KISSIMMEE, Fla. – While police were still searching for missing 13-year-old Madeline Soto in February, the man now accused of killing the teen took a mysterious, early-morning road trip to Southwest Florida, according to investigators.
Stephan Sterns initially told his family that he had gone out for a drive and got lost, records show.
Detectives said they later uncovered evidence revealing Sterns made a suspicious six-hour, 300-mile roundtrip journey at the same time investigators were trying to locate his girlfriend’s missing daughter.
Sterns, who faces the death penalty if convicted of killing Soto, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
In the third episode of “Justice for Madeline,” News 6 reveals why detectives believe Sterns snuck away from Central Florida and traveled across the state in those early morning hours. Newly obtained police interviews detail concerns Sterns’ parents had about their son as detectives uncovered evidence suggesting he researched a potent drug that causes hypnosis and amnesia.
All episodes of “Justice for Madeline” can be found here:
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