ST. CLOUD, Fla. – More than a month after 13-year-old Madeline Soto was reported missing and discovered dead, members of the community gathered on Saturday to hold a vigil.
The vigil was held on Hickory Tree Road, not far from where the teen’s body was found last month.
Soto’s biological father was on hand and placed a bouquet of flowers at the growing memorial in St. Cloud.
People continued to bring flowers, stuffed animals and hand-written notes to the scene, with one reading, “You are safe now. Rest easy.”
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Soto’s stepmother Tatiana Wallace also attended the vigil and offered her thoughts to those who attended.
“Let us now allow fear or discomfort to silence our voices or blind us to the dangers lurking in the shadows,” Wallace said. “Our children deserve to know they are loved, valued and most importantly believed.”
Soto was reported missing on Feb. 26 after Stephan Sterns — her mother’s boyfriend — reportedly dropped her off at school, though she never actually made it there, detectives explained.
Instead, detectives believe she was already dead by that time, and Sterns was later arrested on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sex abuse material, the sheriff’s office announced. He remains the prime suspect in her disappearance.
Soto’s body was found in the woods off Hickory Tree Road on March 1.
News 6 complied a timeline of events stemming back to her initial disappearance.
People attending the vigil were asked to wear green or lavender in honor of Soto’s favorite colors.