Cops Unlock Predators Phone, Find Horrifying Videos of Missing Girl

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Cops Unlock Predators Phone, Find Horrifying Videos of Missing Girl 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

00:00:00911, 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, you've got nothing to hide.

00:00:13Give him your phone.

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

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 fuck you want, but I don't know anything.

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

00:01:08I do want to believe she's so alive and she's out there.

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 unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

00:01:25On the 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.

00:01:34Do you need police, fire, or medical?

00:01:37Um, police 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, and apparently she never showed up.

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

00:02:01After collecting more details, the dispatcher assures the caller that 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 you. There's a 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? What do we need to wait? It's a child missing.

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

00:02:35I don't know when they'll be there.

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

00:02:39Man, we're very busy in the area. Look, I understand.

00:02:41They'll be there as soon as they can, okay?

00:02:43Hmm.

00:02:43The 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.

00:02:53At 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,

00:03:01and her boyfriend, 37-year-old Stephen Stearns.

00:03:05Hi there.

00:03:06Excuse me. I got to go. I got to have some hand.

00:03:09Hey there.

00:03:10Hey there. What's going on?

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

00:03:18I went to the parking school.

00:03:19I'm sorry. One second.

00:03:20Yeah.

00:03:21Go ahead, sir.

00:03:22Are 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.

00:03:53So, 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'm wearing 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.

00:04:11They're born on either, though.

00:04:12Is this, like, does she, like, have any places that you guys know that she'll usually be at?

00:04:18Any friends' house, any places that, like, she likes to hang out?

00:04:21Typically, no.

00:04:22No.

00:04:22Not typically?

00:04:23No.

00:04:23Okay.

00:04:24Why are you just, does she have a phone number or a phone?

00:04:26She does, but she left it at home today.

00:04:28I have it.

00:04:29You have it.

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

00:04:32I have it.

00:04:32Okay.

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

00:04:36No.

00:04:37She's got a device, the 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?

00:04:44It should be, it should be, it should be.

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

00:04:52So, by, like, several here.

00:04:53It could have 70, it was a video system.

00:04:54It's one of my kids.

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, the last pinged location was near downtown Orlando on February 22nd, four days prior to her disappearance.

00:05:11Does she know how to have a history of an L.A. or anything like that?

00:05:15Never.

00:05:15She's just hanging out in the bus.

00:05:17Is that a kind of thing?

00:05:19I'm, possibly, I don't know.

00:05:21She got dropped off.

00:05:22She was, like, I, um, so she's going to barely explain this car.

00:05:26So she didn't want to be dropped off at school.

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

00:05:30It's the name of this thing.

00:05:31She's in the face.

00:05:32But, um, he dropped her off half 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.

00:05:43Just looking for something.

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

00:05:47Yeah.

00:05:48But she was just kind of, you know, shambling over in that direction.

00:05:51It looked the same as any other morning.

00:05:53A sudden phone call puts the room on high alert as family and officers alike wait to hear if it's news about Madeline.

00:06:00Hello?

00:06:02Yes?

00:06:02Hi, Principal.

00:06:07Hi, I'm okay.

00:06:08How are you?

00:06:09I'm fine.

00:06:09Hi, buddy.

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

00:06:15But a parent's struggles with his memory give them a less than ideal start.

00:06:19Was it here?

00:06:20It was along this stretch.

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

00:06:27Sure, Paul.

00:06:27Oh, thank you.

00:06:29So it was like around where these communities were.

00:06:31Okay.

00:06:32And it's just like in this stretch.

00:06:33Like we could see the overpass down there.

00:06:37Where's this for?

00:06:38Just on the other side of the overpass.

00:06:40With a general idea of where Madeline was last seen, officers begin to search a nearby apartment complex for any sign of the missing child.

00:06:51No, no cameras right now.

00:06:52I don't believe I'm in this day and age.

00:06:54There's no cameras for you.

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

00:06:59Yeah.

00:07:00Meanwhile, Deputy Joseph appears to have better luck as he reviews surveillance footage at a church half a mile from Madeline's school,

00:07:08where a young girl fitting her description was captured on camera in the early morning hours.

00:07:13There's like a car pulled.

00:07:14Yeah, he left.

00:07:15And she walked onto property.

00:07:18And she actually does back onto property.

00:07:20I guess she left.

00:07:21She's still sitting there.

00:07:24Aventura, what's the other?

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

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

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

00:07:28You know, like, 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.

00:07:37Yeah.

00:07:37Oh, wait.

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

00:07:42She's on.

00:07:43She's by nine.

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

00:07:47a canine 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.

00:07:54But after nearly 15 minutes of searching, they've yet to pick up her trail.

00:08:00I mean, if I had to guess, get 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?

00:08:12He dumped her off.

00:08:12Up ahead.

00:08:13Okay.

00:08:14I should walk this way.

00:08:15Coming down.

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

00:08:18Yeah.

00:08:19Back at the church, Deputy Joseph shares what he saw in the surveillance footage with Madeline's aunt.

00:08:34It's a blurry video, but it looks like a 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 and then locking off property.

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

00:08:51I'm getting more video.

00:08:51Did you know where it was, like, that show the bridge or anything like that?

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.

00:09:05We checked your phone.

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

00:09:07Crazy stuff, right?

00:09:08Yeah, me neither, yeah.

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

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

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

00:09:53While Orange County deputies continue knocking on doors,

00:10:14a 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 thought 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,

00:10:28she texts me, like, the night or the day I was, like,

00:10:31she'll wake up early just to, like, text me, like,

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

00:10:34And she didn't yesterday, but I didn't think everything of it

00:10:36because I thought she, like, oh, she, like, slept in or something.

00:10:39Okay.

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

00:10:42Yes, I called her.

00:10:43And no answer?

00:10:44No answer.

00:10:45And that's completely out of the ordinary for her.

00:10:47Yeah.

00:10:48According to investigators,

00:10:49Madeline's phone was unplugged from the charger on February 26th at 7.04 a.m.

00:10:55It was then powered off around 15 minutes later,

00:10:58which they would determine is an unusual pattern according to historical phone data.

00:11:03A speculation that Madeline ran away from home continues.

00:11:06Her friend drops a shocking revelation.

00:11:09She had told someone, like, when I turn 13,

00:11:11once I turn 13, I'm going to leave this house and never come back.

00:11:16Why 13?

00:11:17Because she would always brag because I said that I can't wait until my birthday.

00:11:21And she was like, are you having a birthday party?

00:11:23I said no.

00:11:24And she was like, oh, I get a whole bunch of money, like, 500-something dollars.

00:11:28I think she was waiting to turn 13.

00:11:32That way she could get a whole bunch of money and go.

00:11:35But where would she go?

00:11:36I have no clue.

00:11:39As the question of why Madeline would want to run away from home haunts the investigators,

00:11:43her mother, Jennifer, offers a simple explanation.

00:11:47So this whole living in the woods thing,

00:11:49I have people, like,

00:11:50tromping through the woods right now on horses and ATVs and all sort of things.

00:11:54But has she ever mentioned that before?

00:11:56The thing is, I started talking to her about World War III,

00:11:59just what's happening politically.

00:12:00And I'm like, you know,

00:12:02I don't know what that means for us,

00:12:03but we'll see what happens.

00:12:04But I've talked to her about World War III,

00:12:06so that's why I'm just saying...

00:12:07How long ago is that?

00:12:08I mean, is that something that might have impacted her?

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

00:12:12As the detective asks 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.

00:12:42The 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.

00:12:55No, she has told me.

00:12:56Okay.

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

00:13:02and they'll soon turn to Stefan and Jennifer to fill in the blanks.

00:13:05As officers continue canvassing,

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

00:13:11By now, Madeline has been missing for over 48 hours.

00:13:15K-9 Wyatt returns for a second attempt at locating her trail,

00:13:19this time beginning at Madeline's residence,

00:13:21where Stefan 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 out which you're wearing?

00:13:32Is it, has it been, like, with other clothes and all that,

00:13:35like, your clothes?

00:13:35It got mixed in with pink clothes and dirty clothes.

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

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

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

00:13:45Her underwear?

00:13:46Yeah, I mean, all that stuff works.

00:13:48Yeah, but you slept on the pillow this morning.

00:13:50No, that's right.

00:13:50I slept on the pillow.

00:13:51They settle on using a pair of her underwear from the bathroom,

00:13:55and the search begins.

00:13:57However, Stefan's curiosity will soon create an unexpected barrier to their efforts.

00:14:02I'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 this.

00:14:11Yeah.

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

00:14:15Just as long as everybody's inside.

00:14:21I'm not going to go inside.

00:14:22I'm just going to start at the front door.

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

00:14:25Oh, God.

00:14:25He opened the door.

00:14:26Sorry.

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

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

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

00:14:34leading to frustration with the canine's handler.

00:14:36No, sorry.

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

00:14:46Yeah.

00:14:48It's true.

00:14:49I'm being told that it's distracting.

00:14:51Unfortunately, no critical evidence was found in the second canine search,

00:14:56and concerns around Madeline's whereabouts continued to escalate.

00:14:59By Friday, March 1st, five days after she first disappeared,

00:15:04Madeline is still nowhere to be found.

00:15:07Jennifer and Stefan have been interviewed multiple times,

00:15:10but inconsistencies in their accounts and shocking new evidence

00:15:13have thrown the case in a chilling new direction.

00:15:16As investigators meet with Jennifer to revisit their previous interviews,

00:15:20an intricate web of lies begins to unravel.

00:15:23Do you want me to go to the whole family?

00:15:27Yeah.

00:15:27We'll start with Sunday.

00:15:29Take with you, Sunday.

00:15:30Sunday.

00:15:33Birthday party.

00:15:36She spent the whole day at my pop's house.

00:15:41They celebrated with the whole family.

00:15:43I was at work.

00:15:45I just started a new job.

00:15:46Last week or the week before.

00:15:48She had the best day.

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

00:15:54At my house around 8.30.

00:15:57That night.

00:15:59I wasn't home.

00:16:01She got dropped off alone.

00:16:03About 10 to 15 minutes later, Stefan showed up.

00:16:08At your house, I guess I didn't.

00:16:10At my house, I guess I didn't.

00:16:11He called me.

00:16:13Or he texted me.

00:16:15I don't know.

00:16:16But he let me know he was there.

00:16:18And that she was, um, she was getting ready for bed.

00:16:25She was doing her routine.

00:16:27Stefan previously explained to detectives that he doesn't live with Jennifer full-time,

00:16:31but rather splits his time between her house in Kissimmee and his parents' home in Northport,

00:16:36Florida, nearly 150 miles away.

00:16:39And what does your time splitting look like?

00:16:41Are you here for days, weeks, months, or something else?

00:16:46Weeks.

00:16:47Weeks at a time, yeah.

00:16:49And so, I guess, when did you arrive this block of time that you were here?

00:16:57Day before yesterday, actually.

00:16:59So, Saturday?

00:17:00Yeah.

00:17:01I think.

00:17:02So you got here Saturday night.

00:17:03This is inconsistent with what Jennifer just told detectives, claiming Stefan arrived after

00:17:09her birthday party, which took place on Sunday night.

00:17:12However, even this timeline contradicts one of her earlier interviews, in which Jennifer

00:17:17struggled to remember exactly what day he made it into town.

00:17:20How long has he been here?

00:17:25Or when did he arrive, rather, this time?

00:17:28I can't remember if he arrived Saturday or Sunday morning.

00:17:33These are only the beginning of a string of contradictions that will soon raise major

00:17:38red flags.

00:17:40As Stefan's questioning continues, he's asked to describe how Madeline was acting following

00:17:44her birthday party on Sunday night.

00:17:47She was just happy.

00:17:48She was very happy.

00:17:51It's not what was happening.

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

00:17:54I can't remember anything particularly happening.

00:17:57Jennifer continues to explain what happened just after she returned from work and the reason

00:18:02behind her decision to break routine and have Stefan take Madeline to school the following

00:18:07morning.

00:18:07I got home around 1030.

00:18:10I started getting ready for bed myself.

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

00:18:15I have to take meds.

00:18:17When I went to take my meds, I realized, oh my God, I forgot to take my Saturday night's

00:18:22meds.

00:18:23Which is why I felt so weird and so abnormal and not myself Sunday while I was at work.

00:18:29Everyone at work noticed I was acting different and not being myself.

00:18:32Like I couldn't smile in front of the guests.

00:18:35I felt this wave of depression that I haven't felt in years.

00:18:38It was my bipolar symptoms coming up again that I just, I've been medicating myself for

00:18:43for the while this time.

00:18:44I sent them to sleep upstairs in the best, in the guest bedroom so that I could get a

00:18:49good night's sleep.

00:18:50This disturbing admission further stressed the concerns detectives have had since Jennifer's

00:18:55initial interview when she'd first explained their unusual sleeping arrangements at home.

00:19:00Is it normal for both of them to sleep in the same room?

00:19:04Sometimes when, when I really need a good night's sleep, I will send them upstairs.

00:19:08Um, but when, uh, also a lot of times we will sleep together in the king size bed, all three

00:19:15of us, or sometimes Stefan will go upstairs and sleep in our bed alone.

00:19:21Um, so it just really depends on what's going on that night with our schedules and what we're

00:19:24doing.

00:19:25Okay.

00:19:25Where were you sleeping?

00:19:26Downstairs in the king size bed.

00:19:28Okay.

00:19:28Is, is it just you two here?

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

00:19:32We have two roommates.

00:19:34So what rooms do you guys use?

00:19:36Room number, the room downstairs, the master bedroom downstairs and room number four.

00:19:41The house would later be thoroughly searched and what investigators would uncover would

00:19:45leave detectives reeling.

00:19:47As Jennifer continues, she elaborates on how the concerning sleeping arrangements first

00:19:52originated.

00:19:53The living situation with them, I'll be honest, seems weird.

00:19:57It's weird to me.

00:19:58She's got a bedroom downstairs.

00:19:59What's kind of the, the mindset or the, the thought process, the communication you've had

00:20:05to step in about, you know, she's not going to sleep in her bed, but you guys are going

00:20:10to go sleep in the guest bedroom.

00:20:12It wasn't until June that he got in his own bedroom and I sent him upstairs.

00:20:17That's where the requests for sleepover started.

00:20:20Okay.

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

00:20:24I'm not comfortable with that.

00:20:25I'm not comfortable with that.

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

00:20:28And I said, okay, fine.

00:20:32Go ahead.

00:20:32But this can't happen often.

00:20:36Yeah.

00:20:37I don't know.

00:20:38I've heard of her go upstairs and sleep with him.

00:20:40But honestly, I, I think I can count on one hand how many times that's happened.

00:20:45And it hasn't been many times that I've allowed her to have a supper party with him, to be alone

00:20:49in the bed with him.

00:20:50The sleeping arrangements leave detectives seemingly uneasy, but with finding Madeline

00:20:55still the main priority, investigators asked Stefan to piece together the events of the

00:21:00following morning.

00:21:02Woke up around 7, 7.15, somewhere around there, which is an early start for us, but she, we

00:21:10had talked about getting a McDonald's breakfast beforehand, so we wanted to make good time.

00:21:15We did make good time.

00:21:16And we got out the door, maybe 7.30, 7.45-ish, maybe.

00:21:21However, when Natalie, who lived in the house as one of Jennifer's two roommates, was asked

00:21:26if she saw the two of them getting ready in the morning, her answer seemed to contradict

00:21:30Stefan's account.

00:21:32Did you see them at all Monday morning?

00:21:34By the time I was leaving Monday, no, I think I was leaving too early.

00:21:39I leave like around 7.45.

00:21:42I typically don't see them.

00:21:45Which we've probably gone before they, before they even got up, maybe.

00:21:49Okay.

00:21:50Gotcha.

00:21:50If Natalie's recollection is correct, she would likely have seen Stefan as they both claim

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

00:21:58The timeline is even more muddied by a written statement to the police, in which Jennifer

00:22:02claims she physically saw Madeline getting ready around 8 a.m.

00:22:06Confusion over the truth is compounded as her story continues to change.

00:22:11Between your initial statement to the police, a lot of things have changed.

00:22:16The initial statement to the police was you've watched her get dreaded, you've watched her

00:22:19leave, you knew exactly what she was wearing.

00:22:22Can I tell you my thought process on that or where I came from with that?

00:22:26I was handed this form and I'm like, where do I start?

00:22:32What do I write?

00:22:33And somebody say, somebody said, tell them what you saw.

00:22:36And so I started with, I saw.

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

00:22:42But it wasn't until later.

00:22:43I was like, wait, I didn't see her.

00:22:45I assumed that I saw her.

00:22:47I 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 I don't know who that was.

00:22:59Despite the inconsistencies, investigators move on to what happened after Stefan and Madeline

00:23:04allegedly left for school.

00:23:06She was asleep in the car most of the time, just snoozing until we got there.

00:23:10And she wanted to be dropped off a little down the ways from the school.

00:23:16She's got this phase that she's been into lately where she's very particular about what

00:23:21car she's seen getting out of in front of the school.

00:23:23I get it.

00:23:24It's an image thing.

00:23:25I said, OK, let her out.

00:23:28Have a good day.

00:23:29Love you.

00:23:30Thanks.

00:23:30Love you, too.

00:23:32And I turned around and was driving away and was watching her in my rearview mirror

00:23:36to make sure that she was going where she was supposed to go.

00:23:40She was moving in that direction, but she was rummaging around in her backpack or something.

00:23:45Find out later that she forgot her phone here.

00:23:47So she may have been rummaging for her phone, but she was still kind of making her way towards

00:23:51towards that direction.

00:23:53So it looked OK.

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

00:23:56And you said that that's typical of her to walk that distance?

00:23:58Yeah, she likes the morning walks when it's cool.

00:24:02And she will sometimes like to hang out and wait for her friends.

00:24:05She's known to do that.

00:24:06His statement seems to have raised suspicions with investigators as Madeline's friend informs

00:24:12them that it isn't typical for her to be dropped off anywhere but in front of the school.

00:24:16Stefan also claims to have dropped her off between 8.20 and 8.40 a.m.

00:24:21But when confronted with what detectives saw on local street cameras, Stefan makes an abrupt

00:24:26change to his story.

00:24:27So why is your car seen going southbound at 8.10?

00:24:33So meaning going toward Kissimmee.

00:24:36I had forgotten something.

00:24:38I had forgotten my gate clicker.

00:24:40I'm sorry.

00:24:40I forgot.

00:24:41I had gone back to the house real quick after we left.

00:24:43I actually had to go through the front gate and use my parking pass to grab my clicker.

00:24:49So it was a wrong time.

00:24:50I'm sorry.

00:24:51Like I said, I was guesstimating these times.

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

00:24:56So yes, we'd gone out.

00:25:00How far did you get before you came back down when you realized you forgot your clicker?

00:25:06Nearly all the way to the school.

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

00:25:12Correct.

00:25:13So when we look at the cameras in the front, it's going to show you coming back in here

00:25:16with her in the car?

00:25:17Yes, with her in the passenger seat.

00:25:18Yes.

00:25:19Footage from the apartment shows Stefan pulling up to the complex trash compactor at 7.35 a.m.

00:25:25in his silver sedan.

00:25:26He's wearing a red colored shirt as he throws a trash bag inside the compactor and pulls

00:25:31away.

00:25:32A female believed to be Madeline is visible in the front passenger seat, appearing slightly

00:25:37slumped over.

00:25:39They leave and return to the apartment at 8.19 a.m.

00:25:42where Stefan appears to speak briefly with a security guard.

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

00:25:49A security guard was later interviewed, but his account burns another hole in Stefan's

00:25:54story.

00:25:55Do you remember a resident coming through in a silver Lincoln sedan?

00:26:00I do remember, but not his face.

00:26:03I talked to him.

00:26:06He showed me his little clicker and he's like, hey man, I'm clicking.

00:26:11It's not working.

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

00:26:15He went inside.

00:26:16And I just remembered there was a woman like sleeping beside him with a green shirt.

00:26:24If Stefan already had his gate clicker, his reason for returning to the complex falls

00:26:29apart, leaving investigators to question what else he may have lied about.

00:26:34They determine the trash compactor needs a closer look and begin the process of gathering

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

00:26:40Meanwhile, with more questions than answers, Stefan continues to explain what happened next after

00:26:46he returned to the area near the church and dropped Madeline off.

00:26:50What did you do after you left the area?

00:26:53I left to go to the local vape shop because I needed some more vape juice.

00:26:59They weren't quite open yet, so I ended up going back home.

00:27:05We did about an hour or so and then went back and checked the vape shop again.

00:27:08It was open, so I got what I needed there and came back home.

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

00:27:15The first time was probably right around 10, close to it.

00:27:21Probably finished at the vape shop and came back home again a little after 11.

00:27:25Okay.

00:27:25You said the first time that you hung out with her a little bit, right?

00:27:28Yeah.

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

00:27:31Okay.

00:27:31I think so.

00:27:32She might have been at her blood appointment.

00:27:34Let me double check.

00:27:35It's okay.

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

00:27:36Sorry.

00:27:37Everything's a blur.

00:27:37So she might have been here.

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

00:27:41I believe she was here because she was sleeping in as much as she possibly could because she's

00:27:45been messed up within her work schedule.

00:27:47So she had to be here because she didn't want to sleep in.

00:27:50With Stefan struggling to remember whether or not Jennifer was home when he arrived back

00:27:54at the apartment, investigators turned to Jennifer herself for confirmation.

00:27:58When Stefan called me around 10, 18 in the morning, I had stepped out to go get blood work done.

00:28:07And he had just let me know that he just got back home from running a few errands.

00:28:14I asked, did you guys ever just stop at McDonald's?

00:28:16And he said, no, she changed her mind.

00:28:18He tried convincing her a few times, but she did not want McDonald's anymore.

00:28:22What 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 9.30.

00:28:31You left around 9.30.

00:28:33And then Stefan called you around 10 to say you got home?

00:28:37Yeah.

00:28:38Cool.

00:28:39Though Stefan claims he spent time with Jennifer before leaving for the vape store a second time,

00:28:44Jennifer's account suggests she wasn't home until after he returned.

00:28:47As confusion builds over the timeline, detectives review security footage from the street cameras

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

00:28:56Did you go anywhere else after the smoke shop?

00:28:59I don't know.

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

00:29:03I was just driving probably in the direction of home.

00:29:07But I don't remember stopping anywhere specifically.

00:29:10And you were there for 5 to 10 minutes?

00:29:13Around about, I think.

00:29:15Okay.

00:29:15So let's say you drop her off at 8.40.

00:29:18We don't see her car coming back south until 10 o'clock in the morning.

00:29:22Mm-hmm.

00:29:23So what are you doing between 8.40 and 10 o'clock?

00:29:26Um, cruising around a little bit.

00:29:31Okay.

00:29:31But I asked you earlier, you know, like what you were doing and you said you were there

00:29:36for like 5 or 10 minutes and then you came back home.

00:29:39I mean, I don't know what to say.

00:29:40It was just a normal day.

00:29:42I 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.

00:29:47All right.

00:29:48Wasn't any particular rush though.

00:29:49Okay, but can you help me explain to them, because I don't know the explanation or the

00:29:55answer to this question, okay?

00:29:57So can you help me explain to them why there's such a delay in the time?

00:30:04No.

00:30:05With Stefan unable to provide an answer, more surveillance footage will need to be reviewed

00:30:09to track his movements.

00:30:11Meanwhile, a suspicious act by Stefan raises serious alarms for investigators.

00:30:16I left my phone at home in the morning too.

00:30:19I was so busy riding herd over to get us out the door on time that I left my phone.

00:30:25She left her phone.

00:30:27We both left our phones.

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

00:30:32Not the first time after I dropped her off.

00:30:34I was still without it.

00:30:36I got it, got my phone and went back to the smoke shop later when I got home.

00:30:41And then, I also noticed, I was checking your call history, I noticed that you don't have

00:30:47anything before this morning.

00:30:49Is that unusual on your phone?

00:30:52No, it's a new phone.

00:30:53I'm stupid.

00:30:55I went to do an update yesterday morning, and I don't know what the...

00:31:01Pardon me.

00:31:02Um, I don't know what the heck I did, but somehow during the massive OS update, I managed

00:31:09to factory reset my phone and lose all of my contacts, all my information.

00:31:16Jennifer also corroborates this story as she explains the moment the supposed accident

00:31:20took place.

00:31:22And I said, how the hell does that happen?

00:31:24That gives you options now when you reset your phone?

00:31:26And he goes, yeah, apparently I wasn't paying attention and it just...

00:31:29I pressed, I just pressed the button and I didn't have it.

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

00:31:34That sucks.

00:31:35When asked, Stefan voluntarily hands over his phone, and investigators begin a forensic

00:31:40download to determine its contents.

00:31:43They uncover that at 12.12pm on February 26th, the phone was factory reset by manually

00:31:49navigating to the device's settings, and that it had nothing to do with a system update.

00:31:54They also discovered that a password must be entered, and that it's unlikely, if not

00:31:59impossible, to be done by accident.

00:32:02In the meantime, Jennifer explains that Stefan had an intense reaction to leaving his phone

00:32:07in the hands of the police.

00:32:08So, earlier that day, I think Detective Hunt came, or somebody came, and asked Stefan for

00:32:15his cell phone.

00:32:17If he would willingly give it up so that they can look at it, or if they would need a warrant.

00:32:22And I remember him saying, should I have asked a warrant?

00:32:26Should I have...

00:32:27And I'm like, no, if you've got nothing to hide, give them your phone.

00:32:30And I think we hung out in the house for a little bit, and then when you guys came in

00:32:34the evening, and you guys told us to wait outside, and we waited in my car, he started

00:32:39getting very anxious and very panicky, going, I want my phone back.

00:32:42I want my phone back.

00:32:43And I said, listen, at this point, it's their phone.

00:32:46It's theirs for f***ing ever.

00:32:47I don't give a s***.

00:32:48We will buy you a new phone.

00:32:49It doesn't matter anymore.

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

00:32:51Like, let them look at it.

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

00:32:56And I'm just like, do you...

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

00:33:00Because, like, you're...

00:33:03If you were to go demand your phone back right now, that would look suspicious as f***.

00:33:06Like, what are you doing?

00:33:08What they would later discover hidden in the data would shock investigators and completely

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

00:33:15Meanwhile, as Stefan's account of the day continues, he explains that he left the apartment once

00:33:20again around 12.30 in the afternoon.

00:33:23I had a couple errands to run over on 192.

00:33:26She was talking about making a BJ shopping list.

00:33:32She just wanted to make sure I was back in time for us to both go pick up new.

00:33:35So I was visiting some card shops around the area on 192.

00:33:39I'm kind of a nerd, so we had a new trading card game release, and I was seeing what the

00:33:44situation was with it.

00:33:46Jennifer describes Stefan as an avid gamer who collects figurines, trading cards, and retro

00:33:51toys such as Tamagotchis.

00:33:53Do you remember what places you visited?

00:33:56Uh, yeah, Coliseum of Comics, um, stopped by a couple targets, and I was going to go

00:34:02to House Rules Games down by Oak and 192, but I didn't make it that far.

00:34:09I got a flat tire on the way.

00:34:10Between the factory phone reset and now the flat tire, the suspicious circumstances keep

00:34:15adding up.

00:34:17Jennifer continues, explaining what happened as the time approached to pick up Madeline from

00:34:21school.

00:34:222.30 rolls around, and I'm already calling Stefan, and he's not picking up his phone.

00:34:29About 10 minutes later, I get a phone call from him going, I just stopped back home, I

00:34:33left my phone home again, I'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.

00:34:42I really wanted to go with you.

00:34:43And I was just like, it's fine.

00:34:45Investigators attempt to pinpoint where the tire change occurred, but once again, Stefan

00:34:50seems to struggle with his memory.

00:34:53Do you remember where you got your flat tire?

00:34:55It was on 192.

00:34:56I pulled into over, into one of those plazas somewhere.

00:35:00Do you remember the name of the plaza by any chance?

00:35:02I don't know.

00:35:03Though investigators were unaware at the time, Stefan's flat tire would eventually be the

00:35:08key to a massive breakthrough in the search for Madeline.

00:35:11Meanwhile, Jennifer explained she went to the school to pick up Madeline, and more inconsistencies

00:35:16come up.

00:35:174.10 rolls around, and she's still not out, or 4.09.

00:35:21And then at this point, I'm feeling the pressure from the cars behind me.

00:35:23I'm like, okay, they're all full.

00:35:25They're all waiting for me to leave, and she's not here yet.

00:35:26So I take off, and I'm thinking, maybe I missed her.

00:35:31Maybe I forgot to tell her I was picking her up from school today, because I don't know

00:35:34if she knew that I wasn't working.

00:35:35So I left, thinking maybe she walked.

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

00:35:40Let me go drive back down and wait along the path she would walk, and just wait.

00:35:45And I parked, and I waited.

00:35:47Maybe somewhere, at least we've got just 10 minutes.

00:35:50She still wasn't there, and I looked at the time, and I'm like, okay, she should be back

00:35:54at my mom's office by now.

00:35:55Maybe she took a different path than I didn't see.

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

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

00:36:01And I think at this point, I'd call Stefan, and I'd tell him, she'd make it.

00:36:05She's absent today.

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

00:36:09Later that evening, Jennifer, Stefan, and concerned family members met with police to

00:36:14report Madeline missing.

00:36:16Detectives noted several discrepancies in Jennifer and Stefan's accounts.

00:36:21Jennifer initially claimed she saw Madeline getting ready for school, later saying she only

00:36:25heard her.

00:36:27Curiously, she'd corrected Stefan on what Madeline was wearing earlier, despite initial statements

00:36:32that she never saw her.

00:36:34Additionally, a review of cameras near where Stefan supposedly left Madeline doesn't show

00:36:46his car in the area, and cameras capture him moving in the opposite direction at the time

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

00:36:53A license plate reader also captured Stefan nine miles away in St. Cloud at the time he

00:36:59was supposedly heading toward House Rules Games in Kissimmee, where he disappears from cameras

00:37:04for approximately 54 minutes.

00:37:06With suspicious circumstances surrounding Madeline's disappearance, police prohibit Stefan and Jennifer

00:37:12from re-entering their apartment on the night of February 27th, one day following Madeline's

00:37:17disappearance.

00:37:18Jennifer's reaction to the news was far from what investigators expected.

00:37:23I think at this point, when I noticed that forensics was locking down the house and you guys said we

00:37:28couldn't come back, I told him to call his dad because I had a feeling something, y'all knew

00:37:34something and it was going to come down on him.

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

00:37:39They have the wrong person.

00:37:40And in my head, I'm convinced you guys were just, that you had the wrong person.

00:37:46I started saying to him, like, I think they're focusing in on you.

00:37:49Like, you need to call your dad and I think we need to get you a lawyer.

00:37:53How did he feel when he started getting a lawyer?

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

00:37:57Like, when I told him, like, don't you see forensics is closing down the house?

00:38:00They know something or there's something, like, they know something.

00:38:07Something's happening.

00:38:08They wouldn't be locking down the house this way if they didn't have suspicions of something.

00:38:12On the night of February 27th, after the police see Stefan's phone in their apartment,

00:38:17they booked a hotel with Stefan's dad, Chris, a retired Orange County police deputy.

00:38:23Chris will soon speak with police, sharing his own fears and suspicions about his son.

00:38:29Meanwhile, the following morning, Stefan's sudden absence from the hotel doesn't go unnoticed.

00:38:34The following morning, I wake up, I think around 9 o'clock in the morning.

00:38:38And Stefan's not there.

00:38:41And I remember thinking, he left again without his phone and didn't tell anyone where he was going.

00:38:47That's suspicious as fuck again.

00:38:49Why is he trying to...

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

00:38:54He didn't get the new phone until later that day, where his dad woke up, came to our hotel room,

00:38:59and then handed him a phone.

00:39:02But he rolled in around 11.15, rolled in with a cup of Wawa, and said,

00:39:08Oh, I'm so sorry.

00:39:09I was just driving around.

00:39:10I grabbed some Wawa on 182 and got lost.

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

00:39:14But 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?

00:39:21Like, you would have been a fugitive.

00:39:23Like, what are you doing?

00:39:26And he was just apologetic about not telling anyone where he went.

00:39:30But, you know, I mean, he had a Wawa caught when he said he was up at 192.

00:39:36Yeah, but in reality, I know that he truly took my car in the middle of the night to Northport, Florida,

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

00:39:46Cameras capture Stefan leaving the hotel lobby at 4.35 a.m. in Jennifer's car.

00:39:51A license plate reader captures him again one mile from his parents' home in Northport, Florida,

00:39:56nearly 150 miles from Kissimmee, at 6.29 a.m.

00:40:02Investigators urgently speak with Stefan's dad, Chris,

00:40:05as their suspicions surrounding Stefan's activities solidify their suspicions

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

00:40:12Did he tell you he was in Northport today?

00:40:14I'm assuming he didn't, based on the reaction.

00:40:17Can you take a seat?

00:40:18No, he was in Northport.

00:40:21Yes, we have more than enough reason to believe that Stefan was in Northport today.

00:40:25We want the exit that you take to get to your house.

00:40:27Our concern is we're conducting a miscommunication.

00:40:30Yes.

00:40:31Given the proximity of that exit to your home,

00:40:34what we're trying to find out is if she's just hanging out in your house,

00:40:37you just want to get her somewhere safe,

00:40:38we want to put eyes on her, make sure she's okay.

00:40:41Chris contacts his wife, who's currently at their house in Northport,

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

00:40:48Meanwhile, Chris theorizes that if Stefan were hiding Madeline,

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

00:40:54They're going to come over and want to search a house for,

00:40:57apparently, can I tell them?

00:40:58Yes.

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

00:41:03Yesterday, or this morning, I should say.

00:41:05I have no idea.

00:41:08But there's a storage unit,

00:41:09but he wouldn't have access to the keys to the storage unit

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

00:41:16And that would have been locked in my car

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

00:41:19which he didn't have a key to get into.

00:41:20Chris cooperates fully,

00:41:23giving police permission to search his home

00:41:24and the storage unit in Northport for any sign of Madeline.

00:41:28Meanwhile, Chris describes a haunting suspicion

00:41:31he shared with his wife

00:41:32once they learned of Madeline's sudden disappearance.

00:41:35When I left last night, I said,

00:41:37hey, I turned around, I said,

00:41:38do we really know?

00:41:40Is he capable of doing something harmful to her?

00:41:43Why would you suspect that?

00:41:44Because some inconsistencies of phone calls

00:41:49he had with me didn't add up, okay?

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

00:41:54He calls me mid-afternoon, three-ish,

00:41:57maybe 3.45 or something,

00:41:59and say, I just had a flat tire.

00:42:02Okay.

00:42:03How the f*** did you get a flat tire?

00:42:05You just drove over to the company.

00:42:07You took her to, you know,

00:42:09maybe you're running an errand,

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

00:42:12It was several hours later, around 5 p.m.,

00:42:15when Stefan told Chris

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

00:42:19Meanwhile, Jennifer shares similar concerns

00:42:21about his activities.

00:42:23Him disappearing to Northport,

00:42:25what the hell was he doing?

00:42:28That is suspicious.

00:42:29I mean, now that I know that that's where he went,

00:42:31that is suspicious as all.

00:42:32Why did he go to a storage unit facility?

00:42:37What was he grabbing?

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

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

00:42:59In the meantime, Stefan is brought to the police station

00:43:01just after his return to the hotel on February 28th,

00:43:05unaware that his many lies are about to catch up with him.

00:43:08What happened to him?

00:43:11To a flat tire.

00:43:13Oof.

00:43:14I haven't changed a flat tire in about 10 years.

00:43:17I made a rookie mistake

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

00:43:21And it slipped,

00:43:23and the frame came down on my thumb

00:43:26and pinned it between the jack.

00:43:28What about the other scratches?

00:43:30Courtesy of a janky tire iron and the road.

00:43:34Did you bleed at all?

00:43:38Yeah, this one had some blood,

00:43:39and this one had some blood,

00:43:41but not much.

00:43:42It clotted fast.

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

00:43:46No idea.

00:43:47Tire just started going floppy,

00:43:49and then way floppier,

00:43:52and then just completely freaking separated.

00:43:56I think I had a spare and a jack.

00:43:59Janky as it was.

00:44:01So typically when changing a tire and stuff,

00:44:03you tend to get brake dust and dirty and all that?

00:44:06Yeah.

00:44:07Did you happen to?

00:44:08Positive that I breathed in some freaking brake dust

00:44:11or tire dust or something

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

00:44:15What did you end up doing to clean up

00:44:16or stop the bleeding and stuff?

00:44:20Nothing, actually.

00:44:22You didn't get too dirty?

00:44:23I just washed my hands,

00:44:24and what was it?

00:44:27Your clothes get all messed up at all?

00:44:28Not bad, surprisingly.

00:44:33What were you wearing, by chance?

00:44:35This.

00:44:37I think I'm still wearing this.

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

00:44:40Oh, so you kept breathing?

00:44:42Try to, I guess.

00:44:44Earlier surveillance footage

00:44:45showed him wearing a red shirt

00:44:47as he threw away items in the trash compactor,

00:44:50left the apartment complex,

00:44:51and returned with Madeline.

00:44:53However, when he's captured on camera

00:44:55at a smoke shop later that morning,

00:44:57his clothes have changed.

00:44:59You weren't wearing a red shirt?

00:45:03I was wearing a red shirt

00:45:05early in the morning.

00:45:06But I changed clothes later

00:45:10because that shirt was,

00:45:11in a couple days,

00:45:12went down the morning.

00:45:13And the flat tire happened after that.

00:45:19After further review of security footage

00:45:21from the apartment complex,

00:45:23Stefan was seen visiting the trash compactor

00:45:25multiple times throughout the day.

00:45:27At 4.35 p.m.,

00:45:28around the time Stefan claims

00:45:30he learned of Madeline's absence from school,

00:45:33he's seen throwing away

00:45:34a piece of a damaged tire.

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

00:45:38Stefan discarded.

00:45:39I'm too 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.

00:45:49Okay?

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

00:45:55and I will reciprocate,

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

00:45:58as much as I'm being honest with you.

00:46:00Okay?

00:46:01Nowadays, cameras are everywhere.

00:46:04Okay?

00:46:04We see you cut the guard check.

00:46:12Okay?

00:46:14We see you go by the dumpster.

00:46:18Okay?

00:46:25I may have taken some trash with me then.

00:46:28What was in the trash?

00:46:30House trash.

00:46:31House trash?

00:46:32You?

00:46:33When you took her school,

00:46:35did she have her backpack with her?

00:46:39Yes.

00:46:40She did?

00:46:44Did she have her school computer with her?

00:46:47Yes.

00:46:48Presumably, yes.

00:46:49Presumably?

00:46:50Okay.

00:46:51She should have.

00:46:52I...

00:47:00Once again,

00:47:04this goes back with the whole honesty thing.

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

00:47:10that got thrown away

00:47:11that probably shouldn't have been thrown away.

00:47:15Near the tire,

00:47:16a Hawaiian print backpack,

00:47:18school laptop,

00:47:19and one white croc were found.

00:47:21All believed to belong

00:47:23to Madeline Soto.

00:47:25Stefan's story

00:47:26of watching Madeline walk toward the school

00:47:28with her belongings

00:47:29falls apart

00:47:30with this devastating discovery,

00:47:32prompting the detective

00:47:33to make a desperate plea

00:47:34for the truth.

00:47:36Well, I can confidently tell you

00:47:38she did not go to school

00:47:40with her backpack.

00:47:45How was that?

00:47:46Because we found in the trash.

00:47:47So, Stefan,

00:47:56here's what I'm asking you

00:47:57and pleading with you

00:47:58is to dig down

00:48:00and do some soul searching.

00:48:04I have kids.

00:48:05He's got kids.

00:48:10And there's little girls

00:48:11out there somewhere

00:48:11that

00:48:12we need to know where.

00:48:15And I really, really, really

00:48:19think you can help us.

00:48:23I mean,

00:48:24you want to get something

00:48:26off your chest.

00:48:26I don't know what it is,

00:48:28but

00:48:28I'm pleading with you.

00:48:33I don't know.

00:48:36I don't.

00:48:37Though Stefan continues

00:48:38to deny the truth,

00:48:39the evidence against him

00:48:40is mounting.

00:48:42Detectives are far

00:48:43from finished

00:48:43as they prepare

00:48:44to confront him

00:48:44with the jaw-dropping discovery

00:48:46from his cell phone,

00:48:47a disturbing revelation

00:48:49that will be nearly impossible

00:48:50for Stefan to deny.

00:48:52What do you think

00:48:53was on the phone?

00:48:55Text messages.

00:48:58Text messages.

00:48:59Mm-hmm.

00:49:01Emails.

00:49:04Old stuff.

00:49:05Pictures?

00:49:06Oh, yeah.

00:49:07What kind of pictures

00:49:07were on there?

00:49:08Training card pictures,

00:49:15lightsaber pictures,

00:49:17Disney pictures.

00:49:22Do you have a Google account?

00:49:25Yeah.

00:49:27Do you save pictures

00:49:29to your Google account?

00:49:31Sometimes.

00:49:32Or is it automatically?

00:49:33I know sometimes

00:49:34phones sync to a cloud.

00:49:36Yeah, I think it backs up

00:49:40to Google.

00:49:41Mm-hmm.

00:49:42And then sometimes

00:49:43when you reset your phone

00:49:45and your phone updates

00:49:48and puts these apps

00:49:48back on your phone,

00:49:50sometimes they will put

00:49:52the images back

00:49:53on your phone?

00:49:54I'm not sure.

00:49:56Okay.

00:49:59Do you have any...

00:49:59I assume so.

00:50:03Do you have any

00:50:07package pictures

00:50:07of you?

00:50:10Probably.

00:50:11I mean,

00:50:11we went to Disney,

00:50:13took selfies

00:50:13on the train.

00:50:16She got back

00:50:17from Puerto Rico

00:50:17and had her hair braided.

00:50:18We got pictures of that.

00:50:24All sorts of pictures.

00:50:26Family events.

00:50:28Any other pictures?

00:50:29Anything to go?

00:50:30On February 28th,

00:50:32two days after

00:50:33Madeline's disappearance,

00:50:35the digital forensics team

00:50:36was able to recover

00:50:37hundreds of images

00:50:38and videos from the phone

00:50:40and a Google Cloud account.

00:50:42The images date back

00:50:43as far as when Madeline

00:50:44was only eight years old.

00:50:47Though few images

00:50:48show Stefan's face,

00:50:49a unique black mark

00:50:50on his genitals

00:50:51would later match

00:50:52those seen in the photos.

00:50:54More discoveries

00:50:55would later come

00:50:56from his search history

00:50:57with horrifying implications.

00:51:00Here's where I'm going

00:51:01to be brutally honest

00:51:02with you.

00:51:03There's

00:51:04people on your phone.

00:51:07And I'm pretty sure

00:51:08you know what

00:51:09some of those pictures

00:51:09are about.

00:51:11You're a very

00:51:12intelligent person.

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

00:51:15to discredit yourself

00:51:17by saying you don't

00:51:19know about

00:51:19all the pictures

00:51:20that are on your phone.

00:51:22You understand

00:51:22what I'm saying?

00:51:23So do you want

00:51:27to add to the list

00:51:28of pictures?

00:51:35No.

00:51:37Should I be talking

00:51:39with a lawyer right now?

00:51:44I can't answer

00:51:45that question.

00:51:45My sole purpose

00:51:48right now

00:51:48is to

00:51:49see if I can find

00:51:52and I'm really

00:51:56hoping you can help me.

00:51:58I'd like to try

00:51:59to help,

00:52:00but I feel like

00:52:02I should probably

00:52:03have a lawyer present

00:52:04at this point.

00:52:05In a nearby

00:52:06interrogation room,

00:52:07Jennifer is presented

00:52:08with the distressing

00:52:09evidence.

00:52:10However,

00:52:11her initial reaction

00:52:12leaves investigators

00:52:13in shock.

00:52:14We have his phone.

00:52:16We were able

00:52:17to get into his phone.

00:52:19And there are some

00:52:20very, very unfortunate

00:52:21graphic pictures

00:52:22with...

00:52:24I wish I could tell you

00:52:25this was all

00:52:26a made-up story,

00:52:27but it's not.

00:52:29Did you ever suspect

00:52:30anything like this?

00:52:32No?

00:52:34You okay?

00:52:35How are you feeling

00:52:36right now?

00:52:38I can't breathe.

00:52:39Is this a surprise?

00:52:42Is there...

00:52:43Is there...

00:52:44The photos of her?

00:52:45Mm-hmm.

00:52:46Yes.

00:52:47So, you know how

00:52:47we have his phone?

00:52:49Obviously,

00:52:50that's how we were

00:52:51able to find

00:52:51the photos in there.

00:52:54I don't want to

00:52:55believe that this is true.

00:52:56Can I see

00:52:57some of that evidence?

00:52:58What makes you

00:53:00believe that it's not?

00:53:01I thought I knew

00:53:02come long enough.

00:53:03Though investigators

00:53:04insist the photos

00:53:05are true,

00:53:06Jennifer continues

00:53:07to ask them

00:53:07to show her

00:53:08the proof.

00:53:09Despite their concerns

00:53:10that the images

00:53:11may be too difficult

00:53:12for her to see,

00:53:13they ultimately

00:53:14reveal one

00:53:15of the images

00:53:15to her.

00:53:16Jennifer's reaction,

00:53:17however,

00:53:17will soon lead

00:53:18the detective

00:53:19to a chilling

00:53:20conclusion.

00:53:21So, what do you think

00:53:22should happen to Stephen?

00:53:24I'm afraid to say

00:53:25press charges,

00:53:26but what else?

00:53:27There's a sign of me

00:53:28that wants to say

00:53:29he's innocent

00:53:30if this doesn't happen.

00:53:32Can I make one decision

00:53:32now and change

00:53:33my mind later?

00:53:36If I decide not to

00:53:37press charges now,

00:53:38could I change my mind

00:53:38and press charges later?

00:53:40It's a lot to digest.

00:53:41Okay, so I don't want

00:53:43to make you answer

00:53:43that right now,

00:53:44but when we come back,

00:53:45we'll talk more about it.

00:53:47She's our main focus.

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

00:53:48I know that

00:53:49the act's happened,

00:53:51but I'm not convinced

00:53:52that he didn't

00:53:52take her to school.

00:53:53I'm not convinced

00:53:54that he's the reason

00:53:55she's gone.

00:53:56Because if this had

00:53:57been going on

00:53:57for so long,

00:53:59what's the motive?

00:54:00Why Monday?

00:54:01Why that day?

00:54:01Why the day

00:54:02after her birthday

00:54:02when we were supposed

00:54:03to spend the entire

00:54:04week together

00:54:04and have such a great time?

00:54:05Like, we had plans.

00:54:07Like, we knew

00:54:07we were just going

00:54:10to be together

00:54:11that week

00:54:11and we were going

00:54:11to have a good time.

00:54:12So I just can't think,

00:54:13like, why?

00:54:15When you say

00:54:16what's the motive,

00:54:17what are you assuming?

00:54:20That she was taken.

00:54:22Not that anyone

00:54:23that I know

00:54:24has done something to her

00:54:25because I feel like

00:54:26nobody I know

00:54:27would do something to her,

00:54:29would hurt her,

00:54:30would murder her,

00:54:31anything like that.

00:54:33In addition to the photos,

00:54:34several items were located

00:54:35in a search of their apartment,

00:54:37including a firearm

00:54:38found in Stefan's room.

00:54:40In Madeline's room,

00:54:41a phone tripod

00:54:42was located inside a drawer

00:54:44and a pair of men's underwear

00:54:46was found in a laundry basket.

00:54:48Police noted

00:54:49that a specialized light source

00:54:50was used on Madeline's bed

00:54:52and areas of fluorescence

00:54:53were observed

00:54:54on her comforter.

00:54:56Additionally,

00:54:56Madeline's school notebook

00:54:58was found

00:54:58and appeared to contain

00:55:00graphic depictions

00:55:01of sexual acts.

00:55:03The evidence is enough

00:55:04to charge Stefan

00:55:05with sexual battery

00:55:06and after more evidence

00:55:07is collected by police,

00:55:09he is placed under arrest.

00:55:10The investigators

00:55:11are still looking for Madeline

00:55:13and despite the overwhelming evidence

00:55:15of Madeline's victimization,

00:55:17it still isn't enough

00:55:18to convince Jennifer

00:55:19that Stefan had something

00:55:20to do with her disappearance.

00:55:22We know what happened.

00:55:24What if he's telling the truth

00:55:25about dropping her off

00:55:26and driving away

00:55:27and driving around in circles

00:55:28and getting to the babe shop?

00:55:30Because I know there's banks

00:55:31right in that same plaza

00:55:32in the Amstot.

00:55:34There must be video of him

00:55:35pulling into that plaza

00:55:37and waiting.

00:55:39What do you mean?

00:55:39What's your question?

00:55:41If you guys have found

00:55:42evidence of him

00:55:44being in front of the store

00:55:45like he said he was,

00:55:46like it's possible

00:55:48that his story might be true

00:55:49and somebody else

00:55:51could have taken her?

00:55:52Like I'm just thinking

00:55:52like what if we're focusing

00:55:53like okay,

00:55:55the sex thing's happened, right?

00:55:56But what if that's

00:55:57completely like a side thing

00:55:58and not having to do

00:56:00with this,

00:56:00like her missing?

00:56:01Two days after his arrest

00:56:03on March 1st,

00:56:04Madeline is still missing

00:56:06and the detective

00:56:07once again confronts Jennifer,

00:56:09this time to share

00:56:10a troubling concern.

00:56:12I think at a certain point

00:56:13throughout this relationship

00:56:14you became aware of it

00:56:15and for whatever reason,

00:56:18your reasons are your reasons,

00:56:19whether it was disgust

00:56:21that it would stop,

00:56:22whether it was disgust

00:56:23how it would go,

00:56:25that you feel

00:56:26some sense of guilt.

00:56:27A lot of the news

00:56:29statements you've given

00:56:30kind of, again,

00:56:33my opinion only,

00:56:34I don't speak for anybody else

00:56:35whether it's in this room

00:56:36or out of this room,

00:56:37bother me.

00:56:39I feel like some of your sadness

00:56:40is not real sadness.

00:56:42I feel like when you gave

00:56:43the interview with Fox 35,

00:56:45it was not sincere.

00:56:47Looking at that video one time,

00:56:49I didn't feel like

00:56:49your cries were sincere

00:56:51and I'm not saying that

00:56:52because you're a bad person,

00:56:53but her going missing,

00:56:55her disappearance,

00:56:57if you have knowledge

00:56:58of how it happened,

00:56:59where it happened,

00:57:00an inclination,

00:57:01that emotion's not going

00:57:02to feel sincere

00:57:03because you're already aware

00:57:04of what happened.

00:57:05If I knew anything,

00:57:09I promise you,

00:57:10I would tell you,

00:57:11like, I am willing

00:57:12to take a lie detector test,

00:57:13whatever the fuck you want,

00:57:14but I don't know anything.

00:57:16He's never mentioned anything.

00:57:18I've never seen any signs.

00:57:20I tried watching her

00:57:21like a hawk.

00:57:22I thought I was doing

00:57:22a good job,

00:57:23but I wasn't.

00:57:25Regardless of whether

00:57:25Jennifer was aware

00:57:26of the situation,

00:57:28the reality remains

00:57:29that Madeline

00:57:29hasn't yet been found,

00:57:31and uncovering where she is

00:57:33and what may have happened

00:57:33to her is still the priority.

00:57:36We currently have upwards

00:57:38probably 200 people

00:57:40working on fire.

00:57:42Anybody who is somebody

00:57:43is involved.

00:57:44Yeah.

00:57:45So, regardless

00:57:47of the circumstances,

00:57:49those people don't get

00:57:49to go home.

00:57:50Those people don't get

00:57:51to go back to their families.

00:57:53Those people don't get

00:57:53to live their lives

00:57:54and go back to their primary jobs.

00:57:56This isn't something

00:57:57that's going to stop

00:57:57or go away.

00:57:59I can tell you,

00:58:00and I know detectives

00:58:01expressed to you

00:58:02that the thought process

00:58:03at this point

00:58:03is this is a homicide investigation.

00:58:05Yeah.

00:58:06Based on the evidence

00:58:06I've seen,

00:58:07based on the videos

00:58:08I've seen.

00:58:08Further review

00:58:09of the surveillance footage,

00:58:11which shows Madeline

00:58:11traveling with Stefan

00:58:13in the early hours

00:58:13of February 26th,

00:58:15leads detectives

00:58:16to draw a heartbreaking conclusion.

00:58:19They note

00:58:19that the slumped position

00:58:21with her head leaning

00:58:22is not a common

00:58:23sitting position

00:58:23and horrifically,

00:58:25perhaps indicates

00:58:26that Madeline

00:58:27may not be alive.

00:58:29Additionally,

00:58:30footage captured

00:58:30in a parking garage

00:58:31shows what appears

00:58:32to be Stefan

00:58:33carrying Madeline

00:58:34from the front passenger seat

00:58:35to the trunk

00:58:36at approximately 9.41 a.m.,

00:58:39the time when Stefan

00:58:40claimed to be

00:58:41meandering around

00:58:42while waiting

00:58:43for the vape store to open.

00:58:45Without her body,

00:58:46however,

00:58:46their conclusion

00:58:47is only a theory.

00:58:49Meanwhile,

00:58:50a startling admission

00:58:51by Jennifer

00:58:51will soon lead

00:58:52to a brutal confrontation

00:58:53by the detective,

00:58:55whose patience

00:58:56appears to be wearing thin.

00:58:57Have you talked to Chris

00:58:59about Stefan

00:59:00needing a lawyer?

00:59:02Yeah.

00:59:03When?

00:59:06I think when you guys

00:59:08showed me the...

00:59:08the...

00:59:09the photos.

00:59:15So we showed you photos?

00:59:17No.

00:59:17The first thought you had

00:59:18was to ask his father

00:59:19if he should get a lawyer?

00:59:20No.

00:59:21I knew that that was true, right?

00:59:22That's evidence.

00:59:23That's for real.

00:59:24That's what's happening.

00:59:26But I kept thinking,

00:59:28they're going...

00:59:30I don't know why I kept...

00:59:33I...

00:59:33I can't tell you

00:59:35why my brain kept thinking,

00:59:36no, he didn't kill her.

00:59:38Not that he didn't kill her,

00:59:38but...

00:59:40she's still missing.

00:59:41She's still out there.

00:59:41She was taken.

00:59:43Yes,

00:59:45he's done this to her.

00:59:48And that's not okay.

00:59:51But I swore she was still...

00:59:52I felt in my body

00:59:53she was still alive.

00:59:54She was still out there.

00:59:57I told Chris to get him a lawyer

00:59:58because I felt like

00:59:59you guys were chasing

01:00:01the wrong person.

01:00:03But you weren't.

01:00:04Because you offering him

01:00:05a lawyer is very weird.

01:00:07I know.

01:00:08I know.

01:00:09I...

01:00:09Her replies to the details

01:00:13about the severity

01:00:14of Madeline's assaults

01:00:15appear to be the final straw

01:00:16for the detective

01:00:17as his confrontation

01:00:18grows more heated.

01:00:20You prioritized him

01:00:22by offering him...

01:00:23or telling his dad

01:00:24to get him a lawyer.

01:00:26Not

01:00:27what the f*** did he do

01:00:28to...

01:00:29Hey, we need to figure out

01:00:31what happened.

01:00:33No, let's protect Stefan.

01:00:36I wasn't shocked.

01:00:37No, it's not shock.

01:00:39That is your natural instinct

01:00:40to protect Stefan.

01:00:41I don't know why...

01:00:43I don't know why I said...

01:00:44But that's the problem.

01:00:45You don't know why.

01:00:46Does your role in her life

01:00:48lead this to happen?

01:00:49I'll be honest.

01:00:50Yes.

01:00:52I know.

01:00:54Since she was a child,

01:00:55since her victimization started,

01:00:56it occurred under your roof

01:00:57and you acted like

01:00:58it didn't exist.

01:01:00And knowing the victimization,

01:01:02knowing the victimization,

01:01:03knowing how ongoing it is,

01:01:04knowing that you saw

01:01:05a picture of it,

01:01:07not just us telling you,

01:01:08not me and him saying,

01:01:09hey, listen,

01:01:09he's being...

01:01:10I think they had

01:01:12a bad relationship.

01:01:12They showed you

01:01:13a picture of it

01:01:15and you still protected him.

01:01:19So how am I supposed

01:01:20to not think

01:01:20that the thought process

01:01:21in your mind

01:01:22is until she's found

01:01:23Stefan can't be charged

01:01:24with murder?

01:01:24Because we both now know

01:01:25that you don't want him

01:01:26to be charged with murder

01:01:27because you want him

01:01:28to have a lawyer.

01:01:29No, I don't...

01:01:30That was then.

01:01:31Oh, he can't be charged

01:01:32with murder?

01:01:33That was then.

01:01:34Everything that you guys

01:01:35have shown me since then

01:01:36and have shown me

01:01:37that he's alive...

01:01:37So we have to show you

01:01:38a picture of her dead in the car

01:01:39for you to finally

01:01:40not take his side?

01:01:41Despite his theory,

01:01:42that Madeline is deceased,

01:01:44they've yet to locate

01:01:45any sign of her remains.

01:01:47If their devastating theory

01:01:48is correct,

01:01:49the question remains.

01:01:51What motive would Stefan

01:01:52have to end her life?

01:01:54What do you think

01:01:55made him snap?

01:02:01I don't know.

01:02:02Theories, I keep hearing theories.

01:02:03Tell me your theories

01:02:04because here's the deal.

01:02:05You don't go home

01:02:05until she's balanced.

01:02:06No, I know, I know.

01:02:07So what are your theories?

01:02:08What I've heard is

01:02:12what if

01:02:13what if she upset him

01:02:15and threatened

01:02:17to tell me

01:02:18and say that she was

01:02:19going to tell me

01:02:20and 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

01:02:28he killed her.

01:02:31But for me,

01:02:32you're telling me

01:02:33he wants to have killed her

01:02:34Sunday night

01:02:35and snuck her body

01:02:36out in the morning.

01:02:40That photo

01:02:42even showed you

01:02:43her slept in the car.

01:02:46You don't want to believe

01:02:47you killed her.

01:02:48I want to believe

01:02:49she's still alive

01:02:50and then she got kidnapped,

01:02:51but that doesn't seem

01:02:52like that's the case.

01:02:53Well, it's not at all.

01:02:54I know.

01:02:56I know.

01:02:56My brain just wants

01:02:57to believe

01:02:58something else.

01:03:00I just want to believe

01:03:01she's still alive

01:03:02and she's out there.

01:03:05Explain your reasoning

01:03:06behind those assumptions

01:03:07and we'll move forward

01:03:08day by day.

01:03:11So he had access

01:03:13to benzos

01:03:15and I think lunesta.

01:03:19What are those?

01:03:20I'm not familiar with that.

01:03:22Benzodiazepines

01:03:23are anxiety medications

01:03:24which relax you

01:03:25and can make you sleepy.

01:03:27Okay.

01:03:29And lunesta

01:03:30I think is a

01:03:31sleeping medication

01:03:32like for insomnia.

01:03:35So I don't know

01:03:37if it's possible

01:03:38he gave her something

01:03:40and she was drugged

01:03:41and in those

01:03:41photos that you showed me

01:03:43where you're saying

01:03:44she's dead

01:03:44maybe she was drugged

01:03:45but

01:03:46if she is dead

01:03:50and it was done upstairs

01:03:52I could just

01:03:53only imagine

01:03:54that he choked her.

01:03:56I don't know

01:03:56how else you would

01:03:57kill someone

01:03:57and not leave a mess.

01:03:59Horrifically

01:04:00a search for the medication

01:04:01Sivoflurane

01:04:02was discovered

01:04:03in Stefan's Google account

01:04:04on February 12th

01:04:06and 14th.

01:04:07It's described

01:04:08as a volatile anesthetic

01:04:09that provides hypnosis

01:04:10and amnesia

01:04:11and is most commonly used

01:04:13for surgical procedures.

01:04:15An additional search

01:04:16was made to determine

01:04:17whether or not

01:04:17the medication

01:04:18would show up in tests.

01:04:20Still

01:04:20based on what he's seen

01:04:22the detective

01:04:23isn't willing

01:04:23to entertain the idea

01:04:24that Madeline

01:04:25was merely sleeping.

01:04:27We know he killed her.

01:04:28We know he drove

01:04:29out of there

01:04:29on Monday morning.

01:04:30We know he discarded

01:04:31her backpack

01:04:32in the trash dumpster.

01:04:33We know he discarded

01:04:34her laptop

01:04:34in one chute.

01:04:36Right?

01:04:36So all her property

01:04:38was discarded

01:04:38to look like

01:04:39she's gone.

01:04:40That way he doesn't

01:04:41have evidence with him.

01:04:42But then you have

01:04:42all these suspicious times

01:04:44of what he's left

01:04:44and come back

01:04:45and he's gone here

01:04:46and gone there.

01:04:46So what do you think

01:04:47he was doing

01:04:48on all these suspicious times?

01:04:50He's roaming 192.

01:04:52What do you think?

01:04:53Knowing what you know now

01:04:54now we can play

01:04:55you know she's dead.

01:04:56You know that we've

01:04:57given you information.

01:04:57What do you think?

01:04:58Knowing what you know

01:04:59he was doing at 192.

01:05:01He was doing here.

01:05:02He was doing here.

01:05:02He was doing in Northport.

01:05:04What do you think?

01:05:08So him leaving

01:05:09early in the morning

01:05:10and driving around

01:05:11aimlessly somewhere.

01:05:14I feel like he stashed

01:05:15the body at that time.

01:05:17When he came back

01:05:18and then left again.

01:05:21But see, it's daytime.

01:05:22Like, how could you

01:05:23move a body

01:05:24or move something

01:05:25in daytime

01:05:25and not be seen?

01:05:28But like,

01:05:29I feel like he went back

01:05:30to check,

01:05:33to make sure

01:05:34he did a good job

01:05:35or to move the body again?

01:05:38I don't know.

01:05:39Detectives would eventually

01:05:40discover what Stefan

01:05:42was doing in Northport

01:05:43along with a shocking discovery

01:05:45which will be revealed later.

01:05:47Still, Stefan has 54 minutes

01:05:49of unaccounted for activity

01:05:50in the area of St. Cloud,

01:05:52nine miles from Kissimmee.

01:05:54Jennifer, however,

01:05:55claims she has no idea

01:05:56what he may have been doing

01:05:57there on the morning

01:05:58of February 26th.

01:06:00I didn't think he ever,

01:06:01like, even knew

01:06:02where St. Cloud was

01:06:05because we've never driven

01:06:06down that way ever.

01:06:08You live in Kissimmee, right?

01:06:09Yeah, I know.

01:06:10But to me,

01:06:11he's never had a reason

01:06:12to ever drive down to St. Cloud.

01:06:14Like, ever.

01:06:15Investigators continue

01:06:16to pry information

01:06:17from Jennifer,

01:06:18unaware of just how close

01:06:19they are

01:06:20to a major breakthrough.

01:06:22For now,

01:06:23Jennifer poses a dark

01:06:24and twisted theory

01:06:25for where they might

01:06:26search for Madeline.

01:06:28If I were him

01:06:29and I had to stash a body,

01:06:33I would never do this.

01:06:34My mind would say

01:06:35to go to Lake Toho.

01:06:37There's a lot of woods there.

01:06:38There's a lot of gators.

01:06:40Like I told you,

01:06:41it's going to come to a point

01:06:42where we move.

01:06:42All right.

01:06:45Volusia County Sheriff's Office

01:06:46has found somebody

01:06:46the other day

01:06:47that's been missing

01:06:47for a long time.

01:06:48People get found.

01:06:50Sometimes it's quick,

01:06:51sometimes it's not quick.

01:06:52But we will find her.

01:06:54What you need to think about

01:06:55is when you find her,

01:06:57is there an opportunity

01:06:58or a chance

01:06:59that we are going to prove

01:07:01that you did not assist us

01:07:02to your full capability

01:07:03in this investigation?

01:07:05And if that is true,

01:07:06you need to think about

01:07:06the consequences of that.

01:07:09Consequences of hindering

01:07:10a murder investigation

01:07:11or a capital sexual

01:07:12murder investigation

01:07:13could be punishable

01:07:14up to probably

01:07:15the same charges

01:07:16at the same time in jail.

01:07:19I know you know

01:07:20that I don't believe

01:07:21what you're saying.

01:07:21I know you know

01:07:22that I think you

01:07:22prioritized Stefan.

01:07:24But you prioritized jail.

01:07:28You see what I'm saying?

01:07:29Like if we come back

01:07:30and prove that

01:07:31you sat in this room

01:07:31and misled us,

01:07:33that you didn't lead us

01:07:34in the right direction,

01:07:35that you assisted

01:07:35or you acknowledged

01:07:36or you knew

01:07:37or you knew

01:07:40morning from jail.

01:07:45If I knew anything,

01:07:46I swear I would tell you.

01:07:48At 4 p.m.,

01:07:50just minutes after

01:07:51Jennifer's interrogation

01:07:52comes to a frustrating end,

01:07:54a call reaches detectives

01:07:55about a witness

01:07:56who claimed to see

01:07:57the suspect vehicle

01:07:58and a man

01:07:59fitting Stefan's description

01:08:00changing a tire

01:08:01near Hickory Tree Road,

01:08:03the location where

01:08:04Stefan disappeared

01:08:04from cameras in St. Cloud.

01:08:07The witness reveals

01:08:08the exact location

01:08:09where locked gates

01:08:10separate the road

01:08:11from an area

01:08:11of private property.

01:08:13The property owner

01:08:14gives police permission

01:08:15to enter

01:08:15and horrifically,

01:08:17tucked inside

01:08:18a long expanse

01:08:19of bamboo trees,

01:08:20Madeline's body

01:08:21is discovered.

01:08:23She's found wearing

01:08:24a green-colored sweatshirt

01:08:25and blue jeans

01:08:26and her body

01:08:27is covered by pieces

01:08:28of what appeared

01:08:29to be hay

01:08:30or dry grass.

01:08:31The bottoms of her socks

01:08:33are clean,

01:08:34suggesting

01:08:34she was carried.

01:08:36Records would also

01:08:37reveal the sickening purpose

01:08:38of Stefan's trip

01:08:39to Northport

01:08:40while his family

01:08:40slept at the hotel.

01:08:43According to police records,

01:08:44at 6.34 a.m.,

01:08:46just after arriving

01:08:47in Northport,

01:08:48Stefan attempted

01:08:49to log into

01:08:49his Google account.

01:08:51It was later

01:08:51that Chris discovered

01:08:52the hard drive

01:08:53for Stefan's computer

01:08:54had been removed

01:08:55and placed in a bin

01:08:56at Chris's storage facility.

01:08:58He handed it over

01:08:59to the police,

01:09:00where it was found

01:09:00to contain

01:09:01over 35,000

01:09:03and explicit images

01:09:04of children.

01:09:05In a call

01:09:06between Chris

01:09:07and Stefan

01:09:07recorded from the jail,

01:09:09Stefan is confronted

01:09:09with the grim reality

01:09:11of a long future

01:09:12behind bars.

01:09:13The penalty

01:09:15for the crimes

01:09:17you have been

01:09:17charged with

01:09:18carry a minimum

01:09:1940-year sentence.

01:09:22So,

01:09:23obviously,

01:09:23we're going to be gone.

01:09:25We'll all be gone.

01:09:26We're sad about that,

01:09:27obviously,

01:09:29because there won't be

01:09:30anybody here

01:09:31before we want to come out.

01:09:32Yeah,

01:09:33and I'll be lucky

01:09:34if I have another

01:09:3540 years left

01:09:36in me either,

01:09:36so...

01:09:37Yeah.

01:09:38I wish there was

01:09:40a way that,

01:09:41you know,

01:09:41you and I

01:09:41can have a conversation,

01:09:43all of us

01:09:43could have a conversation

01:09:44to understand

01:09:45what's taken place,

01:09:48how this came about,

01:09:50how you arrived here,

01:09:52because it would help us

01:09:54better understand

01:09:55the situation

01:09:56because we're just

01:09:57at a loss

01:09:59for understanding

01:10:01how all this came about.

01:10:03I mean,

01:10:03we're just totally,

01:10:04totally baffled.

01:10:05Well,

01:10:05I didn't start it.

01:10:08You didn't start it,

01:10:09but you participated in it,

01:10:11which is just as bad

01:10:12as not starting it,

01:10:13but that's for another day.

01:10:15I can't promise you

01:10:16I can't get any

01:10:16specific details

01:10:17or anything,

01:10:18but,

01:10:19you know,

01:10:19I mean,

01:10:19if you'd like

01:10:20schedule a visit

01:10:21with me or something,

01:10:22maybe we can

01:10:22find some way to talk.

01:10:24I don't know.

01:10:25I think we're always

01:10:27going to be recorded,

01:10:28so there won't be

01:10:30an opportunity

01:10:30to do that.

01:10:32A later autopsy

01:10:33would rule

01:10:33Madeline's cause of death,

01:10:34a strangulation.

01:10:37Though an exact time

01:10:37of death

01:10:38could not be determined,

01:10:39investigators believe

01:10:40she was deceased

01:10:41before she was taken

01:10:42out of the apartment

01:10:43and was killed

01:10:44either the night

01:10:45of her birthday party

01:10:46or early

01:10:47the following morning.

01:10:48The footage

01:10:49of the young girl

01:10:50seen wandering away

01:10:51from the church

01:10:52Monday morning

01:10:52was not Madeline,

01:10:54but an unfortunate coincidence

01:10:55that the person

01:10:56on camera

01:10:56bore a similar resemblance.

01:10:59Stefan is being held

01:11:00without bond

01:11:00and is currently

01:11:01facing multiple charges,

01:11:03including 13 counts

01:11:04of sexual battery,

01:11:067 counts

01:11:06of lewd molestation,

01:11:0839 counts

01:11:09of unlawful possession

01:11:10of obscene materials,

01:11:11and first-degree

01:11:12capital murder.

01:11:14On April 26, 2024,

01:11:1737-year-old

01:11:18Stefan Michael Stearns

01:11:19entered a plea

01:11:19of not guilty.

01:11:21His jury trial

01:11:22is set to begin

01:11:23on September 22, 2025,

01:11:25where prosecutors

01:11:26intend to seek

01:11:27the death penalty.

01:11:29He currently awaits

01:11:29his fate

01:11:30at the Osceola County Jail

01:11:31in Kissimmee, Florida.

01:11:33Jennifer has not

01:11:34been charged

01:11:35with any crimes

01:11:36related to the disappearance

01:11:37or murder

01:11:38of Madeline Soto.

01:11:39So...

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