OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The autopsy report for Madeline Soto cannot be released due to a state statute deeming it confidential, according to the District 9 Medical Examiner’s Office.
In a letter dated Thursday, the medical examiner’s office told News 6 that Soto’s autopsy report could not be shared due to Florida Statute 406.135(2)(b), which states “an autopsy report of a minor whose death was related to an act of domestic violence” is exempt to becoming public record. The statute adds that only “a surviving parent of the deceased minor may view and copy the autopsy report if the surviving parent did not commit the act of domestic violence which led to the minor’s death.”
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Soto was 13 years old when she was reported missing by her mother on Feb. 26. Soto was found dead March 1 by deputies searching a wooded area off Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County.
Stephan Sterns, 37, the boyfriend of Soto’s mother, was the last person confirmed to have seen Soto alive. He faces upwards of 60 charges stemming from what investigators said were disturbing pictures and video found on his phone depicting the sexual abuse of a child.
Soto was reported missing around 8 p.m. Feb. 26 after Sterns claimed he dropped her off that morning near Hunter’s Creek Middle School, yet when Madeline’s mother arrived at the campus around 4:30 p.m. to pick her up, she was told Madeline had never come to school that day. Sterns was arrested Feb. 28 after detectives said their investigation into Soto’s disappearance led them to perform a forensic examination of his phone, which he claimed to have “accidentally” wiped via factory reset on the day Madeline was reported missing. He was held without bond to face charges of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse materials as the massive search for Madeline continued.
[TIMELINE: Here’s where things stand in Madeline Soto case 1 month after her body was found]
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday released three partially-redacted 911 calls made in relation to Soto’s disappearance.
In the 911 calls, two different voices can be heard speaking with dispatchers. The sheriff’s office has told us that the callers’ identities are confidential pursuant to state statutes.
“She was dropped off at school this morning and apparently she never showed up, we called everyone we knew, no one’s seen her,” said the person who can be heard in the first two calls, at one point telling dispatchers they were calling on behalf of Soto’s mother.
This caller was asked by the dispatcher if Soto had a cell phone on her person.
“She doesn’t. She had one, but she left it at home,“ the caller answered.
In the latter two calls, the first caller and a second individual can respectively be heard questioning the sheriff’s office’s response time, though the specific time of day that any of the three calls were made was not immediately shared.
“I called not that long ago reporting a missing child, I just wanted to know how long the cops are going to take to get here,” the first caller said, soon being told there were no units available at that time. “She’s been missing since 8 a.m., so we want to get everything done as soon as possible to try to find her.”
“We have a missing child since this morning, we already called three times and the police didn’t show up yet,” the second voice can be heard saying in the third call.
A dispatcher then tells the second caller that they were still waiting for a deputy to respond, adding they could not provide an estimated time of arrival and giving reassurances that the sheriff’s office was working to respond as soon as possible.
“How long would we need to wait? It’s a child missing,” the caller asks.
“I understand that ma’am, but I’m just not able to give out ETA, I don’t know when they’ll be there,” the dispatcher replies.
“So how long do we need to wait? This is an emergency,” the caller says.
“Ma’am, we have the information but they’re trying to get there as soon as possible,” the dispatcher replies.
“So this is not important for you guys? Really?” the caller says.
“Ma’am, we’re very busy (...) I understand, they’ll be there as soon as they can, OK?” the dispatcher replies.
We have combined the three 911 calls into the following continuous audio track:
During a news conference on March 1, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said investigators were confident Soto was already dead, sharing his belief that she had been killed at her Kissimmee home before Sterns moved her body.
“We have evidence that shows Stephan Sterns returning to the complex and Madeline was visible in that vehicle. We believe she was already dead at that time,” Mina said.
No one has yet been charged in Soto’s disappearance and death. Sterns is considered the main suspect and has waived multiple court appearances.
His jury trial is set to begin May 13 and he faces life in prison if convicted of the charges he currently faces.
Kissimmee police say the investigation is ongoing.
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