Jennifer Soto Called out by Police for Caring More About Her Boyfriend Than Her Missing Child

On Feb. 25, 2024, Madeline Soto celebrated her 13th birthday with a small party at her home in Osceola County, Fla. Unfortunately her mother was unable to attend the festivities because she had to work. By the time she got home, things were winding down and Madeline was getting ready for bed. In need of a good night's sleep, Jennifer Soto asked her boyfriend to sleep in her daughter's bedroom.

The following day, Jennifer's boyfriend Stephan Sterns drove Madeline to school. That was the last time Madeline was seen alive. Two days later Sterns was arrested for an unrelated charge having to do with sexual battery and possession of child sex abuse material. Sadly on March 1, Madeline's body was found, which led to Sterns being charged with first-degree murder. When Jennifer Soto was interviewed by cops, she was oddly protective of her boyfriend.

Jennifer spoke with police mere hours before her daughter's body was discovered. This conversation was uploaded to the Grizzly True Crime YouTube Channel and is over four hours in length. There is a lot to go through, but what intrigues us is how Jennifer was treating Sterns. By the time this interview was happening, Sterns had already been arrested for allegedly being in possession of child sex abuse material. That's what makes this exchange all the more frustrating.

Jennifer tells police that she understood something was going on when she and Sterns were told they couldn't get back into their apartment. She then told Sterns to call his father and get a lawyer. "I had a feeling y'all knew something," she told the police interviewing her, "and it was going to come down on him." The concerned mother explained that she thought they were looking at the wrong person. "I wanted to think that he was good," said Jennifer.

When asked how Sterns's demeanor was when a lawyer was suggested, Jennifer told police he didn't believe her. "They know something," she insisted to Sterns. "I don't know why I wasn't thinking it was him." He repeatedly echoed what Jennifer said: that they were focused on the wrong individual.

Later on in the interview, Jennifer addresses the fact that Madeline and Sterns would occasionally share a bed. She says they often wanted to watch movies together in Madeline's room, especially when Jennifer was too tired to do so. "Go ahead," said Jennifer, "but this can't happen often." According to Jennifer, she can count on one hand the number of times her daughter slept in a bed with Sterns.

Police stop Jennifer to explain that they believed it was a homicide investigation and furthermore, that Sterns was responsible. The questions suggest that police think Jennifer might know where Madeline's body is. One officer grows more agitated while telling Jennifer that if his child was missing and authorities confiscated a person's phone, regardless of who they were, he would not offer them a lawyer. "That's nuts to me," he says.

He then says what viewers could think while watching that interview: Jennifer Soto is prioritizing Stephan. He says, "At that point, you became more worried of him being falsely accused than anything else." It doesn't matter if that's what Jennifer was actually feeling, it certainly looked that way to the police.