prison under Florida law.
Bain also claimed in his letter to Lopez, which he later released to the public, that Lopez made contradictory statements when speaking to the FDLE investigator and appearing on a local radio program.
According to Bain, Lopez allegedly told the FDLE investigator he only had the image on his phone to confirm the victim was wearing the same clothing as when she went missing but then in an interview with a local media outlet claimed that the body could not be seen in the image he posted to social media.
Bain is now requesting an internal investigation into the posting of this photo and considering the possibility of adding Lopez to the Brady List. That is a list in each state that includes members of law enforcement who have committed infractions and would require prosecutors to inform defendants of said infractions should Lopez ever be called as a witness in their trials.
In response, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office released a statement through a spokesperson which read:
"Yesterday, the State Attorney’s Office released a letter regarding a photograph inadvertently disclosed by the Sheriff. Sheriff Lopez initially received this photograph because our agency first found Madeline Soto’s body and a photo of the scene was sent to the Sheriff, per protocol. The photograph was inadvertently posted in a photo array about a senior citizen event and was taken down within 10 minutes of realizing the error. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated this incident and found no intentional wrongdoing. The State still decided to file a civil citation. The Sheriff accepts and understands the civil fine being brought by the State. However, the State calling the Sheriff’s integrity and credibility into question is not right. The State has misinterpreted a quote from the Sheriff explaining what the photograph depicted. The photograph showed clothing, but identifying features of a body were not visible. The Sheriff’s statement was not a lie nor was it untruthful."
Madeline Soto Murder
Madeline Sterns was just 13 when she was allegedly murdered by her mother's boyfriend Stephan Sterns.
Sterns is currently in prison awaiting trial.
His arrest came after police launched an investigation into Madeline's disappearance when she did not show up for school on February 26, according to an affidavit seeking a search warrant obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
Sterns, who had been tasked with dropping Madeline off that day, said he took her to school as planned but his statements started to change over the next few days according to authorities.
Then, when an officer with the Kissimmee Police Department asked to see his phone, Sterns informed them that he had recently done a factory reset of his device, according to the affidavit.
Despite that reset, an investigator found a trove of child sexual abuse material showing images of Madeline alone and Madeline being sexually abused by another man who police allege to be Sterns, according to the warrant. Police identified Sterns based on the unique coloration of his genitals and the patterns on underwear and sheets seen in the images, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance video also shows Sterns driving his car on the morning of February 26 with a slumped-over female whose clothing is the same as the clothing Madeline was reported to be wearing when she went missing, according to the affidavit.
On that same day, Sterns made multiple trips in two separate cars to dispose of trash bags as well, according to authorities.
There is no additional information available at this time and prosecutors and police are keeping details under seal to protect the integrity of the case.
However, members of Sterns' family allege that another person is also involved in Madeline's death and claim Sterns is trying to protect that woman in prison correspondence obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
"We all know [redacted] was involved in this and I am disgusted that she is free and you are not when this is not at all your fault!!" reads one email from a family member.
No other individual has been charged with any crime related to Madeline's sexual abuse or murder.
Sterns' lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. His defense team entered a plea of not guilty to all 60 counts. If convicted, he could face the death penalty,.
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