KISSIMMEE, Fla. — On Tuesday, the Kissimmee Police Department issued dozens of new charges against 37-year-old Stephan Michael Sterns, who has been named the primary suspect in the disappearance and death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto.

Sterns was already being held without bail at the Osceola County Jail on a charge of sexual battery of a victim younger than 12 by a familial or custodial authority, sexual battery by a familial or custodial authority, and possession of materials showing a sexual performance by a child.

According to KPD, the new charges include:

• Eight counts of sexual battery on a child under 12
• Five counts of sexual battery of a child aged 12-18
• Seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation
• 40 counts of unlawful possession of 10 or more images depicting a sexual performance by a child

Sterns is scheduled for a court arraignment at 8:30 a.m. on April 2.

According to authorities, Sterns — who was supposed to drop the teen off at school — is believed to be the last person to see Soto alive when she went missing on Feb. 26. Her body was found in a wooded area of Osceola County on March 1.

According to a Feb. 29 arrest affidavit, during the investigation into Soto's disappearance, investigators reported sitting down for an interview with Sterns, who gave them permission to search his phone, but said he had "accidentally performed a factory reset on his phone on Feb. 26, 2024."

Despite it being reset, officers were able to access the phone and allegedly found several explicit photos and videos of a young girl that appeared to have been recorded in the Kissimmee home he shared with Soto and her mother. 

The arrest affidavit did not identify the victim in Sterns' sexual battery case other than to say she was a girl born on Feb. 22, 2011. He is accused of abusing her at least two times — in August of 2022 when she was 11, and again when she was 12.

The affidavit resulted in the first three charges filed against Sterns.

Details of the new charges were not immediately released.

In a Tuesday press release, KPD Chief Betty Holland thanked the other agencies that helped develop the new charges against Sterns, and said that the investigation into Soto's death is ongoing.

"We appreciate the efforts of our partners in the State Attorney’s Office in assisting with seeking justice for Madeline," Holland said in the release. “With this being a complex case with many facets, our work is not done, and we are continuing our investigation into the timeline leading up to Madeline's death.”

Soto's death is being investigated by the Kissimmee Police Department as a homicide. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Crimeline by phone at 800-423-TIPS (8477) or online.