Authorities have made an arrest in the homicide of a Maine woman who went missing while paddleboarding in a nearby pond, and the suspect is a minor.
Maine State Police announced on Thursday that a 17-year-old boy from Maine was arrested the night before in connection with the homicide investigation of 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart.
On the evening of July 2, the victim was paddleboarding on Crawford Pond in Union, Maine, and did not return to her nearby campsite. Authorities discovered her body on an island in the middle of the pond and ruled it a homicide.
Strangulation and blunt force trauma were determined as the causes of Stewart’s death, according to a press release issued by Maine State Police on Thursday. The unnamed suspect was taken to a juvenile detention center in South Portland, Maine. It is unclear what charges he may face.
Maine State Police have asked men who live near Crawford Pond to voluntarily submit their DNA in the case, according to Stephen Betts, a reporter for the Midcoast Villager, on Law&Crime’s “On the Case” with Chris Stewart. Betts also stated that Sunshine Stewart’s body was discovered near her paddleboard on 100 Acre Island.
He went on to say that the victim was staying in a mostly private area.
“It’s quite a long lake. “All the water, lake, and pond front property is privately owned,” he stated. “Now, people use the Mic Mac Campground in Union to launch kayaks, canoes, and boats, but they must obtain permission from the campground and pay a fee to the campground. Aside from that, the only way to get there is if you own property.
Sunshine Stewart left her campground on July 2 between 6 and 9 p.m., according to authorities. When she did not return, law enforcement was called, and her body was discovered around 1 a.m. the following morning. About a week later, as the case gained traction, authorities noticed the “fear” that had taken hold.
“The Maine State Police recognizes the fear and discomfort that this incident has brought to the town of Union and the Crawford Pond community,” the agency said in a July 9 letter.
The arrest of the 17-year-old a week later was described as “the result of relentless investigative work by Detectives and Investigators.”
The Georges River Land Trust owns 99% of 100 Acre Island, where the victim was discovered, according to Betts, and the trust has established a nature trail there. It is open to visitors during the day but requires permission to camp overnight. He reported that a family of four was camping there on the night Sunshine Stewart died.
The family’s mother stated that authorities spoke with them – though it is unclear whether this occurred before or after the victim’s body was discovered – and when she asked if it was safe to stay, she was told yes, and they could continue their vacation. According to Betts, the woman stated that she was unaware of the homicide until several days later.
He also stated that this is the “most unusual case I’ve ever dealt with [and] I’ve been covering news in this region for 44 years.”
The Maine State Police have continued to encourage anyone with information about Sunshine Stewart’s death to come forward.
Union is a small town of approximately 2,300 people in southern Maine, about 15 miles from the coast.
