The Murder of Madeline Soto: Mother’s Boyfriend is Prime Suspect
Killer Psyche
Audible | Treefort Media
4.6 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 15 March 2024
⏱️ 14 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When 13-year-old Madeline Soto did not show up to middle school on February 26th, her mother’s boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, claimed he dropped the teenager off that morning safe and sound. Since then, investigators have found evidence suggesting that Stephan sexually abused Madeline for years. When her body was found just days later, their missing persons report quickly turned into a homicide investigation. In today’s Headlines, Candice is joined by WFTV 9 reporter Shannon Butler to discuss how Stephan became the “prime suspect” in Madeline’s death, how Shannon learned of inconsistencies in statements made by Madeline’s mother, and where the investigation stands now.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey Prime members, you can listen to Killer Psyche, ad free on Amazon music. |
| 0:05.0 | Download the app today. |
| 0:07.0 | Beneath the veneer of the everyday lurks the realm of the spy. |
| 0:13.6 | It's a dank murky world full of dark corners, |
| 0:17.1 | sinister motives, and corroded morals. |
| 0:20.4 | A place of paranoia and infiltration, sabotage and manipulation. |
| 0:25.0 | From Wundery, I'm Indra of Alma. |
| 0:29.0 | This is the Spy Who, a show that takes you inside the twilight realm of espionage. |
| 0:37.0 | These are true stories you were never meant to hear, with secret operatives playing to very different |
| 0:41.9 | rules. Sometimes in service of the national interest, sometimes |
| 0:46.8 | in the service of more personal goals. |
| 0:51.1 | Binge entire seasons of the Spy Who early and ad free on Wondery Plus. |
| 0:57.0 | Or listen weekly wherever you get your podcasts. A listener note, |
| 1:05.0 | note, this episode contains adult content and is not suitable for everyone. |
| 1:10.0 | Please be advised. On the morning of February 26 in |
| 1:21.0 | on the morning of February 26th in Kissimmee, Florida, Stephen Stearns took his girlfriend's daughter, |
| 1:28.4 | 13-year-old Madeline Soto, to school. But when Madeline's mom Jennifer went to pick her up that |
| 1:35.3 | afternoon, she was told that Madeline never showed up. Two days later, after an |
| 1:42.4 | extensive search, police arrested Stern's. |
| 1:46.7 | Not only was he the prime suspect in Madeline's disappearance, but they had proof that he had been sexually abusing her for at least two years. |
| 1:57.0 | On March 1st officials gave the public their theory of what happened that day. |
| 2:02.0 | That Sterns killed Madeline that morning, |
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