9.6.24 CRU with Nancy Grace: Patterns of Negligence and Abuse, Maddie Soto Case

Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum

Today, Nancy and Sheryl discuss the heart-wrenching case of Madeline Soto.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Madeline’s body was found off Hickory Tree Road at about 4:30 p.m. on March 1. Police found the body after someone called in a tip, following a press conference.

The discovery was in the area where her mother’s boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, had been spotted earlier in the week when he stopped to change a tire, police said.

Sterns claimed that he dropped Madeline off at school the day she vanished, but Orange County Sheriff John Mina said that wasn’t true and that “she was already dead at the time and that Stephan Sterns moved her body in the early morning hours on that day.

Sheryl and Nancy dissect critical aspects of the investigation, from the disturbing behavior of the suspect, to the patterns of negligence and abuse within Maddie’s household.

They also focus on the importance of recognizing red flags and patterns in such cases, and the role of evidence in bringing justice.

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Welcome! Nancy and Sheryl introduce this week’s crime roundup
• (0:45) Madeline Soto Case
• (3:30) The unsettling actions of the mother's boyfriend, Stefan Stearns
• (4:00) Nancy gives examples of felony murders
• (6:00) Madeline’s mother’s neglagence
• (8:30) The Timeline of events surrounding Madeline’s birthday party
• (13:00) Conflicting statements
• (15:00) Marshaling evidence - building a case
• (18:00) The brutality of the autopsy

---

Nancy Grace is an outspoken, tireless advocate for victims’ rights and one of television's most respected legal analysts. Nancy Grace had a perfect conviction record during her decade as a prosecutor. She is the founder and publisher of CrimeOnline.com, a crime- fighting digital platform that investigates breaking crime news, spreads awareness of missing people and shines a light on cold cases.

In addition, Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, a daily show hosted by Grace, airs on SIRIUS XM’s Triumph Channel 111 and is downloadable as a podcast on all audio platforms - https://www.crimeonline.com/

Connect with Nancy:

X: @nancygrace

Instagram: @thenancygrace

Facebook: @nancygrace

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice.

Connect with Sheryl:

Email: [e-mail]

X: @149zone7

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.