Madeline Soto’s biological father says he was blindsided by her death, seeks closure This weekend, Madeline Soto’s biological father visited the site where his daughter’s body was found in St. Cloud. (Brittany Caldwell, WFTV.com/WFTV)
He didn’t know Sterns well, but had no reason to believe that he would soon be arrested, accused of sexual battery with dozens of graphic recordings on his phone.
And there are still questions about what happened and why.
" I don’t know yet, the whole story. And it’s painful to be in that state of waiting, waiting to understand how I feel. But the truth is, I don’t know how I feel yet. It’s hard. It’s flip-flopping and speculating, and that’s difficult. That takes a toll on you. And that’s why I’m just trying to grieve privately with my family and process this loss for us. And I do want support from the public. And but I don’t feel right sending mobs and pitchforks. I want to focus on Maddie and her loss and what I could have done better. Not as a guilting myself thing, but as helping other fathers who are struggling to have relationships with their children.”
‘I miss her so much’: Madeline Soto’s biological father speaks out about death, disappearance ‘I miss her so much’: Madeline Soto’s biological father speaks out about death, disappearance (Nikki DeMarco, WFTV.com/WFTV)
Wallace will continue to fight for answers and try to find a way to move on.
“It’s not fair; life isn’t fair,” he said. “You know, I love my little girl. We were patient. We were taking our time. By our belief, we were doing everything right. And it just happened like this. And there’s no ‘the rest of her life’...there’s no making up for it. There’s no improvement. It’s just done now.”
On Friday, Wallace said he was trying to get Maddie’s ashes to bring home.
His attorney did get those ashes from Jennifer Soto, and he and his family are heading back home.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.