Missing 13-year-old Florida girl ‘wanted to go live in the woods’ before vanishing: deputies
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The search continues for a Central Florida teen who was reported missing after she failed to show up to school on Monday.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a Missing Child Alert for Madeline Soto, 13, on Tuesday. Soto was last seen around 8:30 a.m. near Hunter’s Park Lane and Town Loop Boulevard in Orlando.
The FDLE said the 13-year-old was dropped off at school but never attended. She was last seen wearing a green jacket, black shorts, and white Crocs.
Florida Missing Child Alert issued for 13-year-old girl
On Wednesday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina gave an update on Soto’s whereabouts, stating that the girl’s mother’s boyfriend had dropped her off in the area of Hunters Creek Middle School, which is where she goes to school.
However, when Soto’s mother went to pick her up around 4:30 p.m., she was told that she didn’t show up to school that day. Mina said the 13-year-old had left her phone at home the day she went missing.
In an update, Mina shared that deputies were able to access Soto’s phone and found that the girl had told people she “wanted to live in the woods when she turned 13.” According to NBC affiliate WESH, Soto had just turned 13 on Feb. 22.
“This is every parent’s worst nightmare,” Mina said.
The sheriff added that initial search efforts to find the girl were rendered unsuccessful so far.
“We will not stop until we find her,” Mina said.
After she had been gone for three days, the sheriff’s office launched a massive search to try and locate the girl. According to WESH, more than 50 members of OCSO’s emergency response team were investigating various areas.
Detectives are also canvassing and conducting interviews to follow up on any possible leads.
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Mina said the details surrounding Soto’s disappearance do not qualify for an AMBER Alert, but this could change as the investigation continues.
“The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is concerned for Madeline’s safety, and our teams have been working around the clock in this investigation. We will send out any substantive updates as we get them,” OCSO said in a statement.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at 407-254-7000 or call 911.
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