Cops Unlock Predator’s Phone, Find Horrifying Videos of Missing Girl

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In today's true crime documentary, we're covering the case of Stephan Sterns.  We're a news agency committed to delivering factual information about police procedures and local news events. This video aims to educate the public without bias. Our goal is to empower viewers with a clear understanding of what's happening in their communities.  This is news piece in the public's interest. This video was created with the intent of educating the public.

Transcript

00:00:009-1-1, what's the location of your emergency?

00:00:03I'm reporting a missing child.

00:00:04And at this point, I start to panic and freak out because that can't be the case.

00:00:08She was dropped off.

00:00:09I remember him saying, should I have asked a warrant?

00:00:11And I'm like, no, if you've got nothing to hide, give them your f***ing phone.

00:00:14If you were to go demand your phone back right now, that would look suspicious as f***.

00:00:17Like, what are you doing?

00:00:18I feel like sometimes people struggle to show real emotion when they're aware of what the truth is.

00:00:23If I knew anything, I promise you, I would tell you.

00:00:26Like, I am willing to take a lie detector test, whatever the f*** you want, but I don't know anything.

00:00:32On February 25th, 2024, in Kissimmee, Florida,

00:00:36Madeline Soto celebrated her 13th birthday party with family and friends.

00:00:41The joyous occasion was quickly overshadowed by fear and panic just one day later,

00:00:46when her mother arrived to pick her up from school, only to learn Madeline never made it to class.

00:00:52Police and investigators launch a massive search operation.

00:00:55But as they piece together the clues from her last 24 hours,

00:00:59shocking evidence and glaring inconsistencies begin to emerge,

00:01:03suggesting her disappearance may be connected to a far more sinister truth.

00:01:12The following report is based on police records,

00:01:15and most of the footage has never been seen before until now.

00:01:19Please note that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent

00:01:22unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

00:01:25On a late evening of February 26th, 2024,

00:01:29the Orange County Sheriff's Office receives a 911 call from a caller with a dire concern.

00:01:35Do you need police, fire, or medical?

00:01:37Police, possibly. I'm reporting a missing child.

00:01:40Okay, and the child that you're trying to report missing, are you calling on behalf of the parent?

00:01:46Yes, yes, on behalf of the mother.

00:01:48Okay, and then how long has it been, though, since you guys have last seen her?

00:01:51Since this morning. She was dropped off at school this morning,

00:01:55and apparently she never showed up.

00:01:58We called everyone we knew, no one's seen her.

00:02:02After collecting more details, the dispatcher assures the caller

00:02:05that a deputy will arrive as soon as possible.

00:02:08However, no help arrives.

00:02:10She calls back two more times, attempting to express the urgency of the situation.

00:02:15Do you need police, fire, or medical?

00:02:17No, it's not a medical issue.

00:02:19We have a missing child since this morning.

00:02:22We already called three times.

00:02:24Yes, ma'am. I see that you're waiting for a deputy to respond.

00:02:26You're waiting for a deputy to respond?

00:02:28Yes, ma'am.

00:02:29And how long more do we need to wait? It's a child missing.

00:02:33I understand that, ma'am, but I'm just not able to give out ETA.

00:02:36I don't know when they'll be there.

00:02:37So this is not important for you guys? Really?

00:02:40Ma'am, we're a very busy area. Look, I understand.

00:02:42They'll be there as soon as they can, okay?

00:02:45The chilling reason for the delay and what had deputies in the area so busy

00:02:50would soon raise more questions about the timing of her disappearance.

00:02:54At 7.48 p.m., Deputy Joseph finally arrives at the scene

00:02:57to meet with the missing girl's mother, 35-year-old Jennifer Soto,

00:03:02and her boyfriend, 37-year-old Stephan Stearns.

00:03:06Hi there.

00:03:10Hey there.

00:03:11What's going on?

00:03:12So, was dropped off close to school this morning, but never made it.

00:03:18I went to pick her up from school.

00:03:19I'm sorry, one second.

00:03:21Go ahead, sir.

00:03:24Are we looking for another kid or we have a kid?

00:03:28Looking for another one.

00:03:30With more than one missing child in the area,

00:03:32the fear that she may have been abducted remains a possibility.

00:03:36So she was supposed to be dropped off at school, didn't make it to school.

00:03:39Didn't make it to school. I went to pick her up from school today.

00:03:41And she never came out.

00:03:43I got a notice, an email from the school saying she was absent,

00:03:47but I also messaged her teacher and he looked at her entire attendance today

00:03:51and saw that she was completely not at school today either.

00:03:53Okay.

00:03:54So she never made it.

00:03:55Just had her 13th birthday.

00:03:5713.

00:03:58What was she last seen wearing?

00:04:00Green hoodie, white Crocs.

00:04:02I think blue or black pants.

00:04:04I think black shorts.

00:04:05Do you know if she has like friends in the area?

00:04:08She does, but she doesn't know where they live.

00:04:10I asked all of them.

00:04:13Is this like, does she like have any places that you guys know that she'll usually be at?

00:04:18Any friends house?

00:04:19Any places that like she likes to hang out?

00:04:21Not typically.

00:04:22No.

00:04:22Not typically?

00:04:23No.

00:04:24Okay.

00:04:24So she has a phone number or a phone?

00:04:27She does, but she left it at home today.

00:04:28I have it.

00:04:29You have it.

00:04:30And I've already known through her messages.

00:04:32Okay.

00:04:33How about, does she have like Apple Watch?

00:04:36No.

00:04:37She's got a device.

00:04:38The only device she's got on her right now is her school laptop.

00:04:41Her school laptop.

00:04:42Is that trackable?

00:04:43I don't think so.

00:04:44You don't think so?

00:04:44Yeah.

00:04:45It should be.

00:04:46It should be.

00:04:47It should be.

00:04:48If the Wi-Fi's turned on, it'll try to connect to a new Wi-Fi.

00:04:52Somebody like circled here.

00:04:53So could I send you a signal?

00:04:54This is a challenge.

00:04:56Without her cell phone, the laptop is their only hope of tracking Madeline's location.

00:05:01Attempts were made to locate the laptop, but unfortunately,

00:05:04the last pinged location was near downtown Orlando on February 22nd,

00:05:09four days prior to her disappearance.

00:05:12Does she have a history of running away or anything like that?

00:05:15I don't know.

00:05:15She's hanging out with her dogs all the time kind of thing?

00:05:18I don't know.

00:05:19Possibly.

00:05:20I don't know.

00:05:21She got dropped off.

00:05:22She was like, I, um, so she's embarrassed by this car.

00:05:26So she wanted me dropped off at school.

00:05:27She wanted me dropped off like half a block away so she can walk.

00:05:30It's an embarrassing thing.

00:05:31She's into pigs.

00:05:32But, um, he dropped her off a block away and drove away.

00:05:36Okay.

00:05:37Did she ever go to school?

00:05:38No, we called school.

00:05:39She was walking in that direction.

00:05:41She was rifling through her backpack, just looking for something.

00:05:44I thought maybe she was just looking for headphones before she got her walking on.

00:05:47Yeah.

00:05:47Um, but she was just kind of, you know, shambling over in that direction.

00:05:50It looked the same as any other morning.

00:05:52A sudden phone call puts the room on high alert

00:05:55as family and officers alike wait to hear if it's news about Madeline.

00:05:59Hello?

00:06:01Yes?

00:06:05Hi, Principal.

00:06:06I'm okay.

00:06:07How are you?

00:06:08That was my cousin.

00:06:10Stefan leads officers to the location where he believes he dropped her off for school.

00:06:14But a parent's struggles with his memory give them a less than ideal start.

00:06:19Was it here?

00:06:21It was along this stretch.

00:06:22I couldn't remember the exact spot, but it was around where these communities were.

00:06:26Circle.

00:06:27Oh, thank you.

00:06:28So, it's like around where these communities were.

00:06:30Okay.

00:06:31And it's just like in this stretch.

00:06:32Like, we could see the overpass down there.

00:06:36Where's the school?

00:06:37Just on the other side of the overpass.

00:06:40With a general idea of where Madeline was last seen,

00:06:43officers begin to search a nearby apartment complex for any sign of the missing child.

00:06:50No, no cameras right now.

00:06:55Yeah, I'm trying to see if we can find something.

00:06:57Yeah.

00:06:59Meanwhile, Deputy Joseph appears to have better luck

00:07:02as he reviews surveillance footage at a church half a mile from Madeline's school,

00:07:06where a young girl fitting her description was captured on camera in the early morning hours.

00:07:12There's like a car pulling up.

00:07:13Yeah, he left, and she walked onto property.

00:07:16And then she actually dove back onto property.

00:07:19I guess she left.

00:07:20She's still sitting there.

00:07:21I don't know.

00:07:22That's what they were saying, right?

00:07:24She left her phone.

00:07:25That's what they were saying, right?

00:07:26She left her phone to me.

00:07:27It's like, that feels intentional.

00:07:29You know?

00:07:30Like, I don't want to be tracked.

00:07:32I'm going to try bumping it up like 10 minutes to see if she's in there.

00:07:37Oh, wait.

00:07:38There is a person getting out of the car.

00:07:42She's on.

00:07:43She's on I-9.

00:07:44Hopeful that Madeline's movements can be tracked,

00:07:47a K-9 search unit is dispatched in the intersection near the school where Madeline may have walked.

00:07:52The stakes are high, and every second counts.

00:07:55But after nearly 15 minutes of searching,

00:07:57they've yet to pick up her trail.

00:08:00I mean, if I had to guess...

00:08:01Get out of there.

00:08:02If I had to guess, you probably went that way.

00:08:04Yeah.

00:08:05But...

00:08:08Ow!

00:08:09He dumped her off here, or he dumped her off...

00:08:11He dumped her off right there.

00:08:12Up ahead.

00:08:13Okay.

00:08:14And she walked this way, coming down.

00:08:16So her scent's probably all over here anyway.

00:08:18Yeah.

00:08:21That's a tough one.

00:08:23What are you telling me?

00:08:25Oh, my God.

00:08:26Okay.

00:08:27Yeah, we can pull it.

00:08:29Back at the church, Deputy Joseph shares what he saw on the surveillance footage with Madeline Zant.

00:08:34Okay, it's a blurry video, but it looks like an adolescent child sitting right there.

00:08:39And I don't see her getting into anybody's car in the video.

00:08:42I see her sitting on property for, give or take, 10 minutes,

00:08:46and then walking off property.

00:08:48I don't know which way she went from there.

00:08:50Do you think there were cameras that showed the bridge or something?

00:08:54No.

00:08:55Speculating that Madeline may have wandered away on her own,

00:08:58the officer asks if there's anywhere she may have gone that she wouldn't want her mother to know about.

00:09:04I have no idea which way she went.

00:09:06I didn't see any, like...

00:09:07Crazy stuff.

00:09:08Crazy.

00:09:09Yeah, me neither, yeah.

00:09:10I didn't see her trying to, like, plan anything or anything.

00:09:14And I just really don't think she's the type to do that.

00:09:17Just walk up and leave?

00:09:19Yeah, I don't see her doing that at all.

00:09:22The mystery of Madeline's disappearance eludes law enforcement

00:09:25as a challenging night of searching meets a disappointing end.

00:09:29Despite their exhaustive efforts,

00:09:31the haunting question of where Madeline has gone and why

00:09:34leaves everyone grasping for answers.

00:09:38The following day, on February 27th,

00:09:40officers begin canvassing local neighborhoods

00:09:43and the family makes multiple appearances in television interviews.

00:09:47As news about Madeline's disappearance spreads,

00:09:50residents begin feeling the emotional impact.

00:09:53Oh, is this about that little girl?

00:09:55Yeah.

00:09:56Oh, my God.

00:09:57I've been crying all day long.

00:09:59Yeah, she's been missing since 8.30 a.m.

00:10:02Why aren't there any updates?

00:10:04I'm looking everywhere for anybody.

00:10:06I kept saying to myself, I said,

00:10:08I'm hoping she skipped school today.

00:10:10While Orange County deputies continue knocking on doors,

00:10:13a detective heads to Madeline's school to speak with her best friend

00:10:17in the hopes she may have heard from her

00:10:19or has information that may lead to a breakthrough.

00:10:22I said it was fishy yesterday when she didn't text me at all

00:10:25because usually even if she doesn't go to school that day,

00:10:27she texts me like the night or the day

00:10:30and I was like, she'll wake up early just to like text me like,

00:10:32hey, I'm not going to school.

00:10:33And she didn't yesterday, but I didn't think anything of it

00:10:36except that she's like, oh, she like slept in or something.

00:10:38Okay.

00:10:39Did you ever try to call her or text her or anything?

00:10:41Yes, I called her.

00:10:42And no answer?

00:10:43No answer.

00:10:44And that's completely out of the ordinary for her?

00:10:46Yeah.

00:10:47According to investigators,

00:10:48Madeline's phone was unplugged from the charger

00:10:50on February 26th at 7.04 AM.

00:10:53It was then powered off around 15 minutes later,

00:10:56which they would determine is an unusual pattern

00:10:59according to historical phone data.

00:11:01As speculation that Madeline ran away from home continues,

00:11:04her friend drops a shocking revelation.

00:11:07She had told someone like,

00:11:09when I turn 13, once I turn 13,

00:11:12I'm going to leave this house and never come back.

00:11:14Why 13?

00:11:15Because she would always brag,

00:11:17because I said that I can't wait to my birthday.

00:11:19And she was like, are you having a birthday party?

00:11:21I said, no.

00:11:22And she was like, oh, I get a whole bunch of money,

00:11:24like 500 something dollars.

00:11:26I think she was waiting to turn 13.

00:11:29That way she could get a whole bunch of money and go.

00:11:33But where would she go?

00:11:35I have no clue.

00:11:36As the question of why Madeline would want to run away from home

00:11:39haunts the investigators,

00:11:42her mother, Jennifer, offers a simple explanation.

00:11:45So this whole living in the woods thing,

00:11:47I have people like propping through the woods right now

00:11:50on horses and ATVs and all sorts of things.

00:11:52But has she ever mentioned that before?

00:11:54The thing is, I started talking to her about World War III,

00:11:57just what's happening politically.

00:11:59And I'm like, you know,

00:12:00I don't know what that means for us,

00:12:02but we'll see what happens.

00:12:03But I've talked to her about World War III.

00:12:05So that's what I'm just saying.

00:12:06How long ago is that?

00:12:07I mean, is that something that might have impacted her?

00:12:09That's why she said she wanted to go home.

00:12:11That's why she said she wanted to go live in the woods.

00:12:13As the detective asked Jennifer for her own insights,

00:12:15she poses a darker theory for what may have happened to Madeline.

00:12:19Based off of everything,

00:12:21me knowing her and knowing how she is

00:12:23and how tight-knit we are,

00:12:25like, I don't think she would run away.

00:12:28I feel like she was taken,

00:12:30like on that short walk from where she was dropped off to the school.

00:12:33As investigators finish interviewing Madeline's friend,

00:12:36she shares one final detail

00:12:38that suggests a suspicious break in her usual routine.

00:12:41The friend shares that Madeline

00:12:43always preferred to be dropped off at school

00:12:45and had never walked her way to school from the church.

00:12:49But yesterday, for some random reason,

00:12:51she wanted to be dropped off at the church.

00:12:53I don't know if she's ever been dropped off at the church before

00:12:55or not. She has told me.

00:12:56Okay.

00:12:57The unusual circumstances leave detectives scrambling for answers

00:13:01and they'll soon turn to Stephan and Jennifer

00:13:04to fill in the blanks.

00:13:05As officers continue canvassing,

00:13:07a second night falls with no valuable leads.

00:13:10By now, Madeline has been missing for over 48 hours.

00:13:14K-9 Wyatt returns for a second attempt at locating her trail,

00:13:18this time beginning at Madeline's residence

00:13:21where Stephan and Jennifer are waiting.

00:13:23We're going to pull one more

00:13:24and then we're going to have the dog sniff it out again

00:13:26and see if we can get another track going.

00:13:28Can I get you, like, the last outfit you're wearing?

00:13:31Has it been, like, with other clothes and all that?

00:13:34Like, your clothes?

00:13:35It got mixed in with people's dirty clothes.

00:13:38Is it other people's dirty clothes or is it her?

00:13:40No, it's just hers.

00:13:41Is there, is her underwear?

00:13:42What about, like, a pillow that she likes to sleep with?

00:13:45Her underwear, yeah, I mean, all that stuff works.

00:13:47Yeah, but you slept on the pillow this morning.

00:13:49Oh, that's right, I slept on the pillow.

00:13:51They settle on using a pair of her underwear

00:13:53from the bathroom and the search begins.

00:13:56However, Stephan's curiosity will soon create

00:13:59an unexpected barrier to their efforts.

00:14:01I'm going to be going, like, right where you guys are.

00:14:04You guys can go inside if you want,

00:14:06because then I just don't want him trying to track you guys.

00:14:09It's kind of fascinating to watch.

00:14:11Yeah.

00:14:13He's a pretty cute little guy.

00:14:19Just as long as everybody's inside.

00:14:20I'm not going to go inside.

00:14:21I'm just going to start at the front door.

00:14:24He's trying to open the door.

00:14:25Oh, God, he opened the door.

00:14:26Sorry.

00:14:27He knows how to open doors.

00:14:29After only a few minutes of searching,

00:14:31Stephan is seen lingering just around the corner,

00:14:33leading to frustration with the canine's handler.

00:14:38No, sorry.

00:14:39He backtracks a lot, so he kind of just circles.

00:14:51Unfortunately, no critical evidence was found

00:14:53in the second canine search

00:14:55and concerns around Madeline's whereabouts

00:14:57continued to escalate.

00:14:59By Friday, March 1st,

00:15:01five days after she first disappeared,

00:15:03Madeline is still nowhere to be found.

00:15:06Jennifer and Stephan have been interviewed multiple times,

00:15:09but inconsistencies in their accounts

00:15:11and shocking new evidence

00:15:12have thrown the case in a chilling new direction.

00:15:15As investigators meet with Jennifer

00:15:17to revisit their previous interviews,

00:15:19an intricate web of lies begins to unravel.

00:15:23You want me to go through the whole thing?

00:15:26Yeah, we'll start with Sunday.

00:15:28Take me through Sunday.

00:15:30Sunday.

00:15:33Birthday party.

00:15:36I spent the whole day at my mom's house.

00:15:40We celebrated with the whole family.

00:15:43I was at work.

00:15:44I just started a new job last week or the week before.

00:15:47She had the best day.

00:15:49She was so happy when I got home and I saw her.

00:15:54At my house around 8.30.

00:15:56That night.

00:15:58I wasn't home.

00:16:00She got dropped off alone.

00:16:02About 10 to 15 minutes later, Stephan showed up.

00:16:08At your house in Kissimmee?

00:16:09At my house in Kissimmee.

00:16:10He called me.

00:16:13Or he texted me.

00:16:16He let me know he was there

00:16:18and that she was

00:16:23she was getting ready for bed.

00:16:24She was doing her routine.

00:16:25Stephan previously explained to detectives

00:16:27that he doesn't live with Jennifer full-time

00:16:29but rather splits his time between her house in Kissimmee

00:16:32and his parents' home in North Port, Florida,

00:16:35nearly 150 miles away.

00:16:38And what does your time splitting look like?

00:16:40Are you here for days, weeks, months?

00:16:42Something else?

00:16:44Weeks.

00:16:45Weeks at a time, yeah.

00:16:47And so, I guess, when did you arrive

00:16:51this block of time that you're here?

00:16:54Day before yesterday, actually.

00:16:56So, Saturday?

00:16:58Yeah, I think.

00:16:59So, you got here Saturday night.

00:17:01This is inconsistent

00:17:02with what Jennifer just told detectives,

00:17:04claiming Stephan arrived after her birthday party

00:17:07which took place on Sunday night.

00:17:09However, even this timeline

00:17:11contradicts one of her earlier interviews

00:17:13in which Jennifer struggled to remember

00:17:15exactly what day he made it into town.

00:17:18How long has he been here?

00:17:19Or when did he arrive, rather, this time?

00:17:22I can't remember if he arrived Saturday

00:17:24or Sunday morning.

00:17:27These are only the beginning

00:17:28of a string of contradictions

00:17:30that will soon raise major red flags.

00:17:33As Stephan's questioning continues,

00:17:35he's asked to describe how Madeline was acting

00:17:37following her birthday party on Sunday night.

00:17:40She was just happy.

00:17:41She was very happy.

00:17:42She was very happy.

00:17:43She was very happy.

00:17:44She was very happy.

00:17:45She was very happy.

00:17:46She was very happy.

00:17:47She was just happy.

00:17:48She was very happy.

00:17:51Everyone was happy.

00:17:53There's nothing out of the ordinary.

00:17:54I can't remember anything particular that happened.

00:17:57Jennifer continues to explain

00:17:59what happened just after she returned from work

00:18:01and the reason behind her decision

00:18:03to break routine

00:18:04and have Stephan take Madeline to school

00:18:06the following morning.

00:18:08I got home around 10.30.

00:18:11I started getting ready for bed myself.

00:18:13I started eating and taking my meds.

00:18:15The aftershave meds.

00:18:17When I went to take my meds,

00:18:19I realized, oh my God,

00:18:21I forgot to take my Saturday night's meds,

00:18:23which is why I felt so weird

00:18:25and so abnormal and not myself.

00:18:27Someday, while I was at work,

00:18:29everyone at work noticed I was acting different

00:18:31and not being myself.

00:18:33I couldn't smile in front of the guests.

00:18:35I felt this wave of depression

00:18:36that I haven't felt in years.

00:18:38It was my bipolar symptoms coming up again

00:18:40that I just,

00:18:41I've been meditating myself for,

00:18:43for as long as time.

00:18:44I sent them to sleep upstairs

00:18:46in the guest bedroom

00:18:48so that I could get a good night's sleep.

00:18:50This disturbing admission

00:18:52further stressed the concerns

00:18:54detectives have had since Jennifer's initial interview

00:18:56when she'd first explained

00:18:58their unusual sleeping arrangements at home.

00:19:00Is it normal for both of them

00:19:02to sleep in the same room?

00:19:04Sometimes.

00:19:05When I really need a good night's sleep,

00:19:07I will send them upstairs.

00:19:09But when,

00:19:11also a lot of times

00:19:13we will sleep together

00:19:15in the king size bed, all three of us.

00:19:17Or sometimes Stephan will go upstairs

00:19:19and sleep in our bed alone.

00:19:21So it just really depends on what's going on

00:19:23that night with our schedules and what we're doing.

00:19:25Okay, where were you sleeping?

00:19:27Downstairs in the king size bed.

00:19:29Okay, is it just you two here?

00:19:31Or you guys have a roommate, right?

00:19:33We have two roommates.

00:19:35So what rooms do you guys use?

00:19:37Room number, the room downstairs,

00:19:39the master bedroom downstairs,

00:19:41and room number four.

00:19:43What investigators would uncover

00:19:45would leave detectives reeling.

00:19:47As Jennifer continues,

00:19:49she elaborates on how the concerning sleeping

00:19:51arrangements first originated.

00:19:53The living situation with them,

00:19:55I'll be honest, seems weird.

00:19:57It's weird to me. She's got a bedroom downstairs.

00:19:59What's kind of the

00:20:01mindset or the

00:20:03thought process, the communication

00:20:05you've had with Stephan about

00:20:07you know, she's not going to sleep in her bed

00:20:09but you guys are going to go sleep in the guest bedroom?

00:20:11It wasn't until June that he got

00:20:13his own bedroom and I sent

00:20:15him upstairs. That's where the

00:20:17requests for sleepovers

00:20:19started. Okay.

00:20:21And I kept telling her, no, no, no, no,

00:20:23no, no, no, I'm not comfortable with that, I'm not comfortable with that.

00:20:25They really wanted to watch something and I was really

00:20:27tired. And I said, okay,

00:20:29fine,

00:20:31go ahead, but this can't happen

00:20:33often.

00:20:35Yeah, I

00:20:37don't know if I'm going to go upstairs and sleep with him.

00:20:39But honestly,

00:20:41I think I can count on one hand

00:20:43how many times that's happened and it has been

00:20:45many times I've allowed her to have a supper party

00:20:47with him, to be alone in the

00:20:49bed with him.

00:20:51The sleeping arrangements leave detectives seemingly

00:20:53uneasy, but with finding Madeline

00:20:55still the main priority, investigators

00:20:57ask Stephan to piece together

00:20:59the events of the following morning.

00:21:01Woke up around

00:21:037, 7 15

00:21:05somewhere around there,

00:21:07which is an early start for us, but

00:21:09we had talked about getting a Donald's breakfast

00:21:11beforehand, so we want to make good time.

00:21:13We did

00:21:15make good time. We got out the door, maybe

00:21:177 30, 7

00:21:1945 ish, maybe.

00:21:21However, when Natalie, who lived in the house

00:21:23as one of Jennifer's two roommates, was

00:21:25asked if she saw the two of them getting ready

00:21:27in the morning, her answer seemed to

00:21:29contradict Stephan's account.

00:21:31Did you see them all Monday morning?

00:21:33By the time I was leaving

00:21:35Monday? No, I think I was

00:21:37leaving too early.

00:21:39I leave like around 7 45

00:21:41I

00:21:43typically don't see them.

00:21:45Probably gone before they

00:21:47even got up, maybe.

00:21:49Okay, gotcha. If Natalie's recollection

00:21:51is correct, she would likely have

00:21:53seen Stephan, as they both claim to

00:21:55have left the house at the same time.

00:21:57The timeline is even more muddied

00:21:59by a written statement to the police

00:22:01in which Jennifer claims she physically

00:22:04saw Madeline getting ready around 8 a.m.

00:22:06Confusion over the truth

00:22:08is compounded as her story

00:22:10continues to change.

00:22:12Between your initial statement to the police,

00:22:14a lot of things have changed.

00:22:16Initial statement to the police was

00:22:18you watched her get dressed, you watched her leave,

00:22:20you knew exactly what she was wearing.

00:22:22Can I tell you

00:22:24my thought process on that or where I came from

00:22:26with that?

00:22:28I was handed this form

00:22:30and I'm like, where do I start?

00:22:32What do I write?

00:22:34And somebody said, tell them what you saw.

00:22:36And so I started with

00:22:38I saw.

00:22:40And then I wrote out what I wrote out.

00:22:42But it wasn't until later I was like, wait

00:22:44I didn't see her.

00:22:46I assumed that I saw her.

00:22:48I assumed that I heard her.

00:22:50But I didn't.

00:22:52In reality, I didn't see her.

00:22:54I only saw him.

00:22:56And I heard something in the kitchen, but

00:22:58I don't know who that was.

00:23:00Due to inconsistencies, investigators move on

00:23:02to what happened after Stephan and Madeline

00:23:04allegedly left for school.

00:23:06She was asleep in the car most of the time.

00:23:08Just snoozing until we got

00:23:10there.

00:23:12She wanted to be dropped off

00:23:14a little down the ways from the school.

00:23:16She's got this phase

00:23:18that she's been into lately where she

00:23:20is very particular about what car she's seen getting

00:23:22out of in front of the school.

00:23:24I get it. It's an image thing.

00:23:26I said, okay.

00:23:28Have a good day.

00:23:30Love you. Thanks. Love you too.

00:23:32And I turned around and was driving

00:23:34away and was watching her in my rearview mirror

00:23:36to make sure that she was

00:23:38going where she was supposed to go.

00:23:40She was moving in that direction

00:23:42but she was rummaging around in her backpack

00:23:44or something. I found out later that she forgot

00:23:46her phone here, so she may have been rummaging

00:23:48for her phone. But she was still

00:23:50kind of making her way towards

00:23:52that direction, so it looked okay.

00:23:54It looked like any other day.

00:23:56She said that that's typical of her to walk

00:23:58that distance? Yeah, she likes the morning walks

00:24:00when it's cool

00:24:02and she will sometimes like to

00:24:04hang out and wait for her friends.

00:24:06She's known to do that.

00:24:08His statement seems to have raised suspicions with investigators

00:24:10as Madeline's friend informs them

00:24:12that it isn't typical for her to be dropped off

00:24:14anywhere but in front of the school.

00:24:16Stefan also claims to have dropped

00:24:18her off between 8.20 and 8.40 a.m.

00:24:20But when confronted with

00:24:22what detectives saw on local street cameras

00:24:24Stefan makes an abrupt change

00:24:26to his story.

00:24:28So why is your car

00:24:30seen going southbound at 8.10?

00:24:32So meaning going toward

00:24:34Kissimmee?

00:24:36I had forgotten

00:24:38my gate clicker. I'm sorry.

00:24:40I had gone back to the house real quick

00:24:42after we left. I actually had to

00:24:44go through the front gate and use my

00:24:46parking pass to grab

00:24:48my clicker. So it was the wrong time.

00:24:50I'm sorry. Like I said

00:24:52I was guesstimating these times.

00:24:54I'm not a morning person.

00:24:56Okay. So yes

00:24:58we had gone out.

00:25:00How far did you get before

00:25:02you came back down when

00:25:04you realized you forgot your clicker?

00:25:06Nearly all the way

00:25:08to the school.

00:25:10So you guys came back here to get your clicker?

00:25:12Correct. So when we look at the cameras in the

00:25:14front it's going to show you coming back in here

00:25:16with her in the car? Yes, with her in the passenger

00:25:18seat. Yes.

00:25:20This apartment shows Stefan pulling up to the

00:25:22complex trash compactor at 7.35

00:25:24a.m. in his silver sedan.

00:25:26He's wearing a red colored shirt

00:25:28as he throws a trash bag inside the

00:25:30compactor and pulls away.

00:25:32A female believed to be Madeline

00:25:34is visible in the front passenger seat

00:25:36appearing slightly slumped over.

00:25:38They leave and return to

00:25:40the apartment at 8.19 a.m.

00:25:42where Stefan appears to speak briefly

00:25:44with the security guard.

00:25:46Madeline still appears to be in the front

00:25:48passenger seat. The security guard was later

00:25:50interviewed but his account burns

00:25:52another hole in Stefan's story.

00:25:54Do you remember a resident

00:25:56coming through in a silver

00:25:58Lincoln sedan?

00:26:00I do remember

00:26:02but not his face.

00:26:04I talked to him. He

00:26:06showed me his little clicker

00:26:08and he's like, hey man

00:26:10I'm clicking and it's not working.

00:26:12And then I went and I clicked the button

00:26:14and he went inside

00:26:16and I just remembered there was

00:26:18a woman like sleeping

00:26:20beside him with

00:26:22a green shirt.

00:26:24If Stefan already had his gate clicker

00:26:26his reason for returning to the complex

00:26:28falls apart, leaving investigators

00:26:30to question what else he may

00:26:32have lied about. They determine

00:26:34the trash compactor needs a closer look

00:26:36and begin the process of gathering

00:26:38a warrant to search its contents.

00:26:40Meanwhile, with more questions

00:26:42than answers, Stefan continues

00:26:45to explain what happened next after he

00:26:47returned to the area near the church

00:26:49and dropped Madeline off.

00:26:51What did you do after you left the area?

00:26:53I left to go to the

00:26:55local vape shop because I needed

00:26:57some more vape juice.

00:26:59They weren't quite open yet

00:27:01so I ended up

00:27:03going back home

00:27:05waited about an hour or so

00:27:07and then went back and checked the vape shop again

00:27:09It was open so

00:27:11I got what I needed there and

00:27:13Do you remember what time you came home?

00:27:15The first time was probably

00:27:17right around 10

00:27:19close to it

00:27:21Probably finished at the vape shop and came

00:27:23back home again a little after 11

00:27:25Okay. You said the first time

00:27:27that you hung out with her was a little bit, right?

00:27:29Was there when you got here at 10?

00:27:31I think so.

00:27:33She might have been at her blood appointment. Let me double check.

00:27:35It's okay. We don't have to ask her right now.

00:27:37Sorry. Everything's a blur.

00:27:39So she might have been here. She might not have been here at the first time.

00:27:41I believe she was here because she was sleeping

00:27:43in as much as she possibly could

00:27:45because she's been messed up with a new work schedule

00:27:47so she had to be here because she

00:27:49had been wanting to sleep in.

00:27:51With Stephan struggling to remember whether or not Jennifer

00:27:53was home when he arrived back at the apartment

00:27:55investigators turned to

00:27:57Jennifer herself for confirmation

00:27:59When Stephan called me

00:28:01around 10, 18 in the morning

00:28:03I had stepped out

00:28:05to go get blood work done

00:28:07and he had just let me know

00:28:09that he just got back home

00:28:13from running a few errands

00:28:15I asked, did you guys ever just stop at McDonald's?

00:28:17And he said no. She changed her mind.

00:28:19He tried convincing her a few times but she did not want

00:28:21McDonald's anymore.

00:28:23What time did you leave the house yesterday in the morning?

00:28:25Or what time did you step out, rather?

00:28:27I'm going to say around

00:28:299.30

00:28:31You left around 9.30

00:28:33and then Stephan called you

00:28:35around 10 to say you got home?

00:28:37Yeah.

00:28:39Though Stephan claims he spent time with Jennifer

00:28:41before leaving for the vape store a second time

00:28:43Jennifer's account suggests

00:28:45she wasn't home until after he returned

00:28:47As confusion builds over

00:28:49the timeline, detectives review

00:28:51security footage from the street cameras

00:28:53and notice a flaw in Stephan's story

00:28:55Did you go

00:28:57anywhere else after the smoke shop?

00:28:59Oh no

00:29:01I don't think I went anywhere specific

00:29:03I was just driving probably

00:29:05in the direction of home

00:29:07but I don't remember stopping anywhere

00:29:09specifically. And you were there for 5

00:29:11to 10 minutes?

00:29:13Roundabout, I think.

00:29:15So let's say you drop her off at

00:29:178.40. We don't see your

00:29:19car coming back south until

00:29:2110 o'clock in the morning.

00:29:23So what are you doing between

00:29:258.40 and 10 o'clock?

00:29:27Cruising around

00:29:29a little bit.

00:29:31But I asked you earlier

00:29:33what you were doing and you said

00:29:35you were there for like 5 or 10 minutes

00:29:37and then you came back home.

00:29:39I don't know what to say. It was just

00:29:41a normal day. I didn't have anything important to do.

00:29:43The smoke shop was supposed to open soon

00:29:45so I made my way over there.

00:29:47I wasn't in any particular rush though.

00:29:49Okay, but can you help

00:29:51me explain to them

00:29:53because I don't know the explanation or the answer

00:29:55to this question, okay?

00:29:57So can you help me explain to them

00:29:59why there's such a delay

00:30:01in the time?

00:30:03No.

00:30:05With Stephan unable to provide an answer,

00:30:07more surveillance footage will need to be reviewed

00:30:09to track his movements.

00:30:11Meanwhile, a suspicious act by Stephan

00:30:13raises serious alarms for

00:30:15investigators.

00:30:17I left my phone at home in the morning too.

00:30:19I was so busy riding herd over to get us

00:30:21out the door on time that I

00:30:23left my phone. She left her

00:30:25phone.

00:30:27We both left our phones.

00:30:29Did you have your phone when you went to the

00:30:31smoke shop? Not the first time

00:30:33after I dropped her off. I was still without it.

00:30:35I got it. I got my phone

00:30:37and went back to the smoke shop

00:30:39later when I got home.

00:30:41And then I also noticed

00:30:43I was checking your call history

00:30:45I noticed that you don't have anything

00:30:47before this morning. Is that

00:30:49unusual on your phone?

00:30:51No, it's a new phone.

00:30:53It's stupid. I

00:30:55went to do an update yesterday morning

00:30:57and I

00:30:59don't know what the

00:31:01pardon me

00:31:03I don't know what the heck I did

00:31:05but somehow during the massive

00:31:07OS update I managed to

00:31:09factory reset my phone

00:31:11and lose all of my contacts

00:31:13all my information

00:31:15Jennifer also corroborates this story

00:31:17as she explains the moment

00:31:19the supposed accident took place.

00:31:21And I said, how the hell does that happen?

00:31:23That gives you options now when you reset your phone?

00:31:26And he goes, yeah, apparently I wasn't

00:31:28paying attention and just

00:31:30I just pressed the button and it happened.

00:31:32And I said, oh that's

00:31:34unfortunate. That sucks.

00:31:36When asked, Stefan voluntarily hands

00:31:38over his phone and investigators

00:31:40begin a forensic download to determine

00:31:42its contents. They uncover

00:31:44that at 12.12pm on February

00:31:4626th, the phone was factory

00:31:48reset by manually navigating

00:31:50to the device's settings and that

00:31:52it had nothing to do with a system update.

00:31:54They also discovered that a

00:31:56password must be entered and that

00:31:58it's unlikely, if not impossible

00:32:00to be done by accident.

00:32:02In the meantime, Jennifer explains

00:32:04that Stefan had an intense reaction

00:32:06to leaving his phone in the hands of the police.

00:32:08So earlier that day

00:32:10I think Detective Hunt came

00:32:12or somebody came

00:32:14and asked Stefan for his cell phone

00:32:16if he would willingly

00:32:18give it up so that they can look at it or if they would need

00:32:20a warrant.

00:32:22And

00:32:24I remember him saying, should I have

00:32:26asked a warrant? Should I have? And I'm like,

00:32:28no, you've got nothing to hide. Give him your phone.

00:32:30And I think we hung out

00:32:32in the house for a little bit and then when you guys came

00:32:34in the evening and you guys told us to wait

00:32:36outside and we waited in my car

00:32:38he started getting very anxious

00:32:40and very panicky going, I want my phone back.

00:32:42I want my phone back. And I said,

00:32:44listen, at this point, it's their phone.

00:32:46It's theirs forever. I don't give a

00:32:48we will buy you a new phone. It doesn't matter

00:32:50anymore. Whatever they need, they need.

00:32:52Let them look at it.

00:32:54And he's like, I just want my phone back.

00:32:56And I'm just like,

00:32:58are you trying to make yourself more suspicious?

00:33:00Because

00:33:02if you were to go

00:33:04demand your phone back right now, that would look suspicious

00:33:06as f**k. What are you doing?

00:33:08What they would later discover hidden in the data

00:33:10would shock investigators

00:33:12and completely change the course of the case.

00:33:14Meanwhile, as

00:33:16Stefan's account of the day continues,

00:33:18he explains that he left the apartment once again

00:33:20around 1230 in the afternoon.

00:33:22I had a couple errands

00:33:24to run over on 192.

00:33:26She

00:33:28was talking about making

00:33:30a BJ shopping list.

00:33:32She just wanted to make sure I was back in time for us

00:33:34to both go pick up. So I was visiting

00:33:36some card shops around the area on 192.

00:33:38I'm kind of a nerd

00:33:40so we had a new trading card game

00:33:42released and I was seeing what the

00:33:44situation was with it.

00:33:46Jennifer describes Stefan as an avid gamer

00:33:48who collects figurines,

00:33:50trading cards, and retro toys

00:33:52such as Tamagotchis.

00:33:54Do you remember what places you visited?

00:33:56Yeah, Colosseum of Comics.

00:33:58Stopped by

00:34:00a couple targets and I was

00:34:02going to go to House Rules Games down by

00:34:04Oak and 192.

00:34:06But I didn't make it that far.

00:34:08I got a flat tire on the way.

00:34:10Between the factory phone reset

00:34:12and now the flat tire,

00:34:14suspicious circumstances keep adding up.

00:34:16Jennifer continues,

00:34:18explaining what happened as the time approached

00:34:20to pick up Madeline from school.

00:34:222.30 rolls around and I'm already

00:34:24calling Stefan

00:34:26and he's not picking up his phone.

00:34:28About 10 minutes later, I get a

00:34:30phone call from him going,

00:34:32I just got back home. I left my phone home again.

00:34:34I'm so sorry.

00:34:36How long ago did you leave?

00:34:38And I said, about 10 minutes ago.

00:34:40He goes, I'm so sorry. I missed it.

00:34:42It's fine.

00:34:44Investigators attempt to pinpoint

00:34:46where the tire change occurred,

00:34:48but once again, Stefan seems

00:34:50to struggle with his memory.

00:34:52Do you remember where you got your flat tire?

00:34:54It was on 192. I pulled into

00:34:56one of those plazas somewhere.

00:34:58Do you remember the name

00:35:00of the plaza by any chance?

00:35:02Though investigators were unaware

00:35:04at the time, Stefan's flat tire

00:35:06would eventually be the key to a massive

00:35:08breakthrough in the search for Madeline.

00:35:10Meanwhile, Jennifer explains

00:35:12she went to the school to pick up Madeline

00:35:14and more inconsistencies come up.

00:35:164.10 rolls around

00:35:18and she's still not out or

00:35:204.09 and then at this point I'm feeling the pressure

00:35:22from the cars behind me. I'm like, okay, they're all

00:35:24full. They're all waiting for me to leave and she's not here yet.

00:35:26So I take off and I'm thinking

00:35:28maybe I missed her.

00:35:30Maybe I forgot to tell her I was picking her up

00:35:32from school today because I don't know if she knew that I wasn't

00:35:34working. So I left thinking

00:35:36maybe she walked by.

00:35:38That's pretty close to school. Let me go

00:35:40drive back down and wait along the path she

00:35:42would walk and just wait.

00:35:44And I parked and I waited.

00:35:46Maybe somewhere between five and ten minutes.

00:35:48She still wasn't

00:35:50there and I looked at the time and I'm like, okay

00:35:52she should be back at my mom's office by now.

00:35:54Maybe she took a different path and I didn't see.

00:35:56She's still not here.

00:35:58And I'm like, that's really strange.

00:36:00And I think at this point I call

00:36:02Stefan and tell him she didn't make it.

00:36:04She's not, she's absent today.

00:36:07There's no attendance of her at all today.

00:36:09Later that evening,

00:36:11Jennifer, Stefan and concerned family

00:36:13members met with police to report

00:36:15Madeline missing. Detectives

00:36:17noted several discrepancies in Jennifer

00:36:19and Stefan's accounts.

00:36:21Jennifer initially claimed she saw Madeline

00:36:23getting ready for school, later

00:36:25saying she only heard her.

00:36:27Curiously, she'd corrected Stefan

00:36:29on what Madeline was wearing earlier

00:36:31despite initial statements that she

00:36:33never saw her.

00:36:35Either blue or black pants.

00:36:37I think black shorts.

00:36:39Black shorts?

00:36:41Additionally, a review of

00:36:43cameras near where Stefan supposedly

00:36:45left Madeline doesn't show his car in the

00:36:47area and cameras capture him

00:36:49moving in the opposite direction at the time

00:36:51he was supposedly dropping her off at school.

00:36:53A license plate reader

00:36:55also captured Stefan nine miles

00:36:57away in St. Cloud at the time he

00:36:59was supposedly heading toward House Rules

00:37:01Games in Kissimmee, where he

00:37:03disappears from cameras for approximately

00:37:0554 minutes. With

00:37:07suspicious circumstances surrounding

00:37:09Madeline's disappearance, police prohibit

00:37:11Stefan and Jennifer from re-entering

00:37:13their apartment on the night of February 27th,

00:37:15one day following

00:37:17Madeline's disappearance.

00:37:19Jennifer's reaction to the news

00:37:21was far from what investigators expected.

00:37:23I think at this point

00:37:25when I noticed that forensics was

00:37:27locking down the house and you guys said we couldn't come back,

00:37:29I told him to call his dad

00:37:31because I had a feeling

00:37:33something, y'all knew something

00:37:35and it was going to come down on him.

00:37:37And I'm just like, they're focusing on the wrong

00:37:39person, they have the wrong person. In my head

00:37:41I'm convinced you guys are just

00:37:43that you had the wrong

00:37:45person. I started saying to him

00:37:47like I think they're focusing in on you

00:37:49like you need to call your dad and I think

00:37:51we need to get you a lawyer.

00:37:53How did he feel when you said he needs a lawyer?

00:37:55He didn't believe me.

00:37:57Like when I told him like don't you see

00:37:59forensics is closing down the house, they know

00:38:01something or there's something

00:38:03like

00:38:05they know something,

00:38:07something's happening. They wouldn't be locking down the house

00:38:09this way if they didn't have

00:38:11suspicions of something. On the night

00:38:13of February 27th, after the police

00:38:15seized Stephen's phone in their apartment

00:38:17they booked a hotel with

00:38:19Stephen's dad, Chris, a retired

00:38:21Orange County police deputy.

00:38:23Chris will soon speak with police

00:38:25sharing his own fears and suspicions

00:38:27about his son.

00:38:29Meanwhile, the following morning, Stephen's

00:38:31sudden absence from the hotel doesn't

00:38:33go unnoticed. The following morning

00:38:35I wake up, I think around 9 o'clock in the morning

00:38:37and

00:38:39Stephen's not there

00:38:41and I remember thinking

00:38:43he left again without his phone

00:38:45and didn't tell anyone where he was going

00:38:47that's suspicious as hell again

00:38:49why is he trying to

00:38:51Well we took his phone so he got a new phone

00:38:53He didn't get the new phone

00:38:55until later that day

00:38:57where his dad woke up, came to our hotel room

00:38:59and then handed him a phone

00:39:01but he rolled in around 1115

00:39:05rolled in with a cup of Wawa

00:39:07and said oh I'm so sorry

00:39:09I was just driving around, I grabbed

00:39:11some Wawa on 182 and got lost

00:39:13I didn't know how to get back to the hotel

00:39:15but I'm here now

00:39:17and I'm just like, detectives are about to show up

00:39:19what the f*** would have happened if they showed up and you weren't here

00:39:21you would have been a fugitive

00:39:23what are you doing?

00:39:25and he was just apologetic

00:39:27about not telling anyone

00:39:29where he went

00:39:31but you know

00:39:33he had a Wawa cop and he said he was up

00:39:35at 192

00:39:37but in reality I know that he

00:39:39truly took my car in the middle of the night

00:39:41to Northport, Florida

00:39:43and was down there for an hour and came back

00:39:53He was found again one mile from his parents' home

00:39:55in Northport, Florida

00:39:57nearly 150 miles from Kissimmee

00:39:59at 629 AM

00:40:01Investigators urgently speak

00:40:03with Stefan's dad Chris

00:40:05as their suspicions surrounding Stefan's activity

00:40:07solidify their suspicions

00:40:09about it being connected with Madeline's whereabouts

00:40:11Did he tell you he was in Northport today?

00:40:13I'm assuming he didn't

00:40:15based on the reaction

00:40:17Did he take a seat?

00:40:19No, he was in Northport

00:40:21We have more than enough reason to believe

00:40:23that Stefan was in Northport today

00:40:25on the exit that you took me to your house

00:40:27Our concern is we're conducting a misdemeanor investigation

00:40:29given the proximity

00:40:31of that exit to your home

00:40:33what we're trying to find out

00:40:35is if she's just hanging out in your house

00:40:37and you just wanted to get her somewhere safe

00:40:39we want to put eyes on her and make sure she's okay

00:40:41Chris contacts his wife, who's currently

00:40:43at their house in Northport

00:40:45to let her know that local police are on the way

00:40:47Meanwhile, Chris theorizes

00:40:49that if Stefan were hiding Madeline

00:40:51there may be another place worth searching

00:40:53They're going to come over and want to search

00:40:55a house for apparently

00:40:57can I tell them? Yeah

00:40:59Apparently, Stefan made a trip down to Northport last night

00:41:01or this morning

00:41:03I should say

00:41:05I have no idea

00:41:07but there's a storage unit

00:41:09but he wouldn't have access

00:41:11to the keys to the storage unit

00:41:13because I have the only key to it

00:41:15and that would have been locked in my car

00:41:18and he would have had to come in my room

00:41:20which he didn't have a key to get into

00:41:22Chris cooperates fully, giving police permission

00:41:24to search his home and the storage unit

00:41:26in Northport for any sign of Madeline

00:41:28Meanwhile, Chris describes

00:41:30a haunting suspicion he shared with his wife

00:41:32once they learned of Madeline's

00:41:34sudden disappearance

00:41:36When I left last night, I said

00:41:38do we really know?

00:41:40Is he capable of doing something

00:41:42harmful to her?

00:41:44Why would you suspect that?

00:41:46Some inconsistencies

00:41:48of phone calls he had with me

00:41:50didn't add up

00:41:52So I'll give you the sequence

00:41:54He calls me

00:41:56mid-afternoon, 3ish

00:41:58maybe 3.45 or something

00:42:00and say I just had a flat tire

00:42:02Okay, how the f*** did you

00:42:04get a flat tire? You just drove over

00:42:06to be funny, you took her

00:42:08you know, maybe you're running an errand

00:42:10but where were you going to get a flat tire?

00:42:12It was several hours later

00:42:14Around 5pm when Stefan told Chris

00:42:16that Madeline never showed up for school

00:42:18Meanwhile,

00:42:20Jennifer shares similar concerns about his

00:42:22activities

00:42:24Him disappearing to Northport

00:42:26What the hell was he doing?

00:42:28That is suspicious, I mean

00:42:30now that I know that's where he went

00:42:32That is suspicious as all f***

00:42:34Why did he go to

00:42:36a storage unit facility?

00:42:38What was he grabbing? What was he trying to dispose of?

00:42:40Or what was he trying to hide

00:42:42In the

00:42:46That to me is suspicious

00:42:48What Stefan was doing in Northport

00:42:50and how it's related to Madeline's disappearance

00:42:52will be revealed later

00:42:54The home and storage unit are searched

00:42:56but no sign of Madeline is found

00:42:58In the meantime, Stefan is brought

00:43:00to the police station just after his

00:43:02return to the hotel on February 28th

00:43:04Unaware that his many

00:43:06lies are about to catch up with him

00:43:08What happened to your hand?

00:43:10Flat tire

00:43:14I haven't changed a flat tire in about

00:43:1610 years. I made a rookie mistake

00:43:18and had my thumb too close to where the jack

00:43:20had framed me

00:43:22and it slipped and the frame

00:43:24came down on my thumb and pinned it

00:43:26between the jack

00:43:28What about the other scratches?

00:43:30Courtesy of a janky

00:43:32tire iron and the road

00:43:36Did you bleed at all?

00:43:38This one had some blood and this one had some

00:43:40blood but not much

00:43:42It clotted fast

00:43:44Do you know what popped your tire at all?

00:43:46No idea. Tire just started

00:43:48going floppy and then

00:43:50Really floppier and then

00:43:52just completely freaking separated

00:43:56Thank God we had a spare and a jack

00:43:58Janky as it was

00:44:00So typically when changing a tire

00:44:02and stuff you tend to get brake dust

00:44:04and dirty and all that?

00:44:06Positive

00:44:08that I breathed in some

00:44:10freaking brake dust or tire dust or something

00:44:12because I was coughing the rest of the afternoon

00:44:14What did you end up doing to clean up or

00:44:16stop the bleeding and stuff?

00:44:20Nothing actually

00:44:22I just washed my hands and

00:44:24that was it

00:44:26Did your clothes get all messed up at all?

00:44:30Not bad. Surprisingly

00:44:32What were you wearing?

00:44:34This

00:44:38I'm still wearing the same clothes

00:44:42Try to I guess

00:44:44Earlier surveillance footage showed him wearing

00:44:46a red shirt as he threw away items

00:44:48in the trash compactor, left the apartment

00:44:50complex and returned with Madeline

00:44:52However, when he's captured

00:44:54on camera at a smoke shop later that

00:44:56morning, his clothes have changed

00:44:58You weren't wearing a red shirt?

00:45:00I was wearing a

00:45:02red shirt early

00:45:04in the morning

00:45:06but I changed clothes later

00:45:08because that shirt was

00:45:10in a couple days when we got home

00:45:14and the flat tire

00:45:16happened after that

00:45:18After further review of security footage

00:45:20from the apartment complex, Stefan was

00:45:22seen visiting the trash compactor multiple

00:45:24times throughout the day

00:45:26At 4.35pm around the time

00:45:28Stefan claims he learned

00:45:30of Madeline's absence from school

00:45:32He's seen throwing away a piece of a

00:45:34damaged tire

00:45:36However, this wasn't the only thing

00:45:38Stefan discarded

00:45:40Too old to lie to people

00:45:42Too old to beat around the bush

00:45:44and we seem like we're having a generally

00:45:46good conversation right now

00:45:48Okay

00:45:52The only thing that I ask for from you

00:45:54is and I will reciprocate

00:45:57I want you to be honest with me as much

00:45:59as I'm being honest with you

00:46:01Nowadays

00:46:03cameras are everywhere

00:46:09We see you cut the car check

00:46:15We see you go by the dumpster

00:46:17Hmm

00:46:19Okay

00:46:25You may have taken some trash

00:46:27with you then

00:46:29What was in the trash? House trash

00:46:31House trash? Yeah

00:46:33When you took her to school

00:46:35Did she

00:46:37have her backpack with her?

00:46:39Yes. She did

00:46:41Did she have her school computer with her?

00:46:43Yes

00:46:45Presumably yes

00:46:47Presumably okay

00:46:49She should have

00:46:57I

00:47:01Once again this goes back with

00:47:03the whole honesty thing

00:47:07There was things in that trash bag

00:47:09There was things in that trash bag

00:47:11that got thrown away that

00:47:13probably shouldn't have been thrown away

00:47:15Near the tire, a Hawaiian print

00:47:17backpack, school laptop

00:47:19and one white crock were found

00:47:21All believed to belong to

00:47:23Madeline Soto

00:47:25Stephen's story of watching Madeline

00:47:27walk toward the school with her belongings

00:47:29falls apart with this devastating

00:47:31discovery, prompting the detective

00:47:33to make a desperate plea for the truth

00:47:35Well I can

00:47:37confidently tell you

00:47:39she did not go to school with her backpack

00:47:45How is that? Because we found it in the trash

00:47:53So

00:47:55Stephen, here's what I'm asking you

00:47:57and pleading with you is

00:47:59to dig down

00:48:01and do some soul searching

00:48:03I have kids

00:48:05He's got kids

00:48:09and this little girl's out there

00:48:11somewhere that

00:48:13leads nowhere

00:48:17and I really really really

00:48:19think you can help us

00:48:23I mean

00:48:25you want to get something off your chest

00:48:27I don't know what it is but

00:48:29I'm pleading

00:48:31with you

00:48:33I don't know

00:48:35I don't

00:48:37Though Stephen continues to deny the truth

00:48:39the evidence against him is mounting

00:48:41Detectives are far from finished

00:48:43as they prepare to confront him with the jaw-dropping

00:48:45discovery from his cell phone

00:48:47A disturbing revelation that will be

00:48:49nearly impossible for Stephen to deny

00:48:51What do you think was on the phone?

00:48:55Text messages

00:48:57Text messages

00:48:59Emails

00:49:03Old stuff

00:49:05Pictures?

00:49:07What kind of pictures were on there?

00:49:11Training card pictures

00:49:13Lightsaber pictures

00:49:15Disney pictures

00:49:23Do you have a Google account?

00:49:25Yeah

00:49:27Do you save pictures to your Google account?

00:49:29Sometimes

00:49:31Or is it automatically?

00:49:33I know sometimes phones sync to a cloud

00:49:35Yeah

00:49:37I think it

00:49:39backs up to Google

00:49:41And then sometimes

00:49:43when you reset your phone

00:49:45and your phone updates

00:49:47and puts these apps back on your phone

00:49:49sometimes

00:49:51they will put the images back on your phone?

00:49:53Not sure

00:49:57Do you have a Google account?

00:50:01I assume so

00:50:05Do you have any pictures of you?

00:50:09Probably

00:50:11Went to Disney

00:50:13Took selfies on the train

00:50:15She got back from Puerto Rico

00:50:17and had her hair braided

00:50:19I've got pictures of that

00:50:23All sorts of pictures

00:50:25Family events

00:50:27Any other pictures?

00:50:29Anything else?

00:50:31On February 28th, two days after Madeline's disappearance

00:50:33the digital forensics team

00:50:35was able to recover hundreds of images

00:50:37and videos from the phone

00:50:39and a Google Cloud account

00:50:41The images date back as far as

00:50:43when Madeline was only 8 years old

00:50:45Though few images

00:50:47show Stefan's face

00:50:49a unique black mark on his genitals

00:50:51would later match those seen in the photos

00:50:54More discoveries would later come

00:50:56from his search history

00:50:58with horrifying implications

00:51:00Here's where I'm gonna be brutally honest

00:51:02with you

00:51:04There's pictures on your phone

00:51:08and I'm pretty sure you know what some of those pictures are about

00:51:12You're a very intelligent person

00:51:14and I don't want you

00:51:16to discredit yourself by saying

00:51:18you don't know about

00:51:20all the pictures that are on your phone

00:51:22You understand what I'm saying?

00:51:27So do you want to add to the list of pictures?

00:51:35No

00:51:37Should I be talking

00:51:39with a lawyer right now?

00:51:45I can't answer that question

00:51:47My sole purpose right now

00:51:49is to

00:51:51see if I can find

00:51:55and I'm really hoping you can help me

00:51:59I'd like to try to help

00:52:01but I feel like I

00:52:03should probably have a lawyer present at this point

00:52:05In a nearby interrogation room

00:52:07Jennifer is presented with the distressing evidence

00:52:09However

00:52:11her initial reaction leaves investigators

00:52:13in shock

00:52:15We have his phone

00:52:17We were able to get into his phone

00:52:19and there are some very very unfortunate

00:52:21graphic pictures with

00:52:23I wish I could tell you

00:52:25this was all a made up story

00:52:27but it's not

00:52:29Did you ever suspect anything like this?

00:52:31No?

00:52:33You okay?

00:52:35How are you feeling right now?

00:52:37I can't breathe

00:52:39Is this a surprise?

00:52:43Is your phone his car?

00:52:45Yes

00:52:47Well you know how we have his phone

00:52:49Obviously that's how we were able

00:52:51to find the photos

00:52:53I don't want to believe

00:52:55that this is true

00:52:57Can I see some of that evidence?

00:52:59What makes you believe that it's not?

00:53:01I thought I knew him long enough

00:53:03Though investigators insist the photos are true

00:53:05Jennifer continues to ask

00:53:07them to show her the proof

00:53:09Despite their concerns that the images

00:53:11may be too difficult for her to see

00:53:13they ultimately reveal one of the images

00:53:15to her

00:53:17Jennifer's reaction however will soon lead the detective

00:53:19to a chilling conclusion

00:53:21So what do you think should happen to Stephan?

00:53:23I'm afraid to say

00:53:25press charges but what else?

00:53:27There's a side of me that wants to say

00:53:29he's innocent if this doesn't happen

00:53:31Can I make one decision now

00:53:33and change my mind later?

00:53:35If I decide not to

00:53:37press charges now can I change my mind and press charges later?

00:53:39It's a lot to digest

00:53:41Okay so I don't want to make you

00:53:43answer that right now but when we come back

00:53:45we'll talk more about it. She's our main focus

00:53:47That's where I'm at

00:53:49I know that the acts happened but

00:53:51I'm not convinced that he didn't take her to school

00:53:53I'm not convinced that he's the reason

00:53:55she's gone because if this had been

00:53:57going on for so long what's

00:53:59the motive? Why Monday? Why that day?

00:54:01Why the day after her birthday when we were supposed

00:54:03to spend the entire week together and have such a great time

00:54:05like we had plans

00:54:07like we knew

00:54:09we were just going to be together that week

00:54:11and we were going to have a good time so I just can't think

00:54:13like why

00:54:15When you say what's the motive what are you assuming?

00:54:20That she was taken

00:54:22not that anyone that I know

00:54:24has done something to her because I feel like nobody

00:54:26I know would do something

00:54:28to her would hurt her

00:54:30would murder her anything like that

00:54:32In addition to the photos several

00:54:34items were located in a search of their

00:54:36apartment including a firearm

00:54:38found in Stefan's room

00:54:40In Madeline's room a phone tripod

00:54:42was located inside a drawer

00:54:44and a pair of men's underwear was found

00:54:46in a laundry basket

00:54:48Police noted that a specialized light source

00:54:50was used on Madeline's bed

00:54:52and areas of fluorescence were observed

00:54:54on her comforter. Additionally

00:54:56Madeline's school notebook was found

00:54:58and appeared to contain graphic depictions

00:55:00of sexual acts

00:55:02The evidence is enough to charge

00:55:04Stefan with sexual battery

00:55:06and after more evidence is collected by police

00:55:08he is placed under arrest

00:55:10The investigators are still looking for

00:55:12Madeline and despite the overwhelming

00:55:14evidence of Madeline's victimization

00:55:16it still isn't enough to convince

00:55:18Jennifer that Stefan had something to do

00:55:20with her disappearance

00:55:22We know what happened. What if he's telling

00:55:24the truth about dropping her off

00:55:26and driving away and driving around circles

00:55:28and getting to the babe shop because I know there's

00:55:30banks right in that same plaza

00:55:32in Amstot

00:55:34there must be video of him pulling into that

00:55:37plaza and waiting

00:55:39What do you mean? What's your question?

00:55:41If you guys have found

00:55:43evidence of him being in front of

00:55:45the store like he said he was

00:55:47like it's possible that his story might be

00:55:49true and somebody else

00:55:51could have taken her like I'm just thinking

00:55:53like what if we're focusing like okay

00:55:55the sex things happened right but what if that's

00:55:57completely like a side thing

00:55:59and not having to do with this like

00:56:01her missing. Two days after his

00:56:03arrest on March 1st

00:56:06and the detective once again confronts

00:56:08Jennifer this time

00:56:10to share a troubling concern

00:56:12I think at a certain point throughout this

00:56:14relationship you became aware of it

00:56:16and for whatever reason

00:56:18your reasons are your reasons

00:56:20whether it was discussed that it would stop

00:56:22whether it was discussed how it would go

00:56:24that you feel

00:56:26some sense of guilt

00:56:28a lot of the news statements you've given

00:56:30kinda

00:56:32again my

00:56:34opinion only I don't speak for anybody else

00:56:36whether it's in this room or out of this room

00:56:38bother me I feel like some

00:56:40of your sadness is not real

00:56:42sadness I feel like when you gave the interview

00:56:44with Fox 35 it was

00:56:46not sincere looking at

00:56:48that video one time I didn't feel like

00:56:50your cries were sincere and I'm

00:56:52not saying that because you're a bad person

00:56:54but her going missing her disappearance

00:56:56if you

00:56:58have knowledge of how it happened where

00:57:00it happened and inclination that

00:57:02is not going to feel sincere because you're

00:57:04already aware of what happened

00:57:06it's almost because

00:57:08if I knew anything I promise

00:57:10you I would tell you like I am

00:57:12willing to take a lie detector test whatever

00:57:14you want but I don't know

00:57:16anything he's never mentioned anything

00:57:18I've never seen any signs

00:57:20I tried watching her like a hawk

00:57:22I thought I was doing a good job but I

00:57:24wasn't regardless of whether

00:57:26Jennifer was aware of the situation

00:57:28the reality remains that Madeline

00:57:30hasn't yet been found and

00:57:32uncovering where she is and what may have

00:57:34happened to her is still the priority

00:57:36we currently have

00:57:38upwards probably 200

00:57:40people working on

00:57:42anybody who is somebody

00:57:44is involved yeah so

00:57:46regardless

00:57:48of the circumstances those people don't

00:57:50get to go home those people don't

00:57:52get to go back to their families those people don't

00:57:54get to live their lives to go back to their primary

00:57:56jobs this isn't something that's going to stop

00:57:58or go away I can tell you

00:58:00I know Pete detectives expressed to you

00:58:02that the thought process at this point is this is a

00:58:04homicide investigation

00:58:06based on the evidence I've seen based on the

00:58:08videos I've seen further review of the

00:58:10surveillance footage which shows Madeline

00:58:12traveling with Stefan in the early hours

00:58:14of February 26th leads

00:58:16detectives to draw a heartbreaking

00:58:18conclusion they note that

00:58:20the slumped position with her head leaning

00:58:22is not a common sitting position

00:58:24and horrifically perhaps

00:58:26indicates that Madeline may not be

00:58:28alive additionally

00:58:30footage captured in a parking garage

00:58:32shows what appears to be Stefan carrying

00:58:34Madeline from the front passenger seat to

00:58:36the trunk at approximately 9

00:58:3841 a.m. the time

00:58:40when Stefan claimed to be meandering

00:58:42around while waiting for the vape store

00:58:44to open without her body

00:58:46however their conclusion is only

00:58:48a theory meanwhile

00:58:50a startling admission by Jennifer will

00:58:52soon lead to a brutal confrontation

00:58:54by the detective whose patience

00:58:56appears to be wearing thin

00:59:24for real that's happening

00:59:26but I kept thinking

00:59:28they're going

00:59:32I don't know why I kept

00:59:34I can't tell you why my brain kept

00:59:36thinking no he didn't kill her

00:59:38not that he didn't kill her but

00:59:40she's still missing she's still out there

00:59:42she was taken

00:59:44yes he's done

00:59:46this to her

00:59:48and that's not okay

00:59:50but I swore

00:59:52she was still I felt in my body she was

00:59:54still alive she was still out there

00:59:56I told Chris

00:59:58to get him a lawyer because I felt like you guys

01:00:00were chasing the wrong person

01:00:02but you weren't

01:00:04you offering him a lawyer is very

01:00:06weird I know

01:00:08I know I

01:00:10her

01:00:12replies to the details about the severity

01:00:14of Madeline's assaults appear to be the

01:00:16final straw for the detective

01:00:18as his confrontation grows more

01:00:21you prioritized him by offering

01:00:23him or telling his dad to get

01:00:25him a lawyer

01:00:27not what the did he do

01:00:29hey

01:00:31we need to figure out what happened

01:00:33no let's protect

01:00:35Stefan I was in

01:00:37shock no it's not shock

01:00:39that is your natural instinct to protect

01:00:41Stefan I don't know why

01:00:43I don't know why I said but that's

01:00:45the problem you don't know why does your

01:00:47role in her life lead this to

01:00:49happen I'll be honest

01:00:51yes

01:00:53since she was a

01:00:55child since her victimization started

01:00:57occurred under your roof and you acted like

01:00:59it didn't exist and

01:01:01knowing the victimization knowing the

01:01:03victimization knowing how ongoing it is

01:01:05knowing that you saw a picture of it

01:01:07not just us telling you not me and him

01:01:09saying hey listen you'd be

01:01:11I think they had a bad relationship

01:01:13they showed you a picture

01:01:15of it and you still

01:01:17protected him

01:01:19so how am I supposed to not think that the thought

01:01:21process in your mind is until she's found

01:01:23Stefan can't be charged with murder because we both

01:01:25now know that you don't want him to be charged

01:01:27with murder because you want him to have a

01:01:29lawyer no I don't

01:01:31that was then oh he can't be charged

01:01:33with murder that was then everything that you

01:01:35guys have shown me since then and have shown me

01:01:37that he's a liar so I'm going to show you a picture of her dead

01:01:39in a car for you to finally not take his side

01:01:41despite his theory that

01:01:43Madeline is deceased they've yet to

01:01:45locate any sign of her remains

01:01:47if their devastating theory

01:01:49is correct the question remains

01:01:51what motive would Stefan have

01:01:53to end her life

01:01:55what do you think made him snap

01:02:01I don't know theories

01:02:03I keep hearing theories tell me your theories because here's the deal

01:02:05you don't go home until she's found

01:02:07no I know I know so what are your theories

01:02:11what I've heard is

01:02:13what if

01:02:15she upset him and threatened

01:02:17to tell me and say that she was

01:02:19going to tell me and he needed

01:02:21to shut that down

01:02:23that's the only thing

01:02:25what do you think

01:02:27I don't want to believe he killed her

01:02:33he wants to kill her Sunday night

01:02:35and snuck her body out in the morning

01:02:37that

01:02:39photo you showed me of herself

01:02:41in the car

01:02:43you don't want to believe he killed her

01:02:45I want to believe she's still alive

01:02:47and that she got kidnapped

01:02:49but that doesn't seem like that's the case

01:02:51I know

01:02:53I know my brain just wants to believe

01:02:55something else

01:02:57I just want to believe she's still alive

01:02:59and she's out there

01:03:03explain your reasoning by saying

01:03:05explain your reasoning

01:03:07behind those assumptions and we'll move forward day by day

01:03:11so he had access

01:03:13to

01:03:15benzos and

01:03:17I think Lunesta

01:03:19what are those

01:03:21I'm not familiar with that

01:03:23benzodiazepines are anxiety medications

01:03:25which relax you and can make you sleepy

01:03:27okay

01:03:29and Lunesta

01:03:31I think is a sleeping medication

01:03:33like for insomnia

01:03:37so I don't know if it's possible

01:03:39he gave her something and she was drugged

01:03:41in those photos that you showed me

01:03:43where you're saying she's dead

01:03:45maybe she was drugged

01:03:47but

01:03:49if she is dead

01:03:51and it was done upstairs

01:03:53I could just only imagine that

01:03:55he choked her

01:03:57I don't know how else you would kill someone and not leave a mess

01:03:59horrifically

01:04:01the name of the medication

01:04:03was discovered in Stefan's google account

01:04:05on February 12th and 14th

01:04:07it's described as a volatile anesthetic

01:04:09that provides hypnosis and amnesia

01:04:11and is most commonly used

01:04:13for surgical procedures

01:04:15an additional search was made to determine

01:04:17whether or not the medication would show up

01:04:19in tests

01:04:21still based on what he's seen

01:04:23the detective isn't willing to entertain the idea

01:04:25that Madeline was merely sleeping

01:04:27we know he killed her

01:04:29he drove out of there Monday morning

01:04:31we know he discarded her backpack and the trash dumpster

01:04:33we know he discarded her laptop

01:04:35and one shoe

01:04:37so all her property was discarded

01:04:39to look like she's gone

01:04:41that way he doesn't have evidence with him

01:04:43but then you have all these suspicious times of what he's left

01:04:45he's gone here and gone there

01:04:47so what do you think he was doing

01:04:49on all these suspicious times

01:04:51he's roaming 192

01:04:53knowing what you know now

01:04:55now we can play

01:04:57what do you think

01:04:59knowing what you know

01:05:01he was doing at 192

01:05:03he was doing here

01:05:05he was doing in Northport

01:05:07what do you think

01:05:09so him leaving early in the morning

01:05:11and driving around aimlessly

01:05:13somewhere

01:05:15I feel like he stashed the body at that time

01:05:17when he came back

01:05:19and then left again

01:05:21but see it's daytime

01:05:23like how could you move a body

01:05:25in daytime and not be seen

01:05:27but like

01:05:29I feel like he went back

01:05:31to check

01:05:33to make sure he did a good job

01:05:35or to move the body again

01:05:37I don't know

01:05:39detectives would eventually

01:05:41discover what Stefan was doing in Northport

01:05:43along with a shocking discovery

01:05:45which will be revealed later

01:05:47still Stefan has 54

01:05:49minutes of unaccounted for activity

01:05:51in the area of St. Cloud

01:05:5310 miles from Kissimmee

01:05:55Jennifer however claims she has no idea

01:05:57what he may have been doing there on the morning

01:05:59of February 26th

01:06:01I didn't think he ever like even knew

01:06:03where St. Cloud was

01:06:05because we've never driven down that way ever

01:06:07you live in Kissimmee right

01:06:09yeah I know but

01:06:11to me he's never had a reason to ever drive down

01:06:13to St. Cloud like ever

01:06:15investigators continue to pry

01:06:17information from Jennifer

01:06:19unaware of just how close they are

01:06:21to a major breakthrough

01:06:23for now Jennifer poses a dark and twisted

01:06:25theory for where they might search

01:06:27for Madeline

01:06:29if I were him

01:06:31and I had this actual body

01:06:33I would never do this

01:06:35my mind would say to go to Lake Toho

01:06:37there's a lot of woods there

01:06:39there's a lot of gators

01:06:41like I told you it was going to come to a point where we

01:06:43move

01:06:45Felicia County Sheriff's Office just found

01:06:47some radio evidence missing for a long time

01:06:49people get found

01:06:51sometimes it's quick sometimes it's not quick

01:06:53but we will find her

01:06:55what you need to think about is when you find her

01:06:57is there an opportunity or a chance

01:06:59that we are going to prove

01:07:01that you did not assist us to your full

01:07:03capability in this investigation

01:07:05and if that is true you need to think about

01:07:07the consequences of that

01:07:09consequences of hindering a murder

01:07:11investigation or a capital sexual matter

01:07:13investigation could be punishable up to

01:07:15probably the same charges

01:07:17same time in jail

01:07:19I know you know that I don't believe

01:07:21what you're saying I know you know that I think you

01:07:23prioritized Stefan

01:07:25you prioritized jail

01:07:27you see what I'm saying

01:07:29we come back and prove

01:07:31that you sat in this room and misled us

01:07:33that you didn't lead us in the right direction

01:07:35that you assisted or you acknowledged

01:07:37or you knew

01:07:39you need a warning from jail

01:07:41if I knew anything

01:07:43I swear I would tell you

01:07:45at 4 p.m.

01:07:47just minutes after Jennifer's interrogation

01:07:49comes to a frustrating end

01:07:51a call reaches detectives about a witness

01:07:53who claimed to see the suspect vehicle

01:07:55and a man fitting Stefan's description

01:07:57changing a tire near Hickory Tree Road

01:07:59the location where Stefan

01:08:01disappeared from cameras in St. Cloud

01:08:03the witness reveals the exact location

01:08:05where locked gates separate the vehicle

01:08:07from the other

01:08:09the location where locked gates separate

01:08:11the road from an area of private property

01:08:13the property owner gives police

01:08:15permission to enter and horrifically

01:08:17tucked inside a long expanse

01:08:19of bamboo trees

01:08:21Madeline's body is discovered

01:08:23she's found wearing a green colored

01:08:25sweatshirt and blue jeans

01:08:27and her body is covered by pieces of what

01:08:29appeared to be hay or dry grass

01:08:31the bottoms of her socks

01:08:33are clean suggesting she was

01:08:35carried. Records would also

01:08:37reveal the sickening purpose of Stefan's

01:08:39trip to Northport while his family

01:08:41slept at the hotel

01:08:43according to police records at 6.34

01:08:45a.m. just after arriving

01:08:47in Northport, Stefan attempted

01:08:49to log into his Google account

01:08:51it was later that Chris discovered the hard

01:08:53drive for Stefan's computer had been removed

01:08:55and placed in a bin at Chris's

01:08:57storage facility. He handed

01:08:59it over to the police where it was found

01:09:01to contain over 35,000

01:09:03explicit images of children

01:09:05In a call between Chris and Stefan

01:09:07recorded from the jail, Stefan

01:09:09is confronted with the grim reality

01:09:11of a long future behind bars

01:09:35Yeah

01:09:37I wish there was a way that

01:09:39you and I could have a conversation

01:09:41all of us could have a conversation

01:09:43to understand

01:09:45what's taking place

01:09:47how this came about

01:09:49how you arrived here

01:09:51because it would help us

01:09:53better understand the situation

01:09:55because we're just

01:09:57we're at a loss

01:09:59for understanding

01:10:01how all this came about

01:10:03I mean we're just totally baffled

01:10:05Well I didn't start it

01:10:07You didn't start it

01:10:09but you participated in it

01:10:11which is just as bad as not starting it

01:10:13but that's for another day

01:10:15I can't get into

01:10:17specific details or anything

01:10:19I mean if you'd like a scheduled

01:10:21visit with me or something maybe

01:10:23we can find some way to talk

01:10:25I don't know, I think we're always

01:10:27going to be recorded

01:10:29so there won't be an opportunity to

01:10:31do that

01:11:01Stephen is currently facing multiple charges

01:11:03including 13 counts of

01:11:05sexual battery, 7 counts of

01:11:07lewd molestation, 39

01:11:09counts of unlawful possession of obscene

01:11:11materials, and first degree

01:11:13capital murder. On April

01:11:1526th, 2024

01:11:1737 year old Stephen Michael

01:11:19Stearns entered a plea of not guilty

01:11:21His jury trial is set to

01:11:23begin on September 22nd, 2025

01:11:25where prosecutors

01:11:27intend to seek the death penalty

01:11:29He currently awaits his fate at the Osceola

01:11:31County Jail in Kissimmee, Florida

01:11:33Jennifer has not been charged

01:11:35with any crimes related to the

01:11:37disappearance or murder of Madeline

01:11:39Soto

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