I believed the sexual stuff but I didn't want to believe that he had done anything evil to her I'm like no what if she what if he did this stuff fine I mean are you helping are you cooperating with police about her participation in any of this stuff there's been no opportunity for me to cooperate with anything should he be charged with murder yes pleas does your role in her life lead this to happen I'll be honest yes you be surprised Jennifer stto sits at the Orange County Sheriff's Office days after reporting her 13-year-old daughter meline missing meline never made it to school and was last seen at home with Jennifer's boyfriend Stefan Sterns Sterns quickly became the primary suspect when investigators discovered disturbing and explicit images of him and mateline stored in his cloud account surveillance footage from their apartment complex captured Sterns disposing of trash bags containing mine's book bag and school laptop the same footage showed meline in the front seat of Stern's car slumped over motionless with her mouth ajar during Jennifer's interrogation deputies began to suspect she was aware of the inappropriate relationship between her boyfriend and her daughter a relationship that allegedly spanned years they questioned Jennifer's lack of visible anger or outrage toward Sterns after being confronted with the disturbing facts of the case alarmingly she appeared to defend Sterns even going so far as to urgently secure legal representation for him despite the mounting evidence of his role in mine's disappearance tragically just hours after this interview mine's body was discovered 15 mi from her home the medical examiner confirmed that she had been strangled Sterns was subsequently charged with her murder and now faces the death penalty what are your thoughts on this heartbreaking case share your comments below don't forget to like subscribe and stay tuned for more copcam videos as always thank you for watching you feel like everything starts to get blurry oh I get it trust me we've been in this office for like 3 days straight yeah so I just remember what date you guys what day I had conversation with you guys Tuesday night Orange County detectives came out there cuz I end up coming out Tuesday night yeah I don't know if you remember seeing me or not that night okay that was the first night we were at the apartment into the night time yeah is that when you guys shut down the house for forensics yes okay so what else about that okay I think at this point when I noticed that forensics was locking down the house and you guys said we couldn't come back I told him to call his dad cuzz I had a feeling something y'all knew something and it was going to come down on him and I'm just like they're focusing on the wrong person they have the wrong person in my head I'm convinced you guys are just that you had the wrong person I wanted to think that he was good um I'm sorry repeat the question then so I guess I'm when you said like you had a rule like obviously we know now they've you know slept in the same bedroom together and everything else I'm sure you're questioning a lot of things that like you haven't been told her that are going on the thought process of them sleeping in the same bedroom caused you to say that you had a rule for the longest time where they couldn't yeah I have a son he's a lot younger than herry's four but I guess I if I was dating somebody or had somebody over I would never establish and this is just me a rule he can't sleep in the bed with her or she's not going to be it would even be a thought process for me so that's why I asked because I wouldn't think of it even as an option yeah so when you say you had a rule I guess I'm asking what prompted the rule it wasn't until June that he got his own bedroom and I sent him upstairs that's where the that's where the requests for sleepover started okay um and I I kept telling her no no no no no no no I'm not comfortable with that I'm not comfortable with that um but eventually I at some point like we just we really want to watch I forgot what movie it was they really wanted to watch something and I was really tired and I said okay fine um go ahead but this can't happen often I think I can count on one hand how many times that's happened and it hasn't been many times that I've allowed her to have a slumber party with him to be alone in a in a bed with him I'm usually around all the time I I can tell you I know PE detectives expressed to you that the thought process at this point is this is a homicide investigation yeah based on the evidence I've seen based on the videos I've seen I do believe with that being said and the reason I tell you that not to be an [ __ ] is because the thought process with us leads it in a different investigation a different way meaning whatever is already happened right we can cannot change what happened most likely on Monday we cannot change the fact that I believe Stephan killed her right all we can do now is find her as quickly as possible on the the 2% chance we're wrong that she is alive that's phenomenal right that's the best thing that could happen on the chance that we are 100% correct and she has passed away finding her now versus later will bring closure to your family bring closer to everybody regardless of how it happened happened or why it happened meaning if you have an inclination of you know where she's at if his father knows that doesn't mean those people get held accountable for what he did it doesn't mean those people get held accountable for knowing what he did it means we close out the investigation you know what I mean so a lot of times we go into rooms like this and we ask people questions we say hey do you know what happened do you know what happened and there's this fear of what happened over already happened I can't change that so I'm not going to insert myself with knowledge because it's going to make me look bad regard murdered her right he victimized her he ruined her entire life from childhood until now I think that there's probably some sense of guilt and my fear is that sense of guilt is causing you to not want to assist in the location of her not because you're bad person but because there's that sense of guilt that what was happening was happening under your roof and now by her being found brings that all to your plate and it doesn't oh no if I knew anything I would so tell you I want to even if she's dead because you guys tell me you're suspicious but I still I'm not going to believe it until I have her body so there are things and the reason I say these things and again I'm not trying to be an [ __ ] but the reason I say these things is there been a lot of things you've said and a lot of things I've kind of researched between the Fox 35 story between your initial statement to the police a lot of things have changed initial statement to the police was you watched her get dread you watched her we you knew exactly what she was wearing the police have showed you their hand they said stepan we want your phone stepan we want to talk to you we are going to lock down your resonance you can't go back inside I don't care if it's the love of my my life sitting next to me I don't care if it's maternal grandma if the police come and take my mom's phone and my son's disappearance I'm not going to offer my mom a lawyer that's nuts to me people having lawyers is their constitutional right that is a thing that everybody has afforded but for somebody who's going through what you are going through to offer him a lawyer leads me to believe that there may have been a conversation there may have been knowledge or there may have been some inclination that you have whether it be his involvement her location or something to where in your mind there's guilt I promise you like since you offering him a lawyer is very weird I know I know I that was still me under the assumption that I think at one point no at one point you guys interviewed me and when you guys showed me the picture of her I believed the sexual stuff but I didn't want to believe that he had done anything evil to her I'm like no what if she what if he did this stuff fine but what if she's still missing out there what if somebody took her I still wanted to believe his I I believed him I believed his whole story so I was just like I I kept repeating that part I'm just like what if what if she did I dropped off what if she got abducted what if she's missing um but that was me me assuming that you guys had the wrong guy I wanted to think he was a good guy still but clearly he's not after everything you guys have told me and have shown me I know he's the worst person on this face of the Earth we know that now we know he's a piece of [ __ ] now I know but you didn't know that then I didn't what you just said is the sex stuff is fine it's not fine hold up I know every relationship is different and I know everybody's family is different I won't ask has he expressed interest in I'll use the word weird I'm not going to shame anybody for what they they like different sexual pleasures different sexual experiences different Kinks that involve things you weren't comfortable with the only thing he's ever expressed to me was like anal okay um he had an anal K in like butts okay but that was something I was never comfortable with over doing and I let him know that like that's something something so you guys slept in the same bed together Steven was a big portion of your life at one point Stephan was a big portion of your life at one point and this is not me coming at you as a person or a bad person because [ __ ] happens in the past in the past the past we can't change the past did you ever wake up and find the cuddling you wake up and find them closer than you thought they should be they would they would snuggle yeah okay but I I we all snuggle I didn't think that that was that wring so if you guys are sleeping in the same bed she's in the center you've woken up and they're sleep smuggling they under the same blanket they're not under the same blanket no but just like she's got her own blanket sping for what what is snuggling to you cuz to me snuggling spooning big spoon little spoon he would lay down like this and she would be right here in his in in the nut okay um how do you guys sleep you guys sleep clothed unclothed I sleep cloth clothes yeah shirt pants pajamas sets yes everybody uh I in like my everyday clothes okay uh on pajamas or baggie t-shirts and shorts okay and steeping would sleep um with his T-shirt or boxers sometimes with his pants on but he didn't have pajamas okay so they would snuggle sometimes him being in his boxers you would wake up and she'd be in the nook of his arm and essentially a cuddling position and you never found that weird no okay again you and I may find things different why and I don't want you to look back on it because now you know he victimized her for a long time right under your roof with you home most likely because you said you're always home and just got this job been living off disability I know the kid police department has showed you pictures I know they've verbally explained you some pictures you can tell tell you that today we're still downloading his Google Drives we are still going through his social medias his cloud-based servers and everything else and we can now piece back her victimization in your house under your care to 2020 I believe you've gone far as far back as in when she so when I ask they've woken up in did you find things suspicious do you have an open with talk to you has he made inappropriate statements it's almost like cheating right if you ever been cheated on okay somebody can only cheat on somebody for so long until they [ __ ] up or until something comes out or somebody says something right so we go back to 2020 we're looking at a minimum of three and a half years 3 and a half years where I'm sure you guys are sexually active you yes so for 3 and 1/2 years under your care in your house not only is he being sexually active with you and having a sexual relationship Fu and I know it's an emotional thing and I know it sucks to hear but where I'm coming from is it seems like something that you can't hide forever you guys live in a small space Close Quarters you sleep in the same bed you guys all talk you guys all share things you're an observant person for the most part I assume outside of taking medications and going to sleep it seems very difficult a lot of grown ass adults can't hide in a fair with somebody who doesn't live with them yeah let alone somebody who does live with them so at a certain point I do believe you became aware of what was going on no and when I say that it doesn't mean you're in trouble it doesn't change I know but but I do believe that a reasonable person not considering a reasonable person right do you think you're a reasonable person yes would be aware that under her roof I have no the videos the text messages the images they are all documented forever this has been an ongoing thing and at her age I think she probably thought they were relationships you probably thought they were in love at the same time you guys are sleeping in the same bed together you guys are all cohabitating she's not sleeping in her room which you felt the need to establish a rule that they couldn't sleep in the same room but when you establish that rule for three years she's already been dating essentially I whether that's legal or not I have no idea so I truthfully believe this is my belief this isn't I'm not speaking for other detectives not speaking for the Sheriff's Office the say police department or any other agency I've said this is Kevin's belief I believed that you became aware of their sexual relationship I think at a certain point throughout this relationship you became aware of it and for whatever reason your reasons are your reasons whether it was discussed that it would stop whether it was discussed how it would go that you feel some sense of guilt a lot of the news statements you've given kind of again my opinion only I don't speak for anybody else whether it's in this room or out of this room bother me it seems like some of your emotion up until this room I think some of the emotion in this room is sincere I think a lot of it's because I'm being an [ __ ] I'm telling you things you don't want to hear that shouldn't be said out loud but when you talk to the news when you talk to deputies it feels based on my experience in this job that it's not sincere I feel like some of your sadness is not real sadness I feel like when you gave the interview with Fox 35 it was not sincere looking at that video one time I didn't feel like your cries were sincere and I'm not saying that because you're a bad person I feel like sometimes people struggle to show real emotion when they're aware of what the truth is so it has to be fake um my boyfriend who drove her to school drove away at that point um it was seen on video video footage that she hung out in the parking lot of the church for a few minutes and then got up and walked towards the school with the video that you were able to see whenever your boyfriend dropped her off where where was that what like which video is that a surveillance camera it was a surveillance camera from the church uh Peace church right next to M hun Creek middle school and do you have that video I don't have that I'm trying to hope for the best but I'm just I'm scared for her I want her to be okay and I want her to be safe I don't want I don't want her to come back harmed I just I just want her back whatever that means just I just want her back lives for the past let's say five years right but her going missing her disappearance if you have knowledge of how it happened where it happened an inclination that emotion is not going to feel sincere because you're already aware of what happened I would it's almost because I knew if I knew anything I promise you I would tell you like I am willing to take a lie detector test whatever the you want but I don't know anything he's never mentioned anything I've never seen any signs I tried watching her like a hwk I thought I was doing a good job but I wasn't I was oblivious to the every four years minimum that's just how F that far back the cloud goes and I I find it hard to believe for me that you were so worried about how many pills she took at night but not where she slept or what relationship she was his interest in her I thought we were all sa I thought because that he hadn't shown me anything so far like everything seems fine like he seemed like he treated her like like he treats you in his M so now he's in jail because of what we found on his phone not because somebody came forward and reported that he abuse she's not old enough to consent she's not old enough to have a thought process to even want anything that was happening to her it's abuse so he's in jail for that but something caused what because we can call it a Murder She didn't die naturally she didn't overdose she didn't have a heart attack we Circle murder on one day something had to cause that he's been having unrestricted sexual activity for a long time he's getting what he wants from her probably from you and who knows whoever else right so it's not like he woke up or went to bed Sunday and he was like you know what I'm done with this but I'm going to kill her something happened people don't just wake up they like you know what they leave people they break up with people but usually things cause people to snap we can go even worse she's pregnant that's what questions last night like led me to believe when we started talking about her period I was told that her and her friend and granted um male never had a period but that somebody found it weird that they were no longer in the same cycle could be different cuz she's a teenage girl could be that she missed her period have you ever found a pregnancy test with home that was it yours I have two underneath the kitchen the back bathroom sink but I haven't seen if they're still there or not okay but you haven't seen any used ones in the trash no their relationship hasn't changed no okay so what do you think happen Sunday other than him killing her what do you think made him snap what if what if she upset him and threatened to tell me and say that was going to tell me and he needed to shut that down that's the only thing what do you think I don't want to believe he K me you guys were telling me she was to killed her Sunday night and stuck her body out in the morning the photo you guys showed me of her something in the car you don't want to believe he killed her I want to believe she's still alive that she got kidnapped but that doesn't seem like that's the I know I know my bra just wants to believe something else I just want to believe she's still alive she's out there I still even even up until when we got here to the police station I I I I was just I was convinced that he hadn't done anything to HT at all because of him or because of that way to believe she's deceased because of him because I I thought he was a good guy so up until this morning you still think that it's not no no no no I'm talking about the other day up until up until when we took him yes I forgot what they so we're still going through his phone his drives like I told you all his socials we can date back to 2020 based on the videos it appears that was the start of the victimization so our ERT team so Emergency Response Team it's just a group of people who search areas doesn't have to be wooded can be wooded can be swampy they now for three days they're going to be out all weekend they will eventually whether it's today whether it's tomorrow whether it's in 2026 okay I don't think you want that to take too long right I'm sure you'd like to have a funeral I'm sure you'd like to have some kind of memorial service the last thing you want is for us to call you in a year and say hey we found remains we don't know okay that may not be something you thought about till just now but I can tell you being someone who investigates homicide that is something that everybody has to come think about eventually if you can think of anything that would assist us and making that happy to today versus two years from now regardless of why you know or how you know we need it no I do if I do anything I would tell me right now I promise I want her back oh want to think about playing funeral have you talked to Chris about Stephan deing a warrior what you think when you guys showed me the the the the photos so we showed you photos of Stephen raping the first thought you had was to ask his father if he should get a lawyer no I saw a picture I didn't see the rape I didn't know she was getting raped until yesterday I saw the picture of the oral sex happening and I I knew that that was true right that's evidence that's for real that's F happening but I kept thinking they're going I don't know why I kept I I can't tell you why my brain kept thinking no he didn't kill her not that he didn't kill her but she's still missing she's still out there she was taken yes he's done this to her and that's not okay but I sore she was still I felt in my body she was still alive she was still out there I told Chris again of a lawyer cuz I felt like you guys were chasing the wrong person but you weren't you're not he showed you a picture of giving a job to a grown ass man who and you told his dad to get him a lawyer but then you just thought she was missing and we were showing you our investigative Le being raped job is raped not consensual whether she wants to do it or not that is not consensual and you prioritized him again you prioritized him by offering him they're telling his dad to get him a lawyer not what did he do no let's protect Stephanie I wasn't shock no it's not Shock that is your natural instinct to protect stepan okay and if that's naturally how you react that's fine but that goes into what I've been telling you this whole conversation is I don't believe a lot of the things you're saying and I don't believe a lot of the things you say you weren't aware of and that is because you've now shown me twice that your first reaction no matter what you were told or shown we're showing you pictures of her giving him a job your first reaction is to protect stepan so now mured by Stefan you're aware of this you were shown pictures of this you were shown pictures of her body in his car with a seat belt on right we have played it out for you now now you're in a stage where he's in jail you know she's passed away and now you can feel emotion right until that point when you were shown that she was the deceased your continued first reaction is to protect this guy I I you just said I only saw a picture of him whatever your verbage was I saved job of his penis in her mouth and your first reaction was victimized no she's being abused no it's Stefan needs a lawyer who the [ __ ] cares if we think he killed her he's I don't know why I don't know why I said that but that's the problem you don't know why so the reaction in your mind is you are continuously protecting this guy so why do I sit here and believe that you don't because right now you know Stephen killer you know Stephan's been raping her you know without her body can he be charged with murder I don't know exactly so you don't know what we can do do I think we can charge him with murder it's not up to me should be charged with murder yes pleas your role in her life lead this to happen I'll be honest yes know since she was a child since her victimization started it occurred under your roof and you acted like it didn't exist and knowing the victimization knowing the victimization knowing how ongoing it is knowing that you saw a picture of it not just us telling you not me and him saying Hey listen he's being I think they had a bad relationship they showed you a picture of it and you still protected him so how am I supposed to not think that the thought process in your mind is until she's founds stepan can't be charged with murder because we both now know that you don't want him to be charged with murder because you want him to have a lawyer no I don't that the oh he can't be charged with murder that was then everything that you guys have shown me since then and have showed me that he's we to show you a picture of her dead in the car for you to finally not take his side enough hey do you not see where coming from like I'm not trying to be a dick here but it makes absolutely no sense that you is Stephan I don't know is it where does your mind go Stefan there there should have been no doubt in your mind when they showed you that picture of what he was doing to you that you had any care in the world other than I want that motherucker to die whether you believe in the death P or not he protected him so now we're talking about her disappearance and where her body is why do I believe that you're still not protecting him because you say so because you can't explain why you protect him you can't explain what is inside of you that makes you protect Stephan and you may never be able to explain it but eventually we're going to have to figure it out because you're haven't convinced me that you're still not protecting Stefan I got all these people out here searching I haven't seen my own kid in days because I'm looking truthfully believe that I can't go home and see my kid is because you're protecting people sitting in the wood just waiting for me to tell him where to go but I can't because I think you're it's in trouble I don't care about him I want him to go to jail I want the worst thing possible to happen to him in jail I know what happens to predators in jail like I'm ready for that like please I don't give a [ __ ] about him I'm not protecting him but you knew he was a predator when you show got shown the picture and then you text his dad that he needs a lawyer and you hope that he invoked was the words I was told you hope that he didn't talk to us he needs a lawyer no all over a picture you didn't care you didn't care then oh whether sex isn't important important you that wasn't anything close I knew I knew what I saw was he a predator right then and there that's the day you found out he was a predator yeah yes and after you found out he was a predator did you not say he needed a lawyer I did so why today Friday at almost 3:00 5 days into the disappearance two days since she probably found out or one day since she found out she was murdered do I believe you that you're not telling me where he went or that he didn't disclose to you where she was or what caused this to happen is listen I know you know I've been doing whatever or listen this Happ how do I believe that that didn't happen when everything you've shown me is protect Stephan now once if you show priority in this conversation in this investigation you're coming here looking for her you reported her missing for not doing that but outside of you reporting her missing and I may be wrong I haven't been involved in all aspects of it but you have not shown me one bit that you prioritized her over him and that sucks not because we're working our asses off for your family not because we have people out there sweating their asses off for your family but because I feel like all I can about your care is to make sure Stephan doesn't get help and accountable I don't care anymore anymore because we're being [ __ ] because I'm not being nice but up until Thursday it was okay that she gave him a job no big deal get a lawyer no it wasn't it wasn't okay I was honestly I saw that and I was in shock and I don't know why my first reaction was to tell him to get a lawyer but I saw that and I was in shock and I was just like I don't know what to believe I don't know what to believe it's easy to believe it now we showed you pictures of it you can't deny it anymore you the sex was okay the murder's not at least at least that makes sense no that's okay I want to know is and not because I think you're a bad par not because I think you're a bad Dead or Alive she's missing her body is out there and her body needs to be recovered so she can have a proper barri a proper funeral she needs to be laid to rest your family needs to be able to mourn her and we need that information that that is life that is not life of the law that's not life of the sheriff's office that is common decency that is what she deserves that is what you deserve that is what your family deserves but the longer that happens the longer it takes us to find her the less likely that's going to be for you guys and I'm sorry if I'm wrong I truly am but deep down you hav't showed me that I am I don't know what I need to to show you prioritize her over stepen think Stephan think of places he would have dumped her body think of places he went things you talked about things you discussed whether it's this week last week don't put it in your mind that he's been victimized you or don't put in your mind that I'm being a dick what can I think about to find out where Stephen put so I need you to sit down and think about it whether you need a minute we're not in this room whether you want to do it with us in this room we need to leave here with an idea of where we can go look that is one thing we can on I've sent you the list of the stores that he may have stopped at didn't stop at the only outdoorsy places I can think of that we've ever gone to that he would know about would be Shingle Creek or kame Trail I don't know if he knows where late too is but that could be another option because you think it's a wooded area because it's a place you guys have talked about together cuz it's a wooded area with a lake with gators like we haven't discussed we haven't discussed anything you came up with wooded areas that you know of yeah you came up with wooded areas that you think he could double body you because I've been there with him yeah I need to know whated areas where he travels right you're you're saying we've been there so she could be there so that tells me she's not there it tells me it's a waste of search okay because when I put 90 plus people there that's all day right we got to coordinate that we got to put them there so we need fruitful searches yeah so I need likely places that you think and I need places you think based off of conversations with him not because you can picture in your mind that there's trees there okay we currently have upwards probably 200 people working on F right the Orange County Sheriff's Office is involved the K Police Department's involved Cloud Police Department OA County Sheriff's Office Florida Department of Law Enforcement FBI yes suspicious circumstances so anybody who is somebody is involved yeah so regardless of the circumstances those people don't get to go home those people don't get to go back to their families those people don't get to live their lives to go back to their primary jobs of course I know the sheriff has probably expressed you that's his number one priority I'm sure the C Police Department's expressed that to you our detectives this isn't something that's going to stop or go away yeah right anybody who knows something anybody who may know something be brought to a room who'll be talked to whether they're guilty whether they're innocent because our number one priority our jobs have kind of stopped on any other things we have going on until that's fine cuz that's the most important thing anybody has going on right now you know she's deceased we showed you pictures that she's deceased we know that she's probably deceased Sunday and Monday we didn't see her Monday morning I want to believe she's deceased I know you I know you showed me pictures but for the purpose of this conversation I need you to believe it CU I need you to figure it out I need you to I need you to tell me what you think happened to her you think he killed her that night how I don't know could it be possible that he drugged her could could he have choked her I I just don't know how you kill someone and don't leave a mess or don't leave evidence or I mean was there a mess was there evidence I haven't gone upstairs I don't know what that what what you guys have I barely went into the house today so I don't know what I need to know what you think happened I think he killed her how you mentioned drugged her you mentioned other things explain your reasoning behind those assumptions and we'll move forward day by day so he had access to benzo and I think Lunesta what are those I'm not familiar with that benzo diazines are anxiety medications which relax you and can make you sleep sleepy okay uh and Lunesta I think is a sleeping medication like for insomnia so I don't know if it's possible he he gave her something and she was drugged in in those photos that you showed me where you're saying she's dead maybe she was drugged but if she is dead and it was done upstairs I could just only imagine that she choked her I don't know how else you would kill someone and not leave a mess how do you think he got her out I have no idea because roommates come in and out of the house at any given point in the morning and we don't know their schedules they can come in at any time you guys showed me you guys showed me a picture I think of him or her in the car at 7:30 in the morning my roommate left the house she's the one who leaves the earliest she left at 7:45 so like what if he had waited a little longer she would she would have caught him with the like carrying a body out of the house how did he do that without being caught or seen what you need to think about is when we find her is there an opportunity or a chance that we are going to prove that you did not assist us to your full capability in this investigation and if that is true you need to think about the consequences of that consequences of hindering a murder investigation or a c sexual batter investigation could be punishable up to probably the same charges the same time in jail I know you I know you know that I don't believe what you're saying I know you know that I think you prioritize Stephan did you prioritize jail you see what I'm saying like if we come back and prove that you sat in this room and misled us that you didn't lead us in the right direction or that you assisted or you acknowledge or you knew morning from jail if I know anything I swear he has mentioned we haven't discussed this I had no suspicion of anything he did not tell me any more details of where he went that day other than those shops that I had mentioned I think I only asked him if he took her to school when I when I called him and told him to come to the office I asked him you dropped her off at school right cuz she never made it and he said yeah I was like she never made it where did you drop her off um you guys sat in your car Tuesday night when I was out there I was out there at least 4 hours just you two in that car yeah you can't tell me you guys are not have any conversations about this there's no way reason person have been questioning him you were the last person with her what the hell happened this morning you never did that in that car I didn't I remember being on my phone he was on my phone for a little bit I know I was medicated and I was just zoning out juvenile robbery suspects utilize the excuse of I was high on bars I took Xanax I was blacked out right every juvenile robbery suspect you you interview I was in in your words medicated in their words High incapacitated drunk it's an excuse to avoid admitting what happened when you say you're medicated I can't think of an amount of medication that will numb you so bad to numb the fact that you're the investigation is occurring in front of your face for you're missing so being medicated is just an excuse to avoid answering why you didn't discuss with him what happened it minimizes your guys' interaction by saying you were not fully coherent but person I now who can sit in the car and watch a bunch of detectives and crime scene investigators and everybody else search her house sees her house see and be so numb that that somehow is not ringing Bells is not overcoming the power of this little medication there there's no way the human body will overcome that in a big situation you didn't take enough medication to numb you of the reality of what was occurring I mean there's no way unless you were fully incapacitated there's no way you were so numb that everything he described to you everything I described to you was not in the Forefront of your mind you weren't numb just like these robbery kids weren't blacked out they weren't high enough to not remember the robbery I just don't want to talk about it no it just it wasn't clicking it didn't click to me like you you guys telling me like wasn't his obious like this and that I I still believed every the story he had told me that while we were sitting in the car I still fully believed everything he had told me I didn't doubt him I really thought you guys were going after the wrong guy I'm like they're wasting time the the real suspect is out there she's being sex trafficked that was my biggest fear is that she was being sex trafficked I didn't think that she would actually be dead but she thought enough to get him a lawyer I really thought you guys were going after the wrong by at that point from the jump we've been trying to find her that has been and will be our biggest priority him getting arrested for victimizing her was an accident when we discovered that she was a victim because we took his and I'm like so happy that happened because if not this would have continued to keep happening well it wouldn't have abusing killed her on one day talk she had been F that was alive so red gal I'm pretty sure you're still doing your vill I think how' you get here you're driving here I was driven here but my dad followed behind I think you guys said mine car might be ready I'll we'll verify that one um the invest the invest still going yeah right Stephan also is not in charge with murder right just a sexual not or he is he has not been okay he's just been charged with sexual battery I have a couple questions for you that are going to be on record they're going to be official they going need you to answer truthfully because if they're determined that you did answer not truthfully you can be held accountable for it makees sense raise your right hand do you swear that everything we talked about today in this interview is true and correct yes did you lie to me like any on yeah okay do you currently know or have you ever been aware of where body has been since my no did you have any no were you aware at any time whether it be the most recent instance or the first instance isation sexually by Stephan okay at this time you do not know where Stefan went on 192 you don't you do not know where he went in Northport I do not and you have had no time this week at any conversations with Stephan where he disclosed what he did yeah okay the story that we talked about of what at one point we discussed that she potentially been in a trunk on the way to Northport yeah is that information you you know to be true or an assumption an assumption okay do you have any questions for us before we check on the phone in the car we're going not be able to answer everything but if you have questions we can see if we can answer those questions it's about your only opportunity your only opportunity phase was you saying swear last opportunity you obviously have numerous detective phone numbers you have numerous agency score numbers things like that so realistically there will be other options for you to ask questions I don't think I have thank you so much of course uh do they speak English yes this is Mom this is Mom okay hi there I got to go I got to go here hey there hey there what's going on so my daughter was dropped off close to school this morning but never made it I went to from school I'm sorry one second yeah okay all right so she was supposed to be dropped off at school didn't make it to school didn't make it to school I went to pick her up from school today and she never came out they they announced it over the speaker and I'm just like maybe she walked here because sometimes she'll walk here to this office I came here nothing I went back to the school they were closed I got a notice an email from the school saying she was absent but I also messaged her teacher and he looked at her entire attendance today and saw that she was completely not at school today either okay um so she never made it okay what's her name meline m a d e l i n e m a d e l i n e last name s o o s o t o [Music] yeah um does she have a phone number phone she does but she left it at home today I have it you have it and every already through her messages okay how about does she have like Apple watch she's got a device the only device she's got on her right now is her school laptop her school laptop is that trackable I don't think so I don't think so the Wii turned it'll try to connect any Circle conect history running away hanging out of possibly I don't know she got dropped off she was like I so she's embarrassed by his car so she didn't want to be dropped off at school she want to be dropped off like half a block away so she can walk s she's in the face but um he dropped her off half a block away and drove away okay did she ever go to school though no we called school she was walking in that direction she was rifling through her backpack just looking for something I thought maybe she was just looking for headphones before she got her walking on yeah um but she was just kind of you know shambling over in that direction looked the same as any other morning okay um what was the last thing you asked if she had went to school so so I got confirmation from the school that she never made it they sent me an email saying she she didn't make it but I also spoke to her or emailed one of her teachers directly and he looked at all her attendance for all her perod and told me she she'd make get it all today okay doing local ref 2le I thinkale [Music] HS with socks no further information 1064 1946 and when was the last time you seen her do you know the around what time around 8:30 8:40 when when we Dro her off how is she 51 yeah uh weight 110 lb0 112 um hair color blonde blond like a dirty blond like a dirty blond okay um I color blue does she have any markings on her like any scars or anything like that a distinctive beauty mark on her face here on the face on the face like below the nose or near the nose yeah like right in that area there it's it's very distinctive you'd know it if you saw it big any other scars or anything like that which you know scars tattoo tattoo you be surprised did you put out the description I put the top part out I didn't get the rest of that stuff here so I put fale blacks one night blond dir dirty blonde hair blue eyes has a beauty mark under the nose we [Music] go I'm getting a random 407 number okay hello yes hi principal I'm okay how are you uh no police offic the uh yeah I'm trying to see if I can find her paperwork does she have any social media or anything like that family cousin than you so much I definitely appreciate it that's her profile yeah little what are the sleeping Arrangements he sleeps in okay um did she sleep in her bed Sunday night uh no uh I was just back i' been away for a couple months some serious sleep um so she said no to that and suggested that the guest room upstairs had make up that so so snuggle CLE time that that suppies and J get sleep be so you say snug old time what what does that mean to be alone she's extremely dependent she does not like to be alone at all she needs human presence around her gota all right so Jennifer says well so double time with you to help her go to sleep is that right just bedtime bedtime okay um did you stay in the room the entire night uh not the entire night I'm usually up and down sometimes um so I might go grab a drink or something or yeah I'm up and down sometimes go but you stay you didn't at any point go okay all right so that goes on morning time comes around and school walking through that it typically she will have showered the night before so she needs to brush her hair brush her teeth excuse me get her book back together uh eat some breakfast if she's going to eat there and then we eventually make her way out the door okay you remember what time you left roughly not not 100% my memory is stoping liveable that's F but it was it was early we leave the house start making our way to the school you remember where you dropped her off yeah it was um this stretch of I forget the street name was the stretch of road that the school is on was she by yourself when you was her friends there yeah she was by herself she said she was going to go find her friends and hang out show up okay um still early where did you go after that like did you see her walk towards the I saw her making her way towards the direction of the school but she was like kind of Shuffle steps she was Meandering her way there she was rubing through a backpack or something I assumed she was looking for headphones maybe did you take any trash out from the apartment is it night before I think I did is there uh like a common trash place or like is there they're trash too yeah okay is that where you took the trash out yeah okay um and you don't remember if that was Sunday night or Monday morning it could have been Sunday night the morning School when you came back get your clicker what was she saying anything she was just asleep she just reclined in the chair sleeping okay explain to me like reclining backwards just like just laying back in the chair MH that I guess okay all right stuff on here I'm G to be I'm too old to lie to people too too old to be around the bush and we seem like we're having a generally good conversation right now okay um the only thing that I ask for from you is and I will reciprocate I want you to be honest with me as much as I'm being honest with you okay there's cameras in all over the place as you can imagine nowadays cameras are everywhere okay uh so we see you coming in at the gar cheack okay um we see you go by the dumpster okay I may have taken some trash with me then what was in the trash house trash house trash yeah um so it must have been that morning um well toss trash bags on the back seat and wherever we're going on our way out drop that was everything in trash bags I'm sorry was everything in trash bags or was there any items that were just tossed along with the bag think it would have been trash bags or maybe some boxes too some some birthday stuff leftovers I can't remember exactly what okay did when you for school did she have her backpack with yes she did do you did she had her her school computer with her yes presumably yes once again this goes back with the whole honesty thing there was things in that trash bag that got thrown away that probably shouldn't have been thrown away we we'll get that in a minute but right now our main focus is on find that is our number one Focus right now okay do you have any idea where she may be no none whatsoever so you're saying when had her backpack presumably her school computer was in her backpack and you described her wearing Green Jacket some kind of dark colored shorts and white Crums okay well I can confidently tell you she did not go to school with her backpack that because we found in the trash so Stefan here's what I'm asking you and pleading with you is to dig down do some soul searching okay understand family's pleading with you I'm pleading with you because this that we need to find and it's as More Time Goes Around Goes by it's tough I have kids he's got kids and there's little girls out there somewhere that we need to know where and I really really really think you can help us I mean you want to get something off your chest I don't know I don't know what it is but I'm pleading with you I don't know I don't what Happ I dropped her off where I dropped her off on the road to school was the last I saw her okay sometime throughout the night on Sunday did you guys have any interaction conversations what like fight no no I'm not saying fight I'm just did you guys sit up and talk or talk to all was making ramen she was excited about her choir performance coming up she was singing a little bit I told her it was prettier it might have be a sister act when I wanted to show her that movie talking about crushy animal boy how' that make you feel fine she knows she's not old enough today but I told her crush on get your crush at has cuz I for the same thing has she ever disclosed to you about being sexually active with boys no do you know she's ever been sexually active with anybody in the past not that I'm aware of what happened your hand flat tire I haven't changed a flat tire in about 10 years so I made a rookie mistake and had my song Too Close to where the Jack and the train meet and it's clipped and the frame down on my thumb is pined it between the Jack what about the other scratches uh courtesy of a janky tire iron and the road what happened so the deputies made a comment what happened to your phone no idea what happened to my phone I was pushing off doing this update for a while and ended up trying to do it but I don't know what the hell my head be the state it was I wasn't paying attention I ended up somehow doing some sort of option that uh updated the OS but it ended up like wiping my phone at the same time did that happen once to your phone or how many times do you think you updated your phone think I tried it tried to update it twice and I don't I don't know what happened okay and from what I understand that you gave the depuy's consent to look through your phone you didn't okay um and you voluntarily gave it to them so they could bring it here to do the extraction and stuff like that okay what do you think was on the phone text messages text messages emails stuff pictures yeah kind of pictures on there training card pictures lightsaber pictures Disney pictures you have a Google account yeah do you save pictures to your Google account sometimes or is that automatically I know sometimes phone sync to a cloud and yeah I think it I think it backs up to Google and then sometimes when you reset uh your phone and your phone updates and puts these apps back on your phone sometimes they will put the images back on your phone I'm not sure give me I assume so many pack pictures of you and probably I mean went to Disney took selfies on the train she got back from Puerto Rico and had her hair braided we got pictures of that all sorts of pictures family events not as much of a shutter take him every once in a while mhm any other pictures you think of here's where I'm going to be brutally honest with you there's phone and I'm pretty sure you know what some of those pictures are about you're you're a very intelligent person and I don't want you to discredit yourself by saying you don't know about all the pictures that are on your phone you understand what I'm saying so you want to add to the list of pictures [Music] should I be talking with a lawyer right now I can't answer that question I'm my sole purpose right now is to see if I can find and I'm really hoping you can help me okay I'd like to try to help but feel like I should probably have a lawyer presing at this point so you're one attorney yeah I think so okay that can happen um I want to let you know you're not free to leave you're being detained okay do you want to know what you're being detained for yeah Capital sexual battery and possession of child pornography okay so we going to step out if you need anything please tap on this door okay and there's going to be detectives outside that will be able okay well good luck to you Mr is it Sterns yeah star Stern Stern press zero to continue or this call will be recorded and subject to monitoring at any time thank you for using I see Solutions you may begin speaking now Happ hey where the hell you been I've been trying to call just had us on lockdown so often I every time I've asked we've been on a code five lockdown okay SC I've been onor call I've been trying to call all weekend too uh we been a lock down all this time uh off and on yes on the days that I've asked you happen to be on lockdown which means either an incident has happened or they're just so under staff that they have to lock everyone down it's probably more to doing okay how you been um well you know had the world's shittiest birthday present so yeah um and then you didn't you didn't call so I'm assuming because of changes that uh they prevented you from calling um no they they were actually moving me around a lot shuffling back and forth so I was having to get my phone privileges jockeyed back and forth uh which takes a little while and then like I said the days that I was asking we happen to be on lockdown on those days um so it's just been inconvenience uh okay um very inconvenient timing and then we were on lockdown all weekend I wanted to call on mama's birthday I tried to call yes yesterday I tried to call Saturday and there's no no go anytime [Music] so um but I I've been I've been wanting to call how have you been I try to pick this on speak I'm trying to pick this on Seer okay how have you been can you hear me uh good can you hear us yes is mom there with you yeah can you hear me what's up can you hear me yes okay I got some speaker okay is Mom there yes mom's mom's with me now okay happy birthday belated birthday Mom and happy plated Mother's Day hi sweetheart I was so hoping to hear from you I'm so glad I'm hearing from you now yeah I'm sorry I wasn't able to call you all weekend they had us on lockdown so no one was able to do anything were you expecting these charges no the bur charge oh well we know you didn't okay so you got blindsided by that yeah um obviously you know it's not true um you know I never would have wanted her gone any reason so you know premeditated first degree is kind of a kind of a dick Bunch yeah um no I was wondering if you had any updates or anything nope we haven't heard a thing just you know speculation that she's been hiding put in an institution and hiding in an institution that's her lawyer's request yeah I mean are you helping are you cooperating with police and about her participation in any of this stuff there's been no opportunity for me to cooperate with anything as I understand the police keep saying that I'm uncooperative but they haven't asked me anything to cooperate with so whatever that means so the um your attorney isn't uh approaching them and and saying my client would like to speak with you no my attorney are pretty much saying to keep my mouth shut until the trial starts okay um okay I don't know why they were going to wait till the trial but that's their that's their business not mine they don't want anything to hurt my chances y understand okay um hey what was Joey's last name Bel Joy Bel Bel tree Bel Bel tree or Bel tree bele with a Victor V okay all right um so yeah basically uh obviously this confirms that they're artificially inflating everything up as high as they can possibly do it yeah they are yeah s what what the plan is there is they're just trying to scare me into pleading down or I don't know no they're not okay they're just they're just trying to as much as possible are you able are you able to share the Saturday night before you left for uh cending you were pretty upset about something did they have to do anything with in Cassini in the events that took place the next couple days no okay no I was just stressed out about money and job and everything like that some woman got on a YouTube thing and said that you weren't even at the party party yeah her birthday party yeah I had gotten there yet I went up there Sunday evening and got there after she was done at her party oh okay and it was we were very happy that I was there was we were very happy that this three of us were together it was shaping up to be a great week and a great visit you know there was there's no reason for anything to to happen that happened is there some explanation of the I came up Wednesday morning next at the hotel early in the morning and is there some explanation why you left and went where you went I was driving around okay I understood you were driving around but they know they know where you were driving around yeah um that and we know okay I had wanted to grab a few things and um get my ducks in a row kind of prepare myself for whatever was coming but I couldn't find what I was looking for okay um and then I ended up just kind of driving around angless please okay I mean you asked me to come up and we hardly spent 35 minutes the entire time I was there throughout the entire day and it's like I wasn't sure why I was there and then I was caught off guard by what happened later that afternoon and obviously haven't seen any sense yeah well I just felt like I needed an ally there well I you know I wish you had come to me and talk to me about about some stuff and maybe we could have we could have helped you out some way helped you out in some way giving you some advice that certainly under understand anyway in circumstances what was later later discovered obviously couldn't help you any further than what had already taken place so the most logical thing would be to you know faced up to it and have a conversation with the appropriate authorities or in the attorney or something but the [Music] name well we got got a copy of your birth certificate for sh Marino and for your case um we're trying to get hospital records from uh the the the TBI that Saro Memorial says you were never a patient there so that through because we know you were yeah and um were you able to find my social security card yes good um I presume it was probably in that Mouse toy box if everything I don't know no was no I don't I don't Rec where it was but it wasn't it wasn't there but I don't remember if you confirmed or not were you able to find my watch no we weren't so there was no there was no popcorn box um so um Sil we already had the social security card so why why did you think we need to already knew your number I why do you think we need to find the card just in case I was going to need it in the future um okay well uh we have we have that how long I'm going to be here if or when I'll ever be released or if you guys are going to be around at that point but you know first social security card might be things I'll need in that case well you know the the penalty for the crimes you have been charged with carry a minimum 40-year sentence so obviously we're going to be gone Rick will be gone we'll all be gone um I mean we're we're sad we're sad about that obviously uh because there won't be anybody here for you when you come out yeah you know I'll be lucky if I have another 40 years left in me neither so yeah that's I guess SS I I I wish there was a way that you know you and I can have a conversation all of us could have a conversation to understand what what's taking place how how this came about how how you arrived here because it would help us help us better understand the situation because we're just we're at a loss uh for understanding um how all this came about I mean we're just totally totally baffled oh I didn't start it you didn't start it but you participated in it which is just as bad as not starting it but that's for another day again I don'ts or anything you know I mean if you like schedule visit with me or something maybe maybe we can find some way to talk I don't know I think we're always going to be recorded so there won't be an opportunity to do that now we have to make arrangements for you to sign off on the power of attorney so we can do something with this car and I would have to bring a document over they won't even let me see you and I would just hand it to the classification officer he would bring it in you sign it they would notorized you to give it back to me and I would leave okay I think I just got the one minute warning okay [Music] um give give them whatever you need um and I'll sign whatever I need to sign um in the meantime I'll I'll try to call back to the next couple days and we'll talk some more um if you wouldn't mind putting a little more money in my commissary as well all right I can't I can't do much Stephan because we are really uh when I say dead ass stroke I mean dead ass broke but I'll do what I can I appreciate that can change but right for right now for the next 30 days you know we are definitely a lock down yeah I understand um okay all right tr get over there within the week to get the p a taking care of okay um there's a 15 minute cool down before I can call back I'll see if I can call back again if not I'll try to back call back in the next couple days okay thank you all I love you one