Paddleboarder, 48, found dead after vanishing while on pond during camp trip as cops launch hunt for ‘killer'
Sunshine 'Sunny' Stewart's body was found just hours after she went out onto the water in Maine.
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The 48-year-old had been on a camping trip in Union - around 80 miles northeast of Portland - and was seen going into the water on July 2.
Stewart, an avid paddleboarder, is believed to have gone out on the town's Crawford Pond between 6pm and 9pm.
The pond has a maximum depth of 57 feet and is home to various fish species, including brown trout, smallmouth bass, and the American eel.
Stewart, who lives around 20 miles from the pond, was reported missing, sparking a frantic search.
Stewart's body was found in the early hours of July 3 by game wardens and investigators ruled it was unlikely she had drowned.
They ruled out drowning, as well as suicide, because of the state of her body.
It's not known if her body was found on water or had been dumped on land.
Investigators believed Stewart, a former marine biologist and an experienced paddleboarder, was murdered.
Stewart's death has since been ruled a homicide, but Maine cops have not shared any details as to how she was killed.
Cops have said they will investigate every possible lead in a bid to resolve the mystery.
Investigators have appealed for any security footage at the time Stewart disappeared.
Her death has left locals and friends traumatized.
Devastated pal, Meredith Smith, said people who knew Stewart were in awe of her.
TRIBUTES POUR IN
'Rest easy my beautiful friend,' Chris Dee wrote on Facebook.
Stacey Yendell noted how Stewart had an 'unstoppable' spirit.
'Sunny was a force of nature...fierce, bold and unapologetically alive,' she told the CBS affiliate WABI-TV.
Kim Ware, Stewart's sister, said she was the 'strongest person' that she knew.
'Now we have to rally and give her justice,' she warned.
Ware described Stewart as the 'light in our lives' in a heartbreaking tribute shared on GoFundMe.
Meanwhile, Stewart's cousin said she lived a "quiet life" as they couldn't comprehend what had happened on the pond.
"Sunny was independent and did many things on her own," they wrote on Reddit.
"She lived a quiet, peaceful life with a great respect for nature and the simple things. She did not deserve this."
Cops have primarily focused their investigation on the Mic Mac Cove Family Campground in the town.
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