OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Sheriff John Mina announced Friday that the search for missing 13-year-old girl Madeline Soto had transitioned to a recovery effort. Read live updates below:
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The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Friday evening that Madeline Soto’s body has been found.
6:25 p.m. update
Investigators said Osceola County deputies found the missing 13-year-old girl’s body at about 4:30 p.m. in a wooded area along Hickory Tree Road.
Soto’s family has been notified that her body was found.
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5:30 p.m. update
Multiple sources told Channel 9 on Friday afternoon that 13-year-old Madeline Soto’s body has been found in rural Osceola County.
Sources said detectives received a tip after a news conference earlier Friday.
Watch live team coverage on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.
Watch: Jennifer Soto, Stephan Sterns speak to Channel 9 about Madeline Soto’s disappearance
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5 p.m. update
From Skywitness 9, we could see crews searching a rural area near St. Cloud on Friday evening.
The search was centered near Hickory Tree and Nolte roads.
That search has since ended as nothing was found.
Read: Madeline Soto: Community to hold prayer vigil tonight
The Kissimmee Police Department said earlier Friday that Stephan Sterns was at the intersection of East Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway and Old Hickory Tree Road and the intersection of Old Hickory Tree and Nolte roads between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday.
They said Sterns was seen driving a Silver 2010 Lincoln MKZ with Florida tag IYL L82.
“During this timeframe, it is believed Sterns had a flat tire and might have been seen changing it in this area,” a police spokesman said in a news release.
Anyone who saw the vehicle or noticed anything suspicious is asked to call Kissimmee police or Crimeline at 800-423-8477.
4 p.m. update
Investigators continue to search for the body of a 13-year-old Kissimmee girl who vanished Monday.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina announced Friday that Madeline Soto is presumed dead.
Read: Madeline Soto: Suspect in girl’s disappearance taken to Osceola County Jail
Detectives believe Stephan Sterns -- the boyfriend of the girl’s mother -- killed Soto on Monday morning at the Kissimmee apartment complex where the family lives.
Community members will gather at 7 p.m. Friday for a vigil, honoring Soto. Click here to read more about that.
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2:30 p.m. update
Orange County Public Schools provided the following statement from Superintendent Maria Vazquez upon Friday’s announcement:
“I am heartbroken to hear from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office of the tragic death of our precious student Madeline Soto. My thoughts and prayers go out to Maddie’s family and her school community. To lose a child so suddenly and tragically is extremely difficult, especially for family and friends. Counselors continue to be available for any student or staff member dealing with the news. I ask that you keep the entire Hunter’s Creek Middle School community in your prayers as they grieve the loss of one of their own.”
A prayer vigil will be held Friday evening at Hunter’s Creek Middle School. Click here to read about that.
1:20 p.m. update
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a Friday afternoon news conference that although detectives have not located missing 13-year-old Madeline Soto, he is confident that she is dead.
He said efforts are now focused on recovering her body, and the Kissimmee Police Department will take the lead on what is now a homicide investigation.
Read: Madeline Soto: Suspect in girl’s disappearance taken to Osceola County Jail
Mina said Stephan Sterns -- the boyfriend of the girl’s mother -- never dropped her off near her school Monday morning as he had claimed.
Detectives instead believe Sterns killed Soto on Monday morning in Kissimmee and was moving her body.
At about 7:35 a.m. Monday, surveillance video showed Sterns discarding items in a dumpster at the Kissimmee apartment complex where the family lives, Mina said.
He said investigators later discovered Soto’s backpack in the dumpster.
At 8:19 a.m. Monday, video shows Sterns returning to the complex with Madeline visible in the car, Mina said.
Read: Madeline Soto Search: Mother’s boyfriend performed factory reset on phone, report shows
“We believe she was already dead,” he said. “We believe he moved her body in those early morning hours.”
Mina said Soto’s mother is not considered a suspect in the case.
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11:05 a.m. update
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said he is planning to hold a news conference Friday to give an update on Madeline Soto’s disappearance.
The news conference is planned for 1 p.m. at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Click here to stream it live.
Channel 9 will have a crew at the news conference and will provide live updates on the search on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.
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Original report:
Her mother reported her missing when she realized she never made it to school.
For days, law enforcement and volunteers have been out searching for Madeline.
People have also been putting up signs across our community.
Channel 9 has been speaking with law enforcement and others in the community who say they are not giving up on finding the girl.
Orange County deputies said Madeline’s mother’s boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, has been identified as the prime suspect in her disappearance.
Over 100 emergency responders have scoured grassy fields and wooded areas, but the question lingers, but nothing has been found.
Read: Orange County deputies search for missing 13-year-old girl
With missing person posters on doors, lawns, and windows, the Hunter’s Creek community refuses to let any avenue go unexplored until “Maddie” is safely returned.
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