A Florida man accused of sexually abusing and murdering his girlfriend's daughter made some chilling online searches before the death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, according to a newly released case report. The Kissimmee Police Department said Stephan Sterns searched for Sevoflurane, a powerful anesthetic used in surgeries, WESH reports. An investigator wrote that it wasn't clear why he searched whether it would show up in drug tests when "he wasn't attempting to get a job or he didn't have any children that were having surgery." Police said a search of Sterns' phone uncovered photos and videos showing that he had been abusing the girl since she was 11 years old. In many images, she appeared to be sleeping, police said in the supplemental case report.
Sterns was arrested two days after Madeline was reported missing in February, FOX 35 reports. Two months later, premeditated murder was added to the dozens of charges he already faced, including sexual battery, molestation, and possession of child sex abuse material. Her body was found in a wooded area on March 1, four days after Sterns claimed to have dropped her off at school. She never made it to school that day. According to the police report, a witness saw Sterns looking "scared" near the wooded area the same day. The report said the medical examiner determined the girl was strangled to death.
On the morning Madeline disappeared, Sterns was seen on surveillance footage throwing items into a dumpster, WKMG reports. Her backpack and school-issued laptop were later recovered from the dumpster. Sterns was also seen driving around with what appeared to be the girl's body in his passenger seat.
- According to the police report, it wasn't unusual for Madeline to sleep in the same bed as Sterns and her mother—or for Sterns and the girl to sleep in a different room, Fox 35 reports. The mother told investigators that the night before she reported Madeline missing, she told Sterns and the girl to sleep in the guest room because she wanted a good night's sleep.
- Investigators said the mother initially appeared to be in denial. At one point, she described the abuse to police as "not evil." Police said Tuesday that there are no plans to charge anybody else at this time. In the police report, there's no sign that investigators believed the mother's knowledge of what happened reached the level of criminal wrongdoing, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
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