A SHERIFF’S office investigating the murder of a teen whose body was found last week has apologized for accidentally sharing a disturbing photo of the crime scene.
The Instagram account for Sheriff Marcos Lopez, from Osceola County, Florida, reportedly posted a photo of 13-year-old Madeline Soto’s body on Saturday.
Family HandoutMadeline Soto went missing on Monday and her body was found on Friday night[/caption]
WKMG TVSoto’s body was found in the woods of a rural area in Florida[/caption]
WKMG TVThe crime scene photo was posted to Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez’s Instagram account[/caption]
Former Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson said the photo showed Soto’s body and a close-up view of the crime scene, CBS affiliate WKMG in Orlando reported.
Soto was reported missing last Monday and her body was found on Friday night after a desperate, week-long search.
Sheriff Marcos Lopez’s Instagram account shared a series of photos on its page on Saturday, with the crime scene photo reportedly featured as the third image.
The caption of the post said, “Great day with our seniors. #florida #senior @sheriffmarcoslopez,” along with a halo smiley face emoji.
An unnamed Osceola County spokesperson said the post was not, however, intended to be included and later issued an apology for the disturbing error.
“Earlier today a post was made on social media about a community event for seniors,’ the statement said.
“In the post, an investigative photo was accidentally included.
“The photo was immediately removed.
“We deeply apologize for any confusion or disturbance this may have caused.”
The photo was posted on the same morning Nirva Rodriguez, a civilian sheriff’s office employee who handles media, shared a selfie to her personal Facebook page posing with the prime suspect in the case, Stephan Sterns.
“If God’s love has been poured out over your life, don’t allow evil to keep you away from what He has prepared for you,” a caption above the photo read.
Rodriguez’s post was later deleted and a spokesperson said they could not talk about the matter due to ongoing investigations, WKMG reported.
State attorney Andrew Bain also released a statement that even though the photos were posted accidentally, it was done in “poor taste.”
“I am deeply disturbed that (the photos) were carelessly made public,” State attorney Andrew Bain said.
“While I do not believe these photos will have any evidentiary impact on the case as of now,
“They were released in poor taste.”
Stephan Sterns is the prime suspect in Soto’s death and is charged with sexual battery of a child and possessing inappropriate photos of a child.
Police have video evidence of Sterns dumping items in a dumpster around the time of her disappearance.
Sterns is the boyfriend of Soto’s mother and claimed he dropped the teen off at school before she vanished.
He later gave a tearful interview during the search for Madeline and said life had been “a living nightmare” just one day before he was arrested, ABC affiliate WFTV 9 in Orlando reported.
“It’s hard not to blame myself,” Sterns told the outlet.
“I dropped her off [at school] early, I could have waited longer. She looked okay she was walking towards the school.”
Orange County Corrections DepartmentStephan Sterns is the prime suspect in Soto’s death and is charged with sexual battering of a child and possessing inappropriate photos of a child[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
