Social media influencer nearly gets away with Target thefts, but cops notice her flaunting shoplifted goods on TikTok: Police



A Florida mom allegedly stole several items from Target by using a barcode trick — but police said she posted incriminating evidence on her popular TikTok account that alerted authorities to her purported crimes.

Marlena Velez, 22, hosts a TikTok page that boasts more than 356,000 followers and receives millions of views. Her "marlenavelezz" account features mom content with her two small children and also highlights products.

'She essentially incriminated herself.'

But the Cape Coral Police Department accused her of stealing hundreds of dollars in merchandise from a Target store.

The alleged caper commenced Oct. 30 when the loss prevention team at a Target in Cape Coral caught a woman using the self-checkout register without scanning the products' actual barcodes. Instead, the woman allegedly scanned a fake barcode with cheaper prices.

Police in a press release: "Sixteen items of miscellaneous household goods and clothing were stolen. The total loss of the stolen items was valued at $500.32. Officers verified this with Target’s security cameras."

Police shared a video screenshot of the suspect on its social media pages and asked the public to help identify the unknown woman.

An anonymous tipster saw the social media post and identified the suspect as Velez. The tipster also provided police with her social media accounts.

"Officers then found Marlena’s TikTok account, which documents her getting ready on October 30, 2024, in the same outfit and glasses and going to Target," the police said in a statement. "Marlena documents herself picking out items inside the store and placing them in her car after exiting the store."

The Oct. 30 TikTok post appears to have been deleted from her social media account, but police downloaded the incriminating video before it was scrubbed from her page.

Police on Nov. 21 arrested Velez, and she was booked into the Lee County Jail.

She was charged with one count of petit theft of more than $100, less than $750.

“She essentially incriminated herself,” Officer Riley Carter, the police department's spokesperson, told the Express Tribune. “Social media gave us an unexpected lead, which expedited her identification and subsequent arrest.”

Velez reportedly has a history of theft.

WBBH-TV reported that she was arrested in 2019 for allegedly stealing her friend's car and crashing it.

Amanda Santana — Velez's former high school friend — told the news outlet, “I went to the parking lot, and I’m looking around for my car, and I can’t find it, so I actually, like double-checked, looked on every side, and I was like, 'Where is my car?'”

Santana continued, "We figured out that she went and crashed my car and totaled it into a ditch at a Dunkin' on Cape Coral Parkway."

Police confirmed that the then-17-year-old Velez was arrested in October 2019 and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Santana claimed, “There's a restitution that she has not paid for. And actually, not even a dime that she has paid for."

In July 2023, police records show Velez was arrested for shoplifting kitchen items worth $63 from a Walmart in Cape Coral.

The police report noted that security camera footage captured "a female, later identified as Marlena Velez, in the self-checkout under ringing items by scanning one item, then placing another item underneath the scanned item ..."

Velez pleaded no contest to the charges and completed an anti-theft course. She was on probation for six months until last month.

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How a suspected murderer impregnated an alleged killer in prison without ever touching her: 'I can't believe it worked'



A Florida man accused of murder impregnated a female alleged killer while they were in prison — but the pair never touched each other.

Daisy Link, 29, is charged with second-degree murder after she allegedly killed her husband in 2022.

'Not gonna lie, this is gonna go down in history.'

Joan Depaz, 23, was arrested in October 2020. According to prison records, he's charged with first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, battery, and criminal mischief.

The two inmates say they communicated with each other through the air conditioning vents in their prison cells.

"You would knock on it, and you can hear the people from the different floors. You would stand on the toilet actually to be able to talk to them," Link told WSVN-TV. "Being in isolation for so long, you begin to spend hours and hours talking to this person, you know, to the point where it’s almost as if you’re in the same room with them."

Link said she and Depaz would pass notes and pictures through the A/C vents.

Eventually they developed a romantic relationship despite never meeting each other.

Depaz had a dream of being a father, but it didn't seem possible since he was facing a lengthy prison sentence if convicted for his alleged crimes.

"I always really wanted to have a baby. And I’m not gonna get to do that for a really long time," Depaz said. He then told Link, "So if I had to choose somebody, you know, it would be you. And she was like, ‘Yeah, we could do that.’”

Depaz devised a plan to make his dream come true.

"I told her a way that one of my friends had showed me through the vent," he explained. "Because the vents are like [an] L-shape, really. It drops right into my vent, from her room, she could throw a pen into the vent, and it’ll land right into my vent.”

Link added, "We had figured out a way to drop the line. It was a line that we had established out of like bedding material."

Depaz said he put semen in plastic wrap "every day like five times a day for like a month straight."

Link recalled, "He would kind of like roll it up, almost like a cigarette, and he would attach it to the line that we had in the vent, and I would pull it through." She said she placed that in a yeast infection applicator and "administered it."

Link stated, "I don’t know what my fate is, you kind of don’t know what’s yours. If we’re gonna go out, might as well just go out with a bang, you know? If it works, it works. But it definitely did."

Link said she got pregnant after just a few attempts, and that she was "very excited" and "ecstatic."

WSVN asked Dr. Fernando Akerman — a fertility specialist and the medical director of the Fertility Center of Miami — if a woman could get pregnant through the method the inmates alleged. Akerman said it's possible but noted that the chances are less than 5%.

On June 19, Link gave birth to a baby at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

The baby is now living with Depaz's mother.

“I can’t believe it worked," Link stated. "I think everything happened for a reason."

“She’s a miracle baby, she’s a blessing,” Link said. “She could be anything. I think that she’s gonna be something great.”

DNA results show Depaz is the father.

When Depaz was asked if he ever had any physical encounters with Link, he said "never."

The pair are now being detained in different jails while they await their trials: Depaz is housed at the Metro West Detention Center; Link is at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. They still talk on the phone and see their daughter during video visits.

"Over here I’m like a celebrity," Depaz excitedly exclaimed. "Not gonna lie, this is gonna go down in history."

The Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department has launched an internal affairs investigation to determine how this could have happened without authorities knowing.

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Parents attack female middle school deputy, steal her taser, bodycam video shows. Sheriff reacts with profanity-laced tirade.



A Florida man and his wife were arrested Tuesday after they attacked a female school resource deputy, authorities said, citing police bodycam footage.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that two parents — 46-year-old Jorge Rivera and 45-year-old Dagmarie Aponte Iturrino — assaulted the deputy at Deltona Middle School on Tuesday morning.

'To be clear, the only piece of s**t in that video is the mother and father. They're the pieces of s**t.'

The confrontation purportedly stemmed from the couple's 11-year-old son getting into a physical altercation with a girl. The parents went to the school to protest a battery charge against their son that resulted in a civil citation, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told WESH-TV.

According to the bodycam video, the parents confronted the school resource deputy for accusing their son of being the "primary aggressor" in the incident with the girl.

Video shows Rivera responding, "You failed a kid. You’re failing kids right here. We’re not talking about us because believe me, if it were about the adults we could solve this a whole different level. We are talking about kids."

A visibly agitated Rivera told the school resource deputy, "Why are you so worthless? Do you feel proud that you are this worthless, lady? Shut the f*** up because I pay your salary, you dumb b***h!"

"You are a worthless piece of s**t," Rivera told the female law enforcement officer.

The wife unsuccessfully attempted to get her husband to calm down.

Deputy Julia Curtin asked the parents to leave her office at the school.

Rivera is seen on bodycam video in a school hallway putting his hand in the deputy's face.

Suddenly, Iturrino is seen physically confronting the officer, and video shows Rivera jumping into the fracas.

The officer draws her taser, but Rivera apparently punches the deputy in the head, knocking her to the ground. He then rips the deputy's taser from her hand.

A school employee tries to stop Rivera from using the taser.

Deputy Curtin draws her gun and yells: "Put it down right f***ing now! Put your hands behind your f***ing back now!"

Rivera is seen dropping the taser, and the deputy arrests Rivera and Iturrino.

According to jail records, both parents were charged with resisting arrest with violence, trespass on school property after warning, and disputing a school function. Rivera was hit with charges of grand theft, battery on a law enforcement officer, and assault or battery on specified officials or employees.

Iturrino bonded out of jail Tuesday night, WESH-TV reported. In an ironic twist, Iturrino is a pre-K teacher at Spirit Elementary School in Deltona, according to the school's website. WESH said she's been suspended.

Rivera appeared before a judge Wednesday, WESH said, adding that his bail was set at $42,000.

Chitwood blasted the parents in a profanity-laced press conference Wednesday.

'In training, if you lose your taser, you automatically transition to your firearm. If you take a deputy’s taser, you can almost expect to get shot.'

Chitwood claimed the parents' son "bullied and shoved a little girl." He said that the parents were questioning the deputy as to why the girl had not been disciplined in the altercation.

The sheriff played the video clip of Rivera calling the deputy a "worthless piece of s**t."

Chitwood lambasted the parents, "To be clear, the only piece of s**t in that video is the mother and father. They're the pieces of s**t."

He continued, "They attacked my deputy; she suffered a concussion."

Chitwood declared that Iturrino "deserves to be fired" from her teaching job for her role in the alleged assault of the deputy.

"I'm not gonna have pieces of s**t like that come in and attack a deputy doing their job and not expect that they're not going to be held accountable for that," Chitwood proclaimed.

The sheriff noted, "To say I’m furious is beyond. There's no reason I got a deputy home with a concussion for something so goddamn trivial." He said the deputy will be on bed rest for four days, WESH reported.

Chitwood pointed out, "In training, if you lose your taser, you automatically transition to your firearm. If you take a deputy’s taser, you can almost expect to get shot. ... Thank God that’s not what happened in these close grounds."

What's more, Chitwood said the battery charge for the couple's son was not a criminal charge but a civil citation, according to WESH.

"You go before the judge," Chitwood said, according to WESH. "The judge looks at the evidence, and then a judge would impose sanctions, whether it's counseling, community service, whatever it is, and then the whole thing goes away."

Content warning: Language:

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Mom sets up her own sting operation to confront man allegedly sexting her 13-year-old daughter — and soon bullets are flying



A Florida mother set up her own sting operation at a Popeyes fast food restaurant to confront a man who was allegedly sexting her 13-year-old daughter. The face-off ended with the suspect being shot multiple times.

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Chief of Investigations Alan Parker said during a press conference Monday that 18-year-old Cerry Rodriques Banks "was having an inappropriate text relationship with a 13-year-old female."

'As the officer reaches the corner of the business, he observes the suspect pull the pistol from his waistband.'

The girl's mother allegedly became aware of the illicit communications. She then took her daughter's phone and texted with the suspect, pretending to be her underage daughter.

The mother then set up a meeting with the 18-year-old man around 7 a.m. Sunday at a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant in Jacksonville.

Banks arrived at the fast food restaurant, believing he was meeting with the girl — but instead, he was met by the mother as well as her daughter and 11-year-old son.

The suspect brandished a gun and reportedly told the mother, "When you hear the shots tonight, you know what’s up."

The unnamed mother rushed her children into the Popeyes, and the suspect allegedly walked to the rear of the fast food restaurant — and the mom contacted authorities.

Police said the suspect had ample time to vacate the area, but he stayed outside of the restaurant.

Police officers confronted Banks and gave the suspect "multiple verbal commands" to "turn around and show his hands."

The suspect disregarded the commands, however, and fled.

Parker of the sheriff's office stated, "As the officer reaches the corner of the business, he observes the suspect pull the pistol from his waistband."

The officer reportedly instructed Banks to drop his weapon, which the suspect refused to do.

With that, the officer — a 7-year veteran — shot the suspect multiple times.

"The suspect continues to flee and, near a neighboring business, drops the gun," Parker said.

Banks was able to get away from the pursuing officer, but other officers set up a perimeter.

With assistance from a K-9 unit, the suspect was apprehended in a drainage tunnel without further incident.

Parker said the suspect was shot in his hand, torso, and possibly “in the leg.” He received medical assistance at the scene before being transported to a local hospital to treat his wounds.

Police said they recovered the gun, and the weapon did not appear to have been discharged during the incident.

According to jail records from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Banks was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct by an offender 18 or older with the victim less than 16, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and travel to meet after using a computer to seduce/solicit/lure a child.

Bond was set at $700,018.

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said he understood the mother’s concern but that parents should allow law enforcement to handle situations such as this.

“We’d absolutely love to handle every situation, but this is a mother who’s concerned about her daughter. So, I get it, I understand," Waters said during the press conference. "But, I would say that in most cases, in situations like that, call us and let us come out and deal with the situation, so it doesn’t unfold like this.”

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Woman allegedly sicced 103-pound rottweiler on 9-year-old girl who then died; prosecutors want death penalty for suspect



A Florida woman allegedly sicced a 103-pound Rottweiler on her boyfriend's 9-year-old daughter. The vicious dog attack was fatal. Now, prosecutors are calling for the death penalty against the suspect.

Tyshael Elise Martin, 34, was arrested in August in connection with the death of the girl, Jamaria Sessions. Martin was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and child neglect, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

'I’m fixing to kill her.'

The young girl was found dead June 17 at a home in Montverde — about 25 miles west of Orlando.

Shortly before 5 a.m., officials answered a call regarding an unresponsive child and found Jamaria naked with “a significant number of abrasions, small punctures, burns, possible bite marks, and bruising covering her body, all in various stages of healing,” according to the probable cause arrest affidavit.

According to the sheriff's office, the girl's injuries were “consistent with physical abuse.”

The girl had suffered "superficial lacerations indicative of being pinched with significant force, her face was swollen, some of her teeth were broken, she had blood in her left ear along with a penetration wound behind her ear, and contusions all over her body," the affidavit stated.

The document also said "the medical examiner noted the number of superficial injuries covering the majority of her body, and advised it appeared to be torture inflicted by fingernails and injuries consistent with being struck by something, possibly wire."

Sheriff's detectives obtained more than 2,800 surveillance videos from inside and outside the home. Six videos from the night of June 15 show a large dog attacking the girl.

The affidavit stated, “Jamaria Sessions being viciously attacked by the family pet, a 103-pound male Rottweiler as Jamaria was just out of frame, however, Tyshael Martin could be seen holding the leash of the dog and is heard encouraging the dog to bite Jamaria Sessions as Jamaria laid on the floor, ending with Jamaria Sessions attempting to stand up in the doorway coming into frame."

Authorities said the video shows the dog biting Jamaria's head "at the command of Tyshael Martin."

Martin allegedly ordered the "staggering, nude, and disheveled" Sessions to stand in the room with her arms up.

"This prompted Tyshael Martin to deliver a kick to the rear of the child causing her to collapse to the floor," according to the arrest affidavit. "The child lay motionless, moaning in pain, as Tyshael Martin continued to kick her hip and eventually her stomach area at full force."

Martin reportedly grabbed Sessions by her hair and dragged her across the floor and continued to command Jamaria to stand up, but the girl "physically could not comply."

The affidavit said, "The next video clip begins with Tyshael Martin stating what sounds like, ‘I’m fixing to kill her.’”

Sheriff's detectives said the girl had previously been hit with objects, kicked, punched, and pinched.

According to Law & Crime, state attorneys in Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Tyshael Martin.

Jamaria’s father – 27-year-old LoJuan Sessions – also was arrested in August and has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Martin and Sessions are both in Lake County Jail without bond

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Firebrand Florida sheriff blasts Biden-Harris open border after human trafficking op nets 25 illegal aliens, Disney employee



Outspoken Florida sheriff Grady Judd blasted the open border of the Biden-Harris administration after a human trafficking crackdown led to the arrests of 25 illegal aliens as well as a Disney employee.

The operation netted 157 arrestees, and Judd — who heads up the Polk County Sheriff's Office — emphasized how the border crisis has substantially exacerbated human trafficking crimes in the United States.

The sheriff's office held a press conference Thursday announcing the results of a multi-agency operation titled "Operation Autumn Sweep."

'When are we going to get tired of this? When have we had enough? When are we going to say, "The hardworking people of the United States are who we need to be taking care of."'

The five-day undercover investigation went after suspects who solicited prostitutes, offered to commit prostitution, and other suspects who committed crimes related to prostitution and other sex crimes.

"Three additional suspects were arrested for soliciting who they thought were children online, and charged with traveling to meet a minor, attempted lewd and lascivious battery on a minor, and use of a computer to seduce a child," the sheriff's office said in a press release,

One of those suspects accused of child sex crimes works at Disney World.

WTVT-TV reported that the Disney World employee was out on bond for the same charges in another state — soliciting a child online.

As a result of the operation, four human trafficking victims were rescued.

According to the sheriff's office, 47 arrestees were prostitutes, 96 were johns, and one was a human trafficker. The oldest suspect was 61, and the youngest was 15. In addition, 26 arrestees were married.

Judd said of those arrested that there were 327 prior felony charges and 400 prior misdemeanor charges.

Judd noted that 25 individuals arrested in the operation were illegal immigrants.

During the press conference, Judd emphasized the border crisis led to these criminal activities in Florida.

Two of the human trafficking victims told sheriff's investigators that they had to pay off coyote debts of $6,000.

Judd pointed out that the human trafficking victims who were in the country illegally had to turn 20 "tricks" a day to pay off the coyote who brought them into the U.S. illegally. The sheriff said the victims were physically abused by their human trafficker to compel them to work as prostitutes.

Judd added that one of the female suspects from Venezuela entered the U.S. in El Paso, Texas, and said she was "greeted by the Border Patrol."

"She simply walked across the open border," the sheriff continued before stressing that "there is no border security at the southern border. Zero. It doesn't exist."

The suspect allegedly said Border Patrol processed her in one day and then told her "all about the benefits" for which she would be eligible, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, free housing, free travel to Chicago, and free travel to Florida.

Judd also ripped the Biden-Harris administration over the border crisis: "Make no mistake about it, the government is complicit, and is aiding and abetting human trafficking in the United States."

Judd pointed out that illegal immigrants are receiving federal assistance while Americans suffering from recent hurricanes in Florida and North Carolina are struggling.

"When are we going to get tired of this? When have we had enough? When are we going to say, 'The hardworking people of the United States are who we need to be taking care of?'" Judd asked.

This isn't the first time a Disney employee has been arrested for sex crimes.

As Blaze News previously reported in 2022, a construction subcontractor building a new roller coaster at Walt Disney World in Orlando was arrested in another Polk County Sheriff's Office sex sting.

Another Polk County Sheriff's Office undercover operation resulted in the arrest of a Disney World employee in 2022.

You can watch the full Operation Autumn Sweep press conference below:

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Ex-ballerina — who said she killed estranged husband in self-defense — convicted in 'Black Swan' murder trial



A former ballerina accused of fatally shooting her estranged husband has been convicted in the case that has been dubbed the "Black Swan" murder trial.

Ashley Benefield, 33, had been charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of her husband, Doug Benefield.

The pair met at a Republican Party fundraiser in 2016 when Ashley was a 24-year-old ballet dancer and Doug was a 54-year-old Navy veteran and technology consultant, according to People magazine. The couple got married just 13 days later.

In a Florida courtroom Tuesday night, a Manatee County jury convicted Benefield of the lesser crime of manslaughter. In Florida, manslaughter carries a 15-year-maximum prison sentence.

After the verdict was announced, the judge revoked Benefield's $100,000 bond and remanded her to the custody of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Her sentencing date has yet to be set.

Benefield fired a gun at her 58-year-old estranged husband in 2020 at her mother's home in Bradenton, Florida.

Benefield’s lawyer Neil Taylor argued that the fatal shooting was in self-defense after a history of the husband's abusive behavior.

In his closing argument Tuesday, Taylor said his client filed "complaint after complaint after complaint calling Doug Benefield’s behavior to the attention of authorities with no results. Over and over again with no relief," according to NBC News.

In his opening statements, Taylor described the estranged husband as "a manipulative, cunning, and abusive man."

“Thirty years older than Ashley, he was obsessed with her, and he successfully portrayed himself as he was not in an effort to win her hand in marriage,” Taylor said. “Despite promoting himself as a religious, honorable, and decent human being, Benefield was a manipulative, cunning, and abusive man who insisted, absolutely insisted on control.”

Taylor told the courtroom that Doug once fired a handgun into a kitchen ceiling in an attempt to get Ashley to stop talking, threw a loaded gun at her, punched their dog unconscious, and regularly carried a concealed firearm that was always "ready to fire," WFLA-TV reported.

“The only thing that is going to have been established here beyond a reasonable doubt is that Douglas Benefield was a violent abuser, Ashley Benefield’s efforts to placate him [were] absolutely consistent with what abused women do, especially when a child is involved, and that Ashley’s result and resource to deadly force was justified under the circumstances,” Taylor said.

The pair met at a Republican Party fundraiser in 2016 when Ashley was a 24-year-old ballet dancer and Doug was a 54-year-old Navy veteran and technology consultant, according to People magazine. The couple got married just 13 days later.

Eva Benefield — Doug's 23-year-old daughter from a previous marriage — said during the "Black Swan" murder trial, "They were just with each other all the time. It was very lovey-dovey. They were very touchy-feely PDAs. Any event with school or extracurricular that I was in, they were together. They never left each other's side."

Less than a year later, Ashley became pregnant with Doug's child.

About a year into their marriage, the couple started a ballet company — which was said to be Ashely's "dream."

Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell told the jury, “All within a year of being married, they have done a vasectomy reversal, gotten pregnant, started a ballet, and the ballet has crumbled.”

The marriage also reportedly deteriorated.

In 2017, the couple obtained a court order that barred them from contacting each other, O’Donnell said.

During her pregnancy, the ex-ballerina moved from the pair's South Carolina residence to her mother's home outside of Sarasota, Florida.

Taylor said Ashley attempted to obtain a domestic violence injunction in Florida, which would have barred her estranged husband from seeing their child.

O'Donnell argued, "This was a custody battle that this mother was going to win at all costs. The cost was the life of Doug Benefield, and that is murder."

A judge denied Ashley's request for a domestic injunction.

WTVT-TV reported that Doug was not aware that their child was born until a restraining order was filed against him.

On Sept. 27, 2020, Doug allegedly was helping Ashley pack her things for a move from her mother's Florida home to Maryland.

Ashley claimed that an argument erupted, Doug slapped her in the face, and she fled to the bedroom to retrieve a handgun.

She then testified that Doug blocked her from leaving the house and lunged at her. She claimed that at that moment she shot Doug.

“I thought he was going to kill me,” Ashley testified, according to the New York Post.

Ashely fired four rounds from her .45-caliber handgun.

Benefield’s next-door neighbor, John Sant, said Ashley ran to his house immediately after the shootings.

“As soon as I opened the door, before I could say anything, she said, ‘He attacked me,'” Sant told the court. “At that point, I said, ‘Who?’ She said, ‘Doug. ... He attacked me, and I shot him.”

During the "Black Swan" murder trial, Sant's 911 call was played for the jury. Throughout the call, you can hear Sant attempting to calm Benefield.

"She just came over, her estranged husband attacked her, and she said she shot him," Sant said in the 911 call, according to WTVT.

O’Donnell said there was no evidence that Ashley had been physically assaulted.

O’Donnell also said the fatal bullet that struck Doug entered through the side of his body, which she argued contradicts Ashley's testimony.

Detectives noted — in regard to where the victim was struck — it “does not appear that he was facing Ashley when she began shooting.”

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'Every father knows what I'm thinking': Dad of slain daughter, 13, speaks for first time, prime suspect is stepfather hit with 60 child porn charges



The biological father of Madeline Soto – a 13-year-old girl murdered in Florida – has spoken for the first time since the body of his slain daughter was discovered on March 1.

Madeline Soto was reported missing around 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 26 after the 13-year-old girl never showed up for school. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Soto was last seen off Village Park Drive in Kissimmee, near Orlando.

On March 1, Soto's body was found in a rural area of St. Cloud, Florida.

Authorities said Soto's stepfather – Stephan Sterns – was seen in the area changing his tire. Also, Sterns was purportedly seen that morning at a nearby apartment complex in Kissimmee throwing away items in a dumpster. The items were identified as Soto's backpack and her school-issued laptop, according to WOFL.

Sheriff John Mina said of Sterns, "We believe he moved her body in those early morning hours, and all that is still under investigation."

Sterns claimed to have dropped off Madeline at Hunter's Creek Middle School, but she never went inside.

The Daily Mail reported, "Sterns, who has been identified as the prime suspect in her murder, was arrested on child porn charges and sexual battery after police recovered photos and videos on his phone which were described as 'disturbing.'"

In February, the Florida man was arrested and charged with eight counts of sexual battery on a child under 12, five counts of sexual battery with a child 12-18, seven counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, and 40 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child 10 or more.

Law enforcement investigators accessed Sterns' cell phone and discovered "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," according to Spectrum News 13.

Sterns abused the young girl at least two times when she was 11 and 12, according to the arrest affidavit.

Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland noted, "No one is not cooperating other than Sterns."

Thus far, no suspects have been charged in relation to Madeline's murder.

For the first time since his daughter's horrific murder, Madeline Soto's biological father is speaking publicly about the 13-year-old's heartbreaking death.

Tyler Wallace told WFTV on Friday, "I love what I had of her, but we’re supposed to have so much more. Maddie was just the most important person to my wife and I."

Wallace revealed that he had last spoken to his daughter on her 13th birthday – four days before she went missing.

Wallace – who lives in Texas – drove 14 hours to Florida after learning that she had gone missing on Feb. 26.

"Maddie was just the most important person to my wife and I, she was just full of joy," Wallace expressed.

Wallace was asked about Sterns – the "prime suspect" in his daughter's murder.

"As far as I was interpreting his demeanor, he seemed like a warm, interested but not responsive person," Wallace said of Sterns.

However, when asked about what he thinks about Sterns now, Wallace said of the stepfather: "I don't want to say that on camera. I can't communicate to you. Every father knows what I'm thinking right now."

Wallace was asked about what he thought Madeline's mother – Jennifer Soto – may have known about her boyfriend in relation to her slain daughter.

"I don't know and I am interested in knowing but I don't have reason to believe one way or the other right now. These are the things that the investigators are looking into," Wallace explained.

Wallace said Madeline "meant everything to us."

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'The light of my life': Family, community members gather in Osceola County to honor Madeline Soto... www.youtube.com

Former MTV star arrested for grooming in Florida after nationwide manhunt initiated over a year ago in Illinois



Following a nationwide manhunt that was initiated in Illinois and lasted more than a year, a former MTV star has been arrested in Florida for child sex crime accusations.

On Thursday afternoon, law enforcement tracked down Connor Smith at a residence in Clearwater, Florida.

Smith, 33, was arrested by officers with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on an open warrant originating from Lake County, Illinois. The warrant was issued in February 2023.

Smith, from Orland Park, Illinois, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail – where he is being held without bond. Smith is awaiting extradition to Illinois.

As Blaze News previously reported, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced that detectives obtained a nationwide arrest warrant for Smith.

The former MTV star was accused of committing three felonies: traveling to meet a minor, grooming, and disseminating harmful material.

Authorities said Smith attempted to groom a girl under the age of 15 and meet her for sex in Illinois.

Smith communicated with someone who he believed was a girl under the age of 15 for several weeks, according to police. However, the girl was actually an undercover detective.

The catfish was part of an undercover sting to catch child predators that was executed by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division in collaboration with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Smith reportedly sent the "girl" sexually explicit photos and videos of himself.

Smith allegedly attempted to meet the "child" for sex on Feb. 9, 2023. When Smith went to visit the "girl," detectives attempted to arrest him, but he was able to escape the authorities.

In December 2021, Smith was arrested for an alleged rape and assault of a 16-year-old girl in Indiana. Smith was charged with felony rape, sexual battery, and two counts of criminal confinement.

However, the charges were dropped after the alleged victim stopped cooperating with investigators and prosecutors said they didn't have enough evidence to convict him.

Smith's claim to fame is appearing on the third season of the MTV reality series "Are You The One?" in 2015. The dating show features single contestants competing to find their perfect match.

Smith found his "perfect match," but the couple split up after filming the reality TV show.

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Deputy's 10-year-old son sold dead dad's gun to classmate at Florida school for $300, causing lockdown; both students arrested



Two 10-year-old students were arrested for the sale of a gun at a Florida elementary school, according to police. The mother of the gun-dealing boy — who is a deputy — has been placed on administrative leave following the startling accusations coming to light.

In February, the 10-year-old son of a deputy agreed to sell a handgun to a fellow student for $300. The gun reportedly belonged to the boy's father, who is now deceased.

On Wednesday morning, the Country Oaks Elementary School was placed under a "brief" lockdown after the Hendry County Sheriff's Office received a tip about "a suspicious incident" on campus in Labelle, Florida.

"Hendry County School Deputies along with the Hendry County School District Employees and school staff quickly looked into the situation and together resolved it," the Hendry County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden stated, "The school was placed on a brief lockdown. Employees and school staff quickly resolved it. This is an isolated incident and I want to assure everyone that at no time were the students, staff, and school administration in danger."

Law enforcement reportedly discovered ammunition in the backpack of the boy who purchased the gun.

The Hendry County Sheriff's Office said the gun was later located in the backyard under a shed of the boy who purchased the firearm. Police said they also found a bag containing approximately 74 grams of marijuana near the gun.

Both boys were arrested.

The 10-year-old boy was charged with the purchase of a firearm by a minor, unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor, possession of a firearm on school property, and possession of marijuana over 20 grams.

The deputy's son was hit with charges of selling a firearm to a minor, unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor, possession of a firearm on school property, and grand theft of a firearm.

The mother of the boy who sold the gun is a Hendry County deputy. She was placed on administrative leave pending an administrative investigation.

Since their arrests, both 10-year-old students have been in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Hendry County Superintendent Michael Swindle said, "It's heartbreaking. We focus on education, but society has gotten us to a place where, we don’t know what led us to this in this child’s life, but this is a very sad situation."

LaBelle parents upset with "lack of information" from officials during school lockdown www.youtube.com

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