ORLANDO -- UPDATE: The Orange County Sheriff's Office says Madeline Soto's body was found around 4:30 Friday afternoon, in a remote area off U.S. 192 in St. Cloud.
The Orange County Sheriff says he is "confident" that a 13-year-old girl missing since Monday is dead.
Sheriff John Mina says investigators recovered a backpack and school laptop belonging to Madeline Soto from a dumpster at a Kissimmee apartment complex, and police there will take over the investigation.
Mina says they believe 37-year-old Stephan Sterns, her mother's boyfriend, killed her and dumped her body early Monday morning, instead of dropping her off at school. Kissimmee police are taking over the investigation because it is believed she was killed there. They're asking anyone who saw his car Monday in an area near U.S. 192 to contact them.
Sterns is charged with sexual battery but hasn't yet been charged with Soto's murder. Detectives say they also found evidence of child sexual abuse on his phone.
Photo: FDLE/Kissimmee Police