The documents reveal a timeline of events that her suspected killer, Stephan Sterns, gave law enforcement Feb. 27, the day after the girl’s mother reported her missing.
“We woke up around 7 -- 7:15 -- somewhere around there, which is an early start for us,” Sterns said during an interview with detectives. “But we had talked about getting McDonald’s breakfast beforehand, so we want to make good time. We did make good time. We got out the door maybe 7:30 -- 7:45 maybe. Got over to that area. She was asleep in the car most of the time, just snoozing until we got there.”
Madeline Soto: Search for missing girl enters 5th day in Orange County
Madeline Soto: Missing Kissimmee girl's body found in rural Osceola County The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Friday evening that Madeline Soto’s body has been found. Investigators said Osceola County deputies found the missing 13-year-old girl’s body at about 4:30 p.m. in a wooded area along Hickory Tree Road. (WFTV/WFTV)
Stephan Sterns & Madeline Soto Detectives believe Stephan Sterns killed 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Monday morning at a Kissimmee apartment complex. (WFTV)
Search for Madeline Soto Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Friday afternoon. (WFTV)
Search for Madeline Soto Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Friday afternoon. (WFTV)
Search for Madeline Soto Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Friday afternoon. (WFTV)
Video Sources: Madeline Soto’s body discovered in rural Osceola County Sources say that Maddie’s body was found in rural St. Cloud near Hickory Tree Road. (Chantelle Navarro /Chantelle Navarro)
Law enforcement join the search for Madeline Soto Police and deputies canvassed the area of Osceola County for 13-year-old Madeline Soto. (Nick Papantonis/Nick Papantonis)
Kissimmee Police Department will take over Madeline Soto investigation The Kissimmee Police Department will handle the search for Madeline Soto, said Chief Betty Holland. (Nick Papantonis/Nick Papantonis)
Orange County Sheriff John Mina gives update on Madeline Soto The sheriff said the efforts will now shift to recovering her body. (Orange County Sheriff's Office /Orange County Sheriff's Office)
Orange County Sheriff's Office gave an update for Madeline Soto Sheriff John Mina said he is confident that she is dead, and recovery efforts will continue. (Nick Papantonis/Nick Papantonis)
Suspect in girl’s disappearance taken to Osceola County Jail
Madeline Soto: Community to hold prayer vigil tonight Members of the community will gather to pray for 13-year-old Madeline Soto. (Unity & Fire Church International/Unity & Fire Church International)
Stephan Sterns & Madeline Soto Deputies in Orange County said 13-year-old Madeline Soto has been missing since Monday morning. And now, her mother’s boyfriend is in jail on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sex abuse material. Stephan Sterns was supposed to go before an Orange County judge Thursday morning but refused to be in court. (OCSO)
Search continues for missing girl, Madeline Soto, as her mother’s boyfriend refuses to face judge
Law enforcement join the search for Madeline Soto More than 50 members of the Orange County Emergency Response Team looked for the 13-year-old in various areas as our detectives continued their investigation. (Orange County Sheriff's Office /Orange County Sheriff's Office)
Law enforcement join the search for Madeline Soto More than 50 members of the Orange County Emergency Response Team looked for the 13-year-old in various areas as our detectives continued their investigation. (Orange County Sheriff's Office /Orange County Sheriff's Office)
Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto (Jennifer Soto /Jennifer Soto)
Large search party gathers Wednesday to look for missing 13-year-old girl in Orange County
Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto (Jennifer Soto /Jennifer Soto)
Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto (Jennifer Soto /Jennifer Soto)
Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto (Jennifer Soto /Jennifer Soto)
Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto (Jennifer Soto /Jennifer Soto)
Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto (Jennifer Soto /Jennifer Soto)
Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto (Jennifer Soto /Jennifer Soto)
Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto (Jennifer Soto /Jennifer Soto)
Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto (Jennifer Soto /Jennifer Soto)
Madeline Soto The Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Friday confirmed that the body of Madeline Soto, 13, has been located. (Orange County Sheriff's Office/Orange County Sheriff's Office)
Sterns later said Soto changed her mind and did not want the breakfast, so they went to school.
Jenn Soto, Madeline Soto’s mother, told investigators that she saw her daughter getting ready for school Feb. 26, the day she vanished.
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During the interview, Sterns never mentioned what Jenn Soto knew about the morning her daughter was last seen.
He was calm, but could not always give a straight answer to investigators’ questions.
Later in the interview, Sterns said Madeline Soto decided against ordering breakfast, and he dropped her off at a church near her school -- along with her backpack and laptop -- because she was embarrassed by his car.
Detectives later learned that Sterns was recorded on video tossing the girl’s backpack and laptop in a dumpster at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 26.
Detectives already knew that Madeline Soto was dead.
Video showed the girl slumped over in the front seat of Sterns’ car.
Sterns willingly gave investigators his cellphone but claimed he accidentally completed a factory reset of the phone while installing an update shortly before he claimed he drove her to school.
The reset erased all calls, mapping information and videos from his electronics.
“I don’t know where my head was,” he told investigators. “Yesterday was so far up my backside.”
There remains a huge gap in the timeline Sterns gave detectives -- particularly between the hours of 8:30 p.m. Feb. 25 and 7:30 a.m. Feb 26.