Body of missing Florida teen Madeline Soto found, sheriff says

The body of missing Florida teenager Madeline Soto has been found, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. saying on Friday in a statement.

Osceola County Sheriff’s Office search teams located the 13-year-old boy’s body at 4:30 p.m. local time on Hickory Tree Road in a wooded area. The teen’s family has been notified, according to the statement. That same day, Sheriff John Mina announced that investigators “are now certain” that Soto was dead.

She was last seen around 8:30 a.m. local time on Feb. 26, wearing a green sweatshirt, black shorts and white Crocs shoes, authorities said.

Wednesday afternoon, authorities arrested her mother’s boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, for sexual assault and possession of child sexual abuse material. Sterns, 37, was the last person to see her. Authorities said they found disturbing images that were “criminal and sexual in nature” on her phone, and said they also found through the phone’s data that there were attempts to delete evidence.

Jail records show Sterns is in custody at the Osceola County Correctional Facility on charges of sexual assault and possession of child sexual abuse material.

Caitlin O’Kane contributed to this report.