Madeline Soto case: Police have no plans to charge Jennifer Soto, sources say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Kissimmee Police Department has no plans to file charges against Jennifer Soto, the mother of Madeline Soto, a 13-year-old girl whose body was discovered in rural Osceola County earlier this year.

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Sources told Channel 9′s Shannon Butler that Jennifer Soto has done nothing criminal so far, so she will not face charges.

Channel 9 has obtained a video recording of Orange County Sheriff’s Office detectives interviewing Jennifer Soto at 11:30 p.m. Feb. 27 after her daughter was reported missing.

Madeline Soto was reported missing after Hunters Creek Middle School -- where Madeline attended -- alerted Jennifer Soto that she did not make it to school Feb. 26.

Madeline Soto was supposed to be dropped off by Jennifer Soto’s boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, but according to the investigation, Sterns did not drop off the girl.

Sterns was charged Feb. 28 with sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material. On April 24, he was also charged with first-degree murder in connection with Madeline Soto’s death.

Read: Madeline Soto: A timeline of her disappearance & death

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During the interview, the Sheriff’s Office questioned Jennifer Soto about the relationship between Stephan Sterns and Madeline Soto.

When asked if it was normal for the pair to sleep in the same room, Jennifer Soto responded by saying the following:

“Sometimes when I really need a good night’s sleep, I will send them upstairs. But when, I’ll also -- a lot of times we will sleep together in the king-sized bed. All three of us. Or sometimes Stephan will go upstairs and share a bed alone. So it just really depends on what’s going on that night with our schedules and what we’re doing.”

According to the interview, Jennifer Soto did not see Madeline Soto on the morning that the girl vanished because Jennifer Soto thought that her daughter was getting ready for school while Jennifer Soto went to a doctor’s appointment.

When Jennifer Soto returned home, Sterns was also home, and they chatted for a little bit, and she asked him why he had called her earlier -- around 10:18 a.m.

Read: Madeline Soto case: State to seek death penalty against Stephan Sterns

Investigators said that was not true as Stearns had already been seen driving out of their apartment complex with Madeline Soto’s body slumped over in the front seat of the vehicle.

Jennifer Solo told deputies that she began to worry when her daughter didn’t come home from school and wasn’t there all day.

During the interview, Jennifer Soto’s answers were hard to come by as she told investigators that she had taken medicine and was a little spacey.

Deputies have not found any evidence to charge her at this time.

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Read: Soto case: ‘White Nissan’ that drove to area where girl’s body dumped belonged to mother

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