Madeline Soto: Living With a Monster // 585

Summary

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Going West: True Crime

Episode 585: Madeline Soto – Living With a Monster

Released: February 24, 2026
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman

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Episode Overview

This harrowing episode of Going West centers on the disappearance and murder of 13-year-old Madeline “Maddie” Soto from Kissimmee, Florida, in February 2024. Hosts Daphne and Heath carefully retrace the timeline of events, unveiling a tragic tale of child abuse, familial neglect, and manipulation. As the case gains national attention, listeners are taken through the disturbing revelations and actions of Maddie’s stepfather, Stefan Stearns, as well as the role of her mother, Jen. The episode is rich in detail, explores the complexity of familial failures, and includes direct quotes and reactions from those involved.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Madeline's Background and Home Life

• Maddie’s Family Dynamics: Maddie lived primarily with her mother, Jen, in a townhouse with several roommates, her on-again, off-again stepfather Stefan, and a part-time child from another relationship. Maddie’s biological father, Tyler, lived out of state (03:08).
• Living Arrangements: Maddie’s “room” was a divider section in the living room, while the adults and part-time child had bedrooms upstairs. This lack of privacy and stability is later discussed as significant (06:17).

2. The Night & Morning Before Disappearance

• On February 25, 2024, Maddie, her grandparents, friends, and Stefan celebrated her 13th birthday without her mother, who had to work (07:30).
• That night, the usual arrangement involved Maddie, Jen, and Stefan sleeping in the same bed—a detail repeatedly questioned by the hosts for its inappropriateness, especially given Maddie’s age (08:58).
• On the morning of February 26, Stefan claims to have dropped Maddie off near her school around 8:40 AM, explaining she liked to be dropped off nearby because she was particular about which car she was seen exiting (11:17, 15:35). Contrary to this story, it's later discovered that none of the housemates ever saw Stefan take Maddie to school (16:56).

3. Maddie’s Disappearance & Early Investigation

• Jen tries to pick up Maddie from school at 4–4:30 PM only to discover she was absent all day. Multiple 911 calls are made by the family—but not by Jen (13:13).
• Police note Jen’s oddly calm, "spacey" demeanor; she later attributes this to medication (15:35).

4. The Search and Scrutiny

• Law enforcement agencies mobilize, searching the community with scent dogs and over 100 personnel. The case quickly draws significant attention (17:32).
• Inside Maddie’s “room,” police find one of her white Crocs near her mom’s bed and her phone left behind—details that cast doubt on the idea that she’d run away. Maddie had never left her phone before (19:36).
• Investigators discover a message on Maddie’s phone about her wanting to "escape to the woods" after turning 13, lending a possible runaway theory but not convincing the detectives (20:01).
• Stefan’s suspicious behavior, especially his “accidental” factory reset of his phone the morning Maddie disappeared, is challenged by both his own father and the hosts (20:59).

5. Stefan’s Odd Behavior and Forensics

• Suspicious Tech Actions: After police take his phone, Stefan tries to access his Google Drive from his parents’ house in the middle of the night—presumably to delete evidence (22:21).
  • Quote: “He said he wanted to, ‘get my ducks in a row, kind of prepare myself for whatever was coming.’” (23:31)
• Stefan’s father begins to suspect his son is lying about nearly everything, including the possibility he had something to do with Maddie’s disappearance (23:45).

6. The Horrifying Break in the Case

• Police obtain Stefan’s cleaned phone and Google Drive, discovering over 1,700 images and videos documenting years of sexual abuse and rape of Maddie, dating to when she was just eight years old (31:31-33:11).
  • Heath (32:37): “Steffen had saved more than 1,700 images and videos that clearly depicted the rape and ongoing grooming and sexual abuse of Maddie Soto.”
  • Daphne (32:39): “Absolutely disgusting.”
  • Heath (32:43): “Hang him.”
• Surveillance footage reveals Maddie was “slumped” in the passenger seat—presumably deceased—well after the time she was supposedly dropped near school. Footage also shows Stefan moving her body to the trunk in a parking garage (33:11-36:14).
  • Daphne (37:32): “It’s just going to get harder... as time goes on to commit murder because there’s so many damn cameras out there. And thank God.”
  • Heath (36:14): “I bet this fucking dumbass thought that he was going to get away with it and didn’t realize that there were security cameras all around.”

7. Recovery and Aftermath

• Maddie’s body is found on March 1, 2024, along Old Hickory Tree Road, after a tip about Stefan swapping out a flat tire (39:56).
• Autopsy reveals strangulation, but much information is withheld due to Maddie’s age.
• The state attorney announces intent to seek the death penalty.

8. Jen’s Role and Public Scrutiny

• Jen admits to police that she feared a "Woody Allen situation" but rationalized her concerns as general distrust rather than something specific to Stefan (41:13-42:00).
  • Quote: Jen to detectives: “I’ve always told him that my biggest fear was that this would turn into a Woody Allen situation where the dad grooms the child and the child then turns 18 and ends up running away with him...You can’t do that to me.” (41:49)
  • Heath (42:05): “How about, you can’t do that to Madeline?”
• Jen’s lack of action, both before and during the investigation, is heavily criticized—by the hosts and the public. Many listeners and commenters suggest Jen knowingly ignored the abuse (43:42).

9. Patterns and Warnings

• Prior indications of abuse (Maddie’s seeking school counseling, mood improvement when Stefan was absent) are retrospectively viewed as warning signs that were tragically overlooked (47:47).
• Stefan’s minimization and rationalizations are revealed in phone calls from jail, suggesting a twisted view of his relationship with Maddie and blaming her for the abuse (47:36).

10. Legal Resolution

Sentencing:

• Stefan pleads guilty to 20 counts of sexual crimes against a minor but maintains he did not kill Maddie. Originally pleads not guilty, later changes to no contest to avoid the death penalty.
• Statement from Stefan at sentencing (51:29):
  • “I agree that it’s not fair that Madeleine is not here anymore. I still have a hard time contemplating a world where she’s not around...I have nothing but sorrow for her loss, and I miss her all the time. Her passing has torn me and my family apart as well...I apologize for all the pain.”
• Heath on Stefan’s statement (52:06): “Shut up, you fucking despicable human being.”
• Stefan is sentenced to 21 concurrent life sentences and waives his rights to appeal (52:11).

11. Family Responses

• Maddie’s biological father shares how she wanted to live with him after turning 13, expressing devastation (52:37).
• Her aunt Letizia at sentencing: “I’m so sorry we found out too late. But despite everything that was happening to you behind closed doors, you still remained one of the happiest human beings I’ve ever met.” (52:37)
• Jen does not attend the sentencing.

12. Remaining Questions & Unresolved Issues

• The autopsy and toxicology remain sealed from the public due to Maddie’s age.
• Speculation about whether Maddie was pregnant, or the use of anesthetics to subdue her, is neither confirmed nor denied, but search histories on Stefan’s devices included anesthetic-related terms (53:42).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Daphne (03:08): “It is just unreal.”
• Heath (07:30): “So there’s really no responsible adult in that house to be there for Maddie.”
• Daphne (32:39): “He is a sick fuck.”
• Heath (36:14): “I bet this fucking dumbass thought that he was going to get away with it and didn’t realize that there were security cameras all around.”
• Jen to detectives (41:49): “I’ve always told him that my biggest fear was that this would turn into a Woody Allen situation... You can’t do that to me.”
• Heath (42:05): “How about, you can’t do that to Madeline?”
• Heath (43:42): “I do not believe she was ignorant to all this. I don’t.”
• Daphne (51:29): “Shut up, you fucking despicable human being.”
• Letizia (Maddie’s Aunt, 52:37): “I’m so sorry we found out too late. But... you still remained one of the happiest human beings I’ve ever met.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:08 | Maddie's background and early home life | | 07:30 | Details about living arrangements and family dynamics | | 09:00 | The night before and morning of Maddie’s disappearance | | 13:13 | Maddie goes missing, first police involvement | | 17:32 | Search efforts intensify | | 19:36 | Discovery of key evidence in the home | | 20:59 | Housemate/Stefan’s phone reset; father’s skepticism | | 22:21 | Stefan’s trip to North Port and Google Drive incident | | 31:31 | Police confront Stefan with evidence of abuse | | 33:11 | Surveillance breakdown—Stefan’s car and Maddie’s final hours | | 39:56 | Maddie’s body recovered, community mourns | | 41:13 | Jen’s statements on her concerns and reactions | | 43:42 | Hosts discuss public/critical scrutiny of Jen’s role | | 47:47 | Warning signs/wider context | | 51:29 | Stefan’s courtroom statement; sentencing | | 52:37 | Family statements at sentencing | | 53:42 | Remaining questions about autopsy/toxicology |

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Host Tone and Language

The hosts are passionate, emotional, and outspoken. They openly criticize the failures of the adults in Maddie’s life, especially Jen and Stefan, using strong language to describe the abuse and contrasts their horror at the crime with the inexplicable apathy or denial of those supposed to protect Maddie. Heath’s frequent exclamations and Daphne’s heartfelt empathy underscore the seriousness with which they approach these cases.

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Conclusion

This episode is a painstaking and passionate retelling of Madeline Soto's story, underlining how systems and individuals can fail to protect children from predators—especially those hiding in plain sight. The discussion doesn’t shy away from calling out red flags, familial denial, or law enforcement’s role in breaking the case. The episode closes with a strong urge for vigilance in our communities and a somber remembrance of Maddie.

For those who did not or cannot listen, this summary brings forward all critical facts, investigative breakthroughs, and the emotional gravity that marks this devastating true crime story.

Transcript

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What is going on? True crime fans? I'm your host, Teeth.

[A]

And I'm your host, Daphne.

[B]

And you're listening to Going West.

[A]

Hello everybody. Hope you are doing very well today. Big shout out to Ellie and Jessica for recommending today's case. I think a lot of us were very aware when this story was underway when it was developing and happening about two years ago. I don't know why we haven't covered it sooner, but holy shit.

[B]

It definitely seems like a case that we probably would have covered sooner.

[A]

But are we okay? Like what was going on there? I don't know because diving into this, I mean we knew the basic details of this story before diving in, but it is just unreal.

[B]

Yeah, I mean it is just mind blowing the deeper you dive into the details of today's story and we have

[A]

like a real good timeline by this point. So I don't want to say anything else. Let's just dive right in.

[B]

Sounds great. All right guys, this is episode 500, 185 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[A]

Sam. In February of 2024, a 13 year old girl was reported missing in central Florida after missing school. What began as a frantic search after a potential abduction quickly drew intense public attention as inconsistencies began to surface within her family. As investigators dug deeper, the case unraveled into something fresh, far more sinister when investigators discovered that the girl had been abused and there was photographic proof. This is the murderer of Madeline Soto. Madeline Soto, better known as Maddie, was born on February 22, 2011 to parents Jennifer and Tyler. But her parents were young and they didn't stay together. And for much of Maddie's life, her father Tyler lived in another state. So they would see each other when they could. But when Maddie was 4 years old, Jennifer, who went by Jen, by the way, we're going to call her Jen today, married another man. But that relationship didn't work out either. And within four years they would divorce. And that's when Jen met Stefan Stearns, her on again, off again boyfriend, who had become a constant fixture in Maddie's life for the years leading up to her death. So Jen moved him into the townhouse she shared with her daughter in Kissimmee, Florida, which is just about 30 minutes south of Orlando. And to make ends meet, Jen consistently had roommates living with them in the family home. You know, save a little money on rent. And at the time of Maddie's disappearance, in the house was Maddie, her mother, 35 year old Jen, I'll say her stepfather. A lot of reports discuss him as being her stepfather. You know, even though Jen and Stefan are not married, we're gonna just kind of call him her stepfather because he was in her life for years. Again, this is 37 year old Stefan. And then there was another child who lived there part time, like per the terms of their parents custody agreement. And then there were two adult roommates. So their living arrangement was pretty unique because while the adults stayed in the bedrooms upstairs, Maddie's room was a portion of the living room separated with a divider.

[B]

Yeah, if you can even really call it a room.

[A]

Yeah. And you know, we're going to get into other sleeping arrangements for her. Apparently, usually she was in the living room though. In December of 2023, Jen and Stefan split up and Stefan went to stay with his parents, though, as usual, he eventually wound up back at Jen's house. According to Deborah and Chris Stearns, who are Stefan's parents, they had been a terrible match, which is why they broke up so frequently. And not to jump ahead, but a little more on this came out in an affidavit released after Maddie's disappearance, and it read, quote, debra stated they didn't approve of them being together because of drug use. Stefan's father, Chris, stated it was drug use as well, as Jennifer was taking medication for depression and anxiety, and he didn't think Jennifer was going to be a good influence for Stefan. They explained that both Stefan and Jennifer would sleep all the time, and it wasn't a positive thing for the relationship when both Stefan and Jennifer would suffer a mental illness episode. They would bring the other person down with them, and it wasn't a good dynamic.

[B]

So there's really no responsible adult in that house to be there for Maddie. I mean, they're both basically drug users. They're both not a great match for each other. So it's not looking good now, to put it lightly. But despite the odds stacked against her because of her tumultuous home life, Maddie is remembered as happy, go lucky and a very sweet girl. She loved to shop and go swimming, as most young teenagers do. And her favorite artist was Taylor Swift. On February 22, 2024, Maddie celebrated her 13th birthday. But because it fell on a weekday that year, she and her family planned a party for the following weekend to properly celebrate it then. So on Sunday, February 25, 2024, Maddie, her grandparents, her friends, and her stepfather Stefan, gathered to celebrate her 13th birthday together. But her mom unfortunately ended up having to work and she couldn't attend. Well, later that evening, Maddie, Jen, and Stefan returned home and they got ready for bed. Now, according to Jen, the three of them frequently slept in the same bed as they were preparing to do on the night that Maddie was murdered. Which obviously feels not acceptable, especially with

[A]

what you're about to say.

[B]

Well, I'll get into that, because on that particular evening, Jen explained she actually slept upstairs with Stefan. We have a guest bedroom. We were all gonna sleep together in the same bed, but I needed some good sleep. I got a new job recently. I haven't been well rested. I needed some sleep. So I asked, hey, can you guys go to the guest bedroom upstairs?

[A]

So, yeah, why is there a guest bedroom and Madeline doesn't have her own bedroom? And why are you guys sharing a bed when there's a perfectly available room upstairs that Madeline can have to herself?

[B]

Yes. And it is very, very much not appropriate, the fact that not only is this not really her stepfather, but it's like, she's not five. She's 13. Yeah. Well, Stefan agreed to take Maddie to school so that Jen could sleep in. And then Jen went to bed at around 11pm and woke up around 8am hearing what she thought was Maddie getting ready for school. So when she first reported her daughter missing, Jen said that she had actually seen Maddy getting ready. But she later changed this story. And then she claimed that this had been an honest mistake as she was under duress. Well, that morning, Monday, February 26, 2024, she also believed that she heard Stefan leave to take the dog out, but she had fallen back asleep afterward. Then when Jen got up for the day, her daughter and her boyfriend Steffen were already gone. She headed out to a doctor's appointment, and by the time she arrived home, Steffen and his car were back from dropping Maddie off.

[A]

So this is just kind of weird. Really quick not to interrupt, but like she said she wanted to sleep by herself because she got a new job. And then you sleep nine full hours and you go to a doctor's appointment. So it's not like I have to wake up at this time to go to work. So I need to make sure that I get a full night's sleep. So you guys sleep separately because I just need to be in the room by myself with no interruptions. It's like. But you're not going to work.

[B]

Yeah. You're just going to a doctor's appointment. Appointment.

[A]

It's just kind of weird. Sorry, I wanted to point that out.

[B]

No, I find that weird too. Well, according to Stefan, Maddie had been tired that morning and so she slept most of the way to school. He had brought her almost all the way there, but she preferred to be dropped off nearby her school and not at her school, apparently. So Stephan claimed that he had dropped her off near Peace United Methodist Church. And then Matty planned to walk the rest of the way to Hunter's Creek Middle School, which was a nine minute walk around 8:40am despite the fact that classes didn't commence until 9:30am so after seeing Maddie off, Stefan stopped at a smoke shop to get vape juice, but they were closed. So then he just headed back home. Then he went back out when the shop opened and then he returned home again with that vape juice. Jen and Stefan spent most of the afternoon at home together. And Stefan mentioned that he was irritated that he had tried to update his phone software and accidentally factory reset the phone instead.

[A]

Interesting that that happened that very morning, huh?

[B]

Yeah. As we're going to get into, let's

[A]

kind of paint this scene a bit. So we're going to include some street photos of the area, but this is in Orlando. That's where the church and her school is. And she would have walked along a main road and under a freeway overpass to get there from the church. But it looks pretty nice. There's a lot of palm trees, it's open, lots of grass, a creek. It's only half a mile walk. And other than her walking past like a dental prep academy and a limo service, there isn't much there besides grass lawns. I guess I'm just saying this because it doesn't look inherently unsafe for a young teen to be walking there. Like this isn't like a bad area.

[B]

Yeah, he didn't drop her off like in the middle of the city where there's, you know, strange people hanging around.

[A]

But still it's interesting that he didn't drop her off at school. Now that afternoon, Jen showed up at Maddie's school between 4 and 4:30pm to pick her up, but was surprised to find that she wasn't there. After a few hours of frantic searching for Maddy's whereabouts, much of her extended family had gathered to help. And multiple 911 calls were placed, though none of them by Maddy's mom, Jen, with her family expressing frustration at how long it was taking to dispatch the officers.

[B]

Which feels really, really strange because you're the primary person in Maddie's life. So why aren't you the person that's calling 91 1?

[A]

Yeah, I agree, it's, it's a little, it's a little weird, especially because she was the first person to notice this and multiple people called and none of them were her.

[B]

Yeah, she was the one that was there to pick up Maddie from school. So why aren't you calling?

[A]

I fully am with you. So when deputies did finally meet with Jen at the local insurance office where a family member worked because, you know, they called 91 1, Jen explained, quote, my daughter was dropped off close to school this morning but never made it. I went to pick her up from school today and she never came out. They announced it over the speaker and I'm just like, maybe she came here to the insurance office because sometimes she walks here to this office, came here, nothing. I went back to the school, they were closed. I got a notice and email from the school saying she was absent. But I also messaged her teacher and he looked at her entire attendance today and saw that she was completely not at school today either. So she never made it. Now, detectives noted that Jen was eerily calm for her 13 year old daughter being missing and having missed the entire day at school after, you know, she's aware oh, yeah, I dropped her off by the church. She would have had a nine minute walk. So of course any parent would be like, did somebody abduct her from a car as she was walking? Did she fall into the creek? Like, there must be a thousand theories hitting your head. And I know everybody reacts differently to these types of situations, but they're just noting that she was eerily calm to the point of being, quote, spacey.

[B]

I mean, if there's one word or I guess two words to basically describe Jen, it's space cadet.

[A]

There you go. Well, she said that this was because of the medicine that she had taken. Stefan, who was apparently the last person to see Maddie, then gave his account of the day's events next telling the officers that nothing seemed out of the ordinary about that morning except that Maddy had been tired. Remember that. By the way, Stefan said to the officers, she's got this phase that she's been getting into lately where she's very particular about what car she's seen getting out of in front of the school. She prefers her mom's car, but my cars are, I guess, kind of hoopties or junkie. I get it, it's an image thing. But that was sometime probably between 8:20 and 8:40ish, somewhere in there. It was along the stretch of the road that on the right side, it has all the communities on it before you get to the overpass. You can see the overpass from where it is. So it was on that side of that stretch of road. And that's where I dropped her off. And she said she was going to go wait for her friends. She's gonna find them and hang out and wait for her friends. And I asked if that was going to be okay. She said, yeah, it's fine. Kids get dropped off early enough as it is. It's not totally unusual for that to happen. It's just not usually that early that I drop her off. I do school runs every once in a while for her. I said, okay, let her out. Have a good day. Love you. Thanks. Love you too. But when the housemates were questioned, one of them noted that this was abnormal, stating that she, quote, has never seen Steffen taking Madeline to school. Thirteen year old Maddie Soto was officially reported missing around 8pm on the evening of February 26, 2024.

[B]

Over the next few days, an exhaustive search was underway for matty. More than 50 members of the Kissimmee Police Department's Emergency Response Team were deployed to walk wooded areas and wetlands in the community, just in hopes of coming across Any sign of her scent? Dogs were traipsed around the area as well, where she was supposedly last seen, but yielded no path that would lead them to Maddy's whereabouts. Orange County Sheriff John Mina stated in a press conference about the case. Many of our detectives and deputies who are working on the case, they also have children, so they're working extra hard to find Madeline. We can't even imagine the pain and anguish that Madeline's family is going through. But I do want to share with the community that we have well over 100 deputies, detectives, intelligence analysts, and specialized personnel who are investigating this case and searching for Madelyn right now. Jen and Stefan took to the news to get the word out about Maddy's disappearance. And in one interview, Jen is standing over Stefan, rubbing his back as he's seated, sobbing into a tissue. He told reporters, we don't know where she could be, and we're scared. Meanwhile, at the house, police began an intense pursuit of any evidence that may be relevant to her disappearance. And there they found a few disturbing clues, including one of the white Crocs that she supposedly wore to school on the day she disappeared. Tossed next to her mom's bed in Maddie's room, again, if you can call it a room. Steffen's boxers were found draped over the side of the hamper on top of Maddie's clothes. And strangely, this is very strange. Her phone had also been left behind. Though Maddie had run away from home before, she had never once left her phone behind.

[A]

And it's not like her mom and stepdad are saying they woke up and she was gone. Like she ran away. They're saying she was dropped off at the church before school.

[B]

Exactly. So there's really no reason for this 13 year old girl to leave her phone behind. You know, she's going to school, she's definitely gonna have that with her.

[A]

And part of the outfit that she wore when she supposedly left the house, it just. That's not exactly.

[B]

That white Croc is really raising some red flags. Well, in her phone, investigators found a text that revealed that she wanted to escape to the woods to live on her own after she turned 13. So this lent credence to the theory that maybe she had left of her own volition after being dropped off. But to investigators, something still felt off. Both Jen and Stefan were also asked to offer up their phones without a warrant, and they both did. So Stefan's own father, again, this is Chris Stearns, who had driven up from the west coast of Florida to support them, had actually advised Stefan to Do so. But when he shared the story with his dad that he had accidentally reset his phone, Chris apparently thought it was bullshit and said that there was no way to accidentally do that, per a subsequent affidavit.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, when you go to erase your phone, which I'm sure most of us have not done that many times in our lives, like it asks you a few times, are you sure you're about to delete all your memory?

[B]

Yeah, there's no way to accidentally just do that.

[A]

But the fact that even his dad is like, that's bullshit. Damn.

[B]

Damn. Call his ass out.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, to facilitate the search of the home, Jen, Chris and Stefan left the house and went to stay at a Town Place Suites hotel nearby in Orlando. And they're doing this because, you know, obviously there's a search going on at the house.

[A]

Well, according to both Jen and Chris, Stefan, who was 37 at this point, by the way, was panicking because he wanted his phone back. His phone that has nothing on it. And they felt badly for him, believing him to be an unfair target of the investigation. Jen later admitted that she had even advised Chris to obtain a lawyer for his son because she was so worried that Stefan was going to wind up being the scapegoat for police who merely wanted to close the investigation and kind of bow to public pressure, which I just think is really interesting. Your main focus should be, where is my daughter? Not, oh no, are they going to charge my innocent boyfriend?

[B]

I mean, it's very clear where Jen's priorities lie here.

[A]

And I know this might sound harsh right now of how we're criticizing her, but you guys will understand. On the evening of February 28, 2024, as Jen and Chris slept, Stefan drove the two and a half hours down to North Port, Florida where his parents lived. But his mom, who was home at the time, never reported seeing him while there. Stefan attempted to log into his Google Drive account while on his parents wi fi, but was unable to do so. Which only makes you wonder, why are you trying to get into your Google Drive? To be fair, he doesn't have his phone. Maybe he needs to access something. But this will be very suspicious soon.

[B]

Also, totally not suspicious that you're sneaking into your parents home in the night. Yeah, in the night to use their computer to delete some documents. And your mom doesn't even see you being there.

[A]

Yeah. And the fact that it was a two and a half hour drive. So it was a. He went great lengths to try to access this Google Drive, which he could not do.

[B]

There's no, like, hey, mom, I'm here to visit for a little bit.

[A]

Yeah, I need to get something for work.

[B]

Yeah, whatever slinks in and then slinks out.

[A]

Well, when his parents later asked him why he had even done this, he said he wanted to, quote, get my ducks in a row, kind of prepare myself for whatever was coming. Wow.

[B]

Wow, what a statement.

[A]

Based on his behavior, Chris Stearns admitted that he was beginning to suspect that his son was hiding something and perhaps even that he had something to do with Maddie's disappearance. In the subsequent arrest affidavit, Chris admitted that he, quote, thought everything that Stefan would say was a lie and didn't know what to believe. Especially during the media interview when Debra and Kris Stearns were asked if Steffen was capable of murder. Debra said that she didn't think so, though she believed that it may have been an accident and that he was merely trying to keep himself out of prison. Well, the day after Stephan's spontaneous trip to Northport, he was arrested, but not yet for the murder of Maddie Soto. In a shocking turn of events, Stefan was charged with possession of child sexual abuse, materials and sexual battery. Your home should show off who you are and Ashley has styles that balance timeless appeal and modern trends to bring your personal look home.

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[B]

Three days after Maddie disappeared, her 37 year old stepfather, Stefan was again questioned by police. And this time he was confronted with what they had found on his phone as well as in his Google Drive. You know, the one he was trying to access from his parents house. After driving over two freaking hours to gain access to it, most likely to delete exactly what police would find. Well without confirming or denying their discovery, he calmly requested a lawyer. And despite Steffen's feeble attempt to clear out his phone of any relevant or incriminating evidence, by wiping it clean by accident, investigators were able to find more vile and stomach turning evidence than they could have ever imagined. Proving the depths of Steffen's depravity. Steffen had saved more than 1700 images and videos that clearly depicted the rape and ongoing grooming and sexual abuse of Maddie Soto.

[A]

Absolutely disgusting.

[B]

He is a sick fuck.

[A]

1700.

[B]

Hang him. Sorry, that. That just made me think of the Pirates of the Caribbean. The scene where he's like, hang him.

[A]

I should know. I saw that movie 14 times in theaters.

[B]

Yes, he did.

[A]

But seriously, like, yeah, he is. I mean, get off the earth.

[B]

Yeah, he is a monster. Well, the materials dated back to 2019, when Maddie was just 8 years old, or when Jen had first started dating Stefan.

[A]

God, that's so, so sad. The entire time?

[B]

Yep. He had been doing this the entire time. Well, while Maddie's body had not yet been found, authorities believe that they now had their killer in custody. I mean, obviously, at this point, the writing is on the wall. Not only had he lied about the nature of their relationship, posing as an upstanding and protective father figure to Maddie, but he also had lied about nearly every aspect of his movements. On the day that she disappeared, when he purported to be driving her to school, Maddie was in the front seat of his car with him. But by then, she had already been murdered. Starting with security footage at the Venetian Bay Village's townhome subdivision where they lived, detectives were able to track Stefan's movements on the morning that Maddy disappeared and discovered that he had been lying about everything that he had told investigators on the morning that Matty was reported missing. Again, this was February 26th. At 7:30am Stefan could be seen driving his silver Lincoln sedan to the dumpsters of the Venetian Bay Villages complex. He exited his vehicle and discarded two large white trash bags into a dumpster. And sadly, in the passenger seat, Maddie is clearly visible, though it almost looks as if she could be sleeping, which was probably Stefan's intent, you know? Cause he mentioned, oh, she was really tired that morning.

[A]

Yes, exactly. And so he's trying to, when he said that, get ahead of himself. Oh, if they see the cameras and they see that she looks like she's sleeping. She was. And it's not because she was deceased.

[B]

Yeah. So he was planting the seeds to kind of sow this lie.

[A]

Sick, sick, sick monster.

[B]

Well, Maddie was clad in a green hooded sweatshirt and was slumped against the side of the car, remaining still even when Stefan stopped and started the vehicle. Then, 40 minutes later, Stefan, with Maddie in the front seat, passed by a traffic camera at the Intersection of John Young Parkway and Thacker Avenue in North Kissimmee.

[A]

At 8:19am as he was supposedly taking Matty to school, he re entered Venetian Bay Villages, then drove away again. 12 minutes later. Just after 9am he passed through another traffic camera, this time at the intersection of International Drive and Central Florida Parkway. And Matty can still be seen in his front seat, unmoved. At 9:35am he pulled into a parking garage and could be seen on the security camera footage removing Maddy's body from the front passenger seat of his car and placing her in the trunk. Like, this is all on camera.

[B]

And I bet this fucking dumbass thought that he was going to get away with it and didn't realize that there were security cameras all around and that he wouldn't be caught on any of them.

[A]

But you don't have an excuse for putting her in the trunk. You know, it's like, okay, maybe she was sleeping. We know she wasn't, but you could maybe get away with that.

[B]

Well, maybe part of his plan was that maybe he knew. Oh, you know, on the flip side of things, maybe he knew, oh, they'll catch me on security camera taking her to school. Look, see, she's in the front seat and then putting her in the trunk. It's like, see, I dropped her off. So clearly she wasn't with me because

[A]

she's out of view.

[B]

Yeah, she's no longer in the front seat, but like, dumb, dumb.

[A]

You're on camera doing that too. Like it's 2024, you know, and we mentioned this in the Tepe murder three parter, one of the episodes that, like, I really truly believe. I mean, it's already being proven, but it's just going to get harder and harder and harder as time goes on to commit murder because there's so many damn cameras out there. And thank God.

[B]

I mean, at this point, you know, with not only just the security camera footages that we have or footage footages. Footage that we have, we also have genealogical testing. So really, your chances of being a murderer and getting away with something, it's not going to happen.

[A]

So just don't murder.

[B]

Please don't be a piece of shit.

[A]

At 10:14am, Stefan returned home and was spotted on camera again, discarding more items in the dumpsters of the townhouse complex, all of which were later recovered by Police. At 11:22am he headed to the vape shop and followed through with the only part of his morning that had actually been truthful in his testimony, which is

[B]

that he went to Go get some vape juice.

[A]

Yeah. At 1:16pm he was seen driving along South Old Hickory Tree Road, which. Remember that street? He is driving along South Old Hickory Tree Road. And almost an hour later, at 2:11pm he was seen driving west away from Old Hickory Tree Road. And by then, his car was fitted with a spare tire on the rear driver's side. So remember that an hour passed, he's in this area along South Old Hickory Tree Road for an hour, and one of his tires has been changed. He then arrived back to Venetian Bay villages and threw even more items into the dumpster. What was found on his phone was so damning that even without a body, investigators were basically certain that they had Maddy's murderer in custody. Thus, Stefan was held without bond. The charges against him continued to stack up, totaling five counts of sexual battery of a child aged 12, 18 years old, eight counts of sexual battery on a child under 12, seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation, and 40 counts of unlawful possession of 10 or more images depicting a sexual performance by a child.

[B]

Yeah. So if Maddy did actually write to friends that when she turned 13, she wanted to go live on her own in the woods, this is exactly why.

[A]

Yes. I mean, especially because this had been going on for years. She's in such a vulnerable position. She doesn't have her own space in the home. She's not being supported by her mother, obviously.

[B]

Yeah. Her mother is an airhead and is just completely oblivious to the abuse that's taking place in her own home, to her own daughter.

[A]

Yeah. So on March 1, 2024, a charge of first degree murder would be added to the lengthy list of charges that against the sick and depraved Stephan Sterns. Because in a wooded area of rural St. Cloud, Florida, which is near their home along the side of Old Hickory Tree Road, Maddie's body was recovered following a credible tip from someone who believed to have seen Stefan discarding her and swapping out a flat tire for his spare. Betty Holland, the chief of the Kissimmee Police Department, announced, quote, it is with a heavy heart I inform everyone that, as we expected, Madeline Soto is deceased. I am thankful that she was found and for the coordinated efforts of the Kissimmee Police Department, St. Cloud Police Department, Orange County Sheriff's Office, and the Osceola County Sheriff's Office that are able to bring some closure to the family. This is a sad day for our community, and we mourn the loss of such a young life. The state attorney's office announced that they would seek the death penalty in the case. And that same night, a vigil was held at Maddie's middle school.

[B]

And it was at this point that Jen was finally able to understand the depth of the depravity that her boyfriend was capable of. Describing him as a master liar and manipulator, she finally admitted, he's been grooming and abusing my child. Then in another interview, she told detectives that she had been afraid of the relationship that would develop between her daughter and her boyfriend, explaining, I've always told him that my biggest fear was that this would turn into a Woody Allen situation where the dad grooms the child and the child then turns 18 and ends up running away with him. I told him, like, that was my biggest fear, and I don't ever want that happening. Like, you can't do that to me.

[A]

You can't do that to me.

[B]

How about, you can't?

[A]

Is she serious?

[B]

How about, you can't do that to Madeline? However, she claimed that this was because she had grown up believing that she should not trust men in general and that this had nothing to do with Stefan in particular. Even after being shown a picture of Stefan sexually assaulting Maddy, Jen claimed that she still hoped that he hadn't actually killed her and that she didn't believe him to be capable of that.

[A]

Do you see the picture? Who? Even if you said, okay, he didn't kill her. Hello?

[B]

What? Yeah, hello. Ding dong. Your boyfriend sexually assaulted your daughter. So, yeah, he is capable of doing horrible things.

[A]

At the very least, he's capable of sexually assaulting her daughter. And here's 1700 pictures of it. Why would you ever want to look at him again?

[B]

Yeah, exactly. It's like, oh, well, I was just hoping that he. That he didn't actually kill her. It's like.

[A]

And that would be.

[B]

Then everything else would be fine. Yeah. What? Well, immediately after one of her meetings with detectives, Jen called Stefan's dad and advised him to secure a lawyer for Stefan. Rightfully so. Jen, too, has come under fire for the part that she played in her daughter's ongoing sexual abuse as well as her murder. While she told police that she was simply naive, too trustworthy and oblivious to what was going on under her own roof. Many critics feel that this would have been impossible and that instead, she turned a blind eye to what was happening because she either didn't want to believe that it was possible, or she just didn't want to lose her boyfriend. Or possibly both.

[A]

It's always hard to look at family when we know they're Suffering during unimaginable losses such as this. But her behavior is so suspicious and disturbing and so many people have called it into question. And I really think that's so fair. Like, I do not believe she was ignorant to all this. I don't.

[B]

Well, just the fact that she was allowing her boyfriend to sleep in the same bed as her 13 year old

[A]

daughter so that she could get some sleep.

[B]

Yeah, it just clearly, again, shows where her priorities lie. Like, she really only cares about herself and she cares more about whether or not Stefan goes to prison and not, you know, where's my daughter and oh, my daughter has been murdered. But then she basically just shrugged it all off, telling police that the trio snuggled often and we're a very affectionate family.

[A]

This is so different.

[B]

Yeah, so different. But when she was asked by the police in one of her many interrogations. You don't find that weird? Jen said quietly, no. Kissimmee police detectives even spoke with an ex girlfriend of Steffen's whom he had dated while on one of his many breaks with Jen. And this girlfriend claimed that despite being in a relationship, he still insisted upon having sleepovers with Maddy and Jen.

[A]

What on earth?

[B]

Yeah, that's so weird. Like, what is going on with this entire situation? It just. It's so freaky.

[A]

Well, it makes sense that when this girlfriend found out about that the sleeping arrangements, that she broke it off with Stefan because she found it so strange. Well, Jen also claims that Stefan and her daughter were very close, but that she didn't ever imagine that it would move past what a father daughter relationship should be, despite the fact that they often laid down together without Jen. Well, get this. Because of her own concerns, Jen originally had a rule that they were not ever permitted to be in the same bed alone, but says that she relented one night because they wanted to watch a movie and she was too tired. First of all, Maddie was about that age that sleeping in the same room shouldn't be happening at all. Especially if you have a guest room that she can have to herself while you guys share your room. And secondly, if you have to make a rule that they can't sleep in the same bed because you're worried you shouldn't be with this man.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, it's. Again, it's just so. It's so simple. But for some reason, Jen just couldn't really wrap her head around it. Like, don't be with a guy that wants to sleep in the same bed as your 13 year old daughter, you freak.

[A]

Well, here's What Stefan said. I mean, like we can believe a thing he says. He claimed that Maddie had anxiety and it helped her to co. Sleep.

[B]

Oh, yeah, right.

[A]

Well, sadly, there were many signs prior to Maddie's murder that something was wrong and that she could have been helped. She actually visited the school counselor multiple times, complaining of depression and anxiety. But it doesn't seem like she really explained exactly what was happening to her because a lot of abuse victims can't bring themselves to talk about it. Understandably so. Especially when you're this young and you might not understand what's even being done to you, because no reports of this were made until after her disappearance and death. When Stefan moved home to his parents house in December of 2023, which I mentioned earlier on in this episode, Maddie's state of mind seemed to improve. But as we know, he always came

[B]

back slithering back like a little snake.

[A]

Yes. Perhaps to be looked upon more favorably by his parents or to ease his own guilt, Stefan told his parents from prison, quote, well, I didn't start it. Which means that perhaps he groomed her so intensely that in his twisted mind, he believed that they'd actually been in a relationship. And worse, that Maddie had initiated the abuse. Yeah, imagine saying that. Well, I didn't start it. You're telling me she did?

[B]

She's 13, you sicko.

[A]

And she was 8 when it began.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. And, you know, it's.

[A]

It's.

[B]

It's sick people like this that blame the victims that just infuriate me.

[A]

Sick. Stefan's parents had trouble grasping, you know, these shocking allegations. Of course, they didn't know their son was a pedophile and a killer. You know, they didn't really think this was something he was capable of. While on the phone with his mom, Deborah, in prison, Stefan alleged that he, quote, found Maddie unresponsive, but declined to go into detail about what had happened between 11pm on the night of February 25 and when he supposedly took her to school the next morning. It's because whatever it is is not true.

[B]

Yeah, he's still. I mean, after all this evidence, after everything, he's still trying to act like this is not his fault when it is.

[A]

He admitted, quote, understand that anything I did was not done while being within my rational mind. I had snapped at that point. I wish I had done the correct thing to begin with. You know, I wished I'd run downstairs and shaken her awake and called 911 and all that. His mom responded, I wish you had, too. I wish you had, too. Maybe she could have been saved. But in response, Stephan stuttered, saying she was. She was beyond that. When someone's that ice cold, she's just gone. So, you know, he's acting like she just did died. She just up and freaking died. But by the way, all we know of her death was that she had been strangled. So his claims really don't make any sense at all. And disgustingly, Maddie wasn't his first brush with pedophilia. Because while cleaning out a storage unit in the aftermath of Stefan's arrest, his dad found two hard drives containing over three 35,000 images of child sexual abuse material.

[B]

I mean, earlier, when, you know, they found the 1700 videos and photos, that really was the tip of the iceberg.

[A]

Yeah, 35,000 images. Like, think about how many pictures you have on your phone. I think I have, like, 100,000 over the last. I don't know, eight years of my icloud storage and a third of that of child sexual abuse material is insane.

[B]

It's monstrous. Well, originally, Stefan entered a plea of not guilty, but he later changed it to no contest in an effort to avoid the death penalty. He did, however, plead guilty to 20 counts of sexual crimes against a minor. Even at the beginning, bitter end of his legal battle, he admitted to abusing her, but not to killing her. On July 21st of 2025, he was finally sentenced, and at his hearing, he was allowed to give a statement. And Stefan told the court, I agree that it's not fair that Madeleine is not here anymore. I still have a hard time contemplating a world where she's not around. A world which feels less vibrant and less colorful than it did before. I prayed to God countless times to trade places with her to take me instead. And unfortunately, that's just not how he works. I have nothing but sorrow for her loss, and I miss her all the time. Her passing has torn me and my family apart as well. And she truly was a joy. I pray to God that she's in heaven and he's taking good care of her. And I hope she gets to join the choir because she had such a beautiful voice. I will miss her all the time. I will never not honor her memory. And I apologize for all the pain. Shut up, you fucking despicable human being.

[A]

This is. I mean, that is every. Every sentence. I was seething.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Are you joking?

[B]

He just. You just want to punch him in the throat? Well, ultimately, Steffen was sentenced to 21 concurrent life sentences and waived his rights to his appeal.

[A]

One former roommate of Jen and Steffan's came forward to talk about how she had caught him taking nude photos of her and that she lived with that fear and trauma for years after moving out.

[B]

I mean, you really couldn't put it past this creep.

[A]

He's a sexual predator. Maddie's dad, Tyler, traveled to Stefan's sentencing to make a statement telling the court that upon her 13th birthday, Maddie told him that she wanted to go live with him. Her aunt Letizia, who was very close with Maddie, delivered a heartbreaking statement telling her niece. I'm so sorry we found out too late. But despite everything that was happening to you behind closed doors, you still remained one of the happiest human beings I've ever met. By the way, Jen chose not to attend Stefan's hearing. Of course, there remains a lot that we don't know. And we may never know, because Stefan is still not taking responsibility for her murder. And the results of her autopsy have been protected due to Maddy's age. This also means that no one can be sure if she was pregnant, which many have speculated, given that it would offer Stefan a clear motive to take her life in order to keep her quiet. However, this likely would have resulted in more criminal charges had it been true. So we probably would have found out, but that remains unknown to us. To the public. The results of her toxicity screening has also been kept private, which has been another source of speculation, you know, whether Stefan drugged her to keep her submissive, as there were searches in his history of sevofluraine, which is an anesthetic used for inducing unconsciousness. So that's pretty suspicious, because not only was he searching up this drug prior to his arrest, but he was searching up whether or not it would show up in a drug test. But why, of course, he couldn't explain.

[B]

But I think we all probably can guess why.

[A]

Sadly, the only public information, again, about her autopsy is that her cause of death was strangulation. To avoid further scrutiny and public fervor, Stephan has kept quiet about what he really did to Maddie on her final night alive and why. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.

[B]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. I really wish that we didn't have to cover cases like this. You know, I just wish that there weren't these monstrous people like Stefan out there in the world, preying upon children and just. Just being sick.

[A]

Sick people and thinking they can get away with it. He deleted everything on his phone. Wiped his phone clean as if it was an accident. Tried to access his Google Drive which for whatever reason, he couldn't do, so that he could delete everything in there. And luckily, of course, probably because of, like, the cloud and stuff, police were able to find all these things on his phone. But, like, he really actually tried to cover this up. He lied about everything he did that morning. But thanks to security footage, we found out otherwise. Like, what a monster. I know we keep saying that, but that is the word to describe Stefan Sterns.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, there's just really no other word to describe. Yeah, I mean, there are a few other words, but, yeah, I guess so. But yeah. Thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. Make sure that if you want to see photos from this case, head on over to our socials. We're on Instagram @goingwest podcast. We are also on Facebook and we have a TikTok.

[A]

Yeah, we've been making some social clips. You guys can see us in action in the studio. Big shout out again to Ellie and Jessica for recommending this case. And yeah, also actually more on socials, we've been doing some kind of other fun videos that we're going to be posting of, like, questions and Heath and I talking more candidly about true crime cases that we've covered. And yeah, doing some. Some other questions, kind of social behind the scenes type of thing. So check it out. Follow us on socials and we will see you guys on Friday.

[B]

All right, guys, so for everybody out

[A]

there in the world, don't be a stranger. Sa.