Latest news with #paddleboarder
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Polite' teen camper joined search for slain paddleboarder. Now police say he's the killer
When word got out at the Mic Mac Cove Campground that a paddleboarder's death had been ruled as murder, 17-year-old Deven Young seemed eager to help track down her killer. Young, of Frankfort, had been staying with his parents at the camp in Union, Maine, earlier this month when police found Sunshine 'Sunny' Stewart strangled and bludgeoned to death on Crawford Pond. The boy was described as polite but 'awkward' and liked to go out on the 600-acre pond in his little boat, Mic Mac owner Katherine Lunt told ABC News this week. He helped other campers with their yards and pets, and made wooden crafts for his neighbors, she said. Young volunteered to help authorities with their investigation and implored that 'he had something to show them,' Lunt added. According to the campground owner, the teen took police in the opposite direction to where Stewart was found and led them on a 'wild goose chase.' After speaking with Young for several hours on July 16, investigators left the camp, only to return that evening to arrest the teen and eventually charge him with murder in connection with Stewart's death. Young, who was arraigned last week, has been held at a youth detention facility in the Portland area 'to prevent the juvenile from inflicting bodily harm on others,' Judge Eric Walker ruled Friday. He is due in Rockland District Court on August 22, weeks before his 18th birthday. Main prosecutors confirmed on Monday that they have filed a motion to try the defendant as an adult. Maine State Police said Stewart, 48, was discovered under 'unusual circumstances' by state game wardens at about 1 a.m. on July 3 near 100 Acre Island on Crawford Pond. Officials stated that the area can only be accessed by boat. Stewart, an avid outdoorswoman and experienced paddleboarder from Tenants Harbor, 25 miles south of where her body was found, left the Mic Mac campground for the pond by herself between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. the evening before, authorities said. That evening, Lunt said she spotted Stewart's friend searching the waterfront by flashlight, prompting the campground owner to check the area out. Neither Stewart nor her blue paddleboard was in sight. 'Maybe she had been hit by a boat,' Lunt speculated. 'We had no idea why she hadn't returned.' Six hours after the woman headed out to the water, Lunt said she phoned the police which sparked a multi-agency search. In the early hours of July 3, two local residents found a paddleboard, which led responders to Stewart's body. Given the circumstances of the discovery, wardens called in the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit, stating they did not believe Stewart had drowned or died by suicide. An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Maine on the day Stewart's body was found determined she was a homicide victim. Police combed through evidence for almost two weeks at the campground. Lunt said she became 'obsessed' with finding the murder suspect and scoured through hours of surveillance tapes and rallied campers to offer up footage and provide their DNA. As police arrested Young on July 16, Lunt again studied security footage from the time of Stewart's disappearance and she made a discovery: the boy appeared to have been on the lake at the time. Before darkness had fallen, Young returned to land, she said. Just two days after the murder, Young posted a photograph to Facebook where he replied to a friend's comment that he was 'doing well,' according to CBS News affiliate WGME. 'It's haunting,' Lunt continued. 'He was not on anybody's radar.' It is unknown what led to Young's arrest. He denied the charges in his brief first court appearance. Stewart's loved ones are now left grieving a woman they describe as a fiercely independent adventurer who was deeply dedicated to her loved ones. Speaking to ABC News affiliate WMTW-TV earlier this month, Stewart's sister Kim Ware remembered her sibling as a 'truly amazing' aunt, the 'world's best bartender, sternman, lobersterman, and boat captain.' Ware set up a GoFundMe and raised more than $34,000 to help cover funeral costs, and said a celebration of Stewart's life has been scheduled for August 10 in Tenants Harbor.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Yahoo
Prosecutors seek to try 17-year-old as an adult in Maine paddleboarder's death
Paddleboarder Death Maine PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Prosecutors in Maine said Monday they will seek to try a 17-year-old charged with murder in the death of a paddleboarder as an adult. The body of Sunshine 'Sunny' Stewart, 48, of St. George, was found earlier this month on Crawford Pond in Union, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Portland in a part of the state beloved by summer campers and nature lovers. Stewart went missing while paddleboarding before her killing, and her death sent shockwaves through the local community. Police charged Deven Young, of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in the death of Stewart last week. He has been held at a youth detention facility in the Portland area and is due in court for a status conference on Aug. 22. The Office of the Maine Attorney General is moving to bind Young over so he can be tried as an adult, said Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for the office. A judge will need to rule on the request. The motion to try Young as an adult has been impounded by court and is not publicly available, Hayes said. 'Although the court allowed us to release the name of the defendant, all of the other documents remain impounded, so we do not have additional information we can share at this time,' Hayes said. Young made a brief initial court appearance on Friday in which he entered a denial to the charge. His attorney, Jeremy Pratt, declined to comment Monday. If convicted of murder as an adult, Young faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life. A medical examiner determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, police have said. Authorities have not revealed a motive. Court documents released about the case contain little detail, and Maine State Police have declined to comment beyond announcing the arrest last week. They've said the investigation into Stewart's death is still active. Stewart lived about 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond in the Tenants Harbor neighborhood in St. George. Friends of Stewart have described her as a fiercely independent adventurer who was deeply dedicated to her friends. Over the years, she worked as a fisherman, boat captain, carpenter and bartender, among other jobs, friends said. 'She was just a wonderful friend, a really loyal, wonderful friend,' said a lifelong friend, Bethany Leach Parmley of Washington, Maine. 'She was just so fun and funny and you couldn't help but have a good time around her.' The pond, in the 2,400-resident town of Union, is about 600 acres (243 hectares) and does not have public access. It is available for a variety of uses, including boating and fishing. The 100 Acre Island preserve in the center of the pond is a wooded island reachable by canoe, kayak or paddleboard from a nearby campground.
Washington Post
18-07-2025
- Washington Post
17-year-old charged with murder in paddleboarder's killing at a pond in rural Maine
PORTLAND, Maine — Authorities in Maine said Friday they have charged a 17-year-old with murder in the death of a paddleboarder who went missing on a rural pond that is a popular summer destination. The body of Sunshine Stewart, 48, of St. George, was found this month on Crawford Pond in Union, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Portland and about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from some of the state's scenic coastal areas. The killing shocked and scared the community, where trips to the pond and nearby campground are a summer staple.
Al Arabiya
18-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
17-year-old charged with murder in paddleboarder's killing at a pond in rural Maine
Authorities in Maine said Friday they have charged a 17-year-old with murder in the death of a paddleboarder who went missing on a rural pond. The body of Sunshine Stewart, 48, of Tenants Harbor, was found this month on Crawford Pond in Union, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Portland. The killing shocked and scared the community where trips to the pond and nearby campground are a summer staple. Maine State Police said a teenager was taken into custody without incident in Union on Wednesday night. Police did not say initially why he was arrested or if he was charged, and they declined to release any other information about him as the investigation is ongoing. The state attorney generals office said Friday that the teen was charged with one count of murder. The office did not identify the teen and did not immediately say when the person was due in court. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, police said. Police said Thursday that the investigation was still active, and they were seeking information from anyone who may have seen Stewart paddleboarding on July 2 on Crawford Pond. Stewart lived about 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond, which is a popular summer destination about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the scenic coastal areas of the state's midcoast region. A person reached by phone who identified herself as Stewart's sister declined to comment. Friends of Stewart have posted online testimonials remembering her as fiercely independent and always up for a challenge, including outdoor adventures and building projects. Over the years, she worked in many roles, including as a fisherman and bartender, friends said. She renovated her home in Tenants Harbor, a neighborhood in St. George, said Bruce Twyon, a friend who knew Stewart from her time living in the Virgin Islands. That spoke to her self-motivation and spirit of getting things done and enjoying life every day, he said. She was such a sweet person and very strong and independent and took care of a lot of people, Twyon said. The pond in the 2400-resident town of Union is about 600 acres (243 hectares) and does not have public access. It is available for a variety of uses including boating and fishing. The 100 Acre Island preserve in the center of the pond is a wooded island reachable by canoe, kayak, or paddleboard from a nearby campground. The pond has numerous nooks and narrow areas, so it's possible there were other boaters on the water at the time of the killing who were unaware someone was in danger. Police said in a statement the arrest was the result of relentless investigative work and that the teen was taken to Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. Loved ones of Stewart – who was known as Sunny by her friends – launched a GoFundMe page to help celebrate her life. The page said memorial service dates were being determined.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Yahoo
17-year-old charged with murder in paddleboarder's killing at a pond in rural Maine
Paddleboarder Death Maine PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Authorities in Maine said Friday they have charged a 17-year-old with murder in the death of a paddleboarder who went missing on a rural pond. The body of Sunshine Stewart, 48, of Tenants Harbor, was found this month on Crawford Pond in Union, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Portland. The killing shocked and scared the community, where trips to the pond and nearby campground are a summer staple. Maine State Police said a 17-year-old boy was taken into custody in Union on Wednesday night in connection with the homicide investigation but initially did not elaborate and declined to release additional information about him. On Friday, the state attorney general's office said the teen was charged with one count of murder. The office did not release the teen's name and did not immediately say when he was due in court. A medical examiner determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, police said. Police said in a statement Friday that they were not releasing any additional information and that the case was 'still a very active investigation.' They have said they are seeking information from anyone who may have seen Stewart paddleboarding on July 2 on Crawford Pond. Stewart lived about 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond, which is a popular summer destination about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the scenic coastal areas of the state's midcoast region. A person reached by phone who identified herself as Stewart's sister on Thursday declined to comment. Friends of Stewart have posted online testimonials remembering her as fiercely independent and always up for a challenge, including outdoor adventures and building projects. Over the years, she worked in many roles, including as a fisherman and bartender, friends said. She renovated her home in Tenants Harbor, a neighborhood in St. George, said Bruce Twyon, a friend who knew Stewart from her time living in the Virgin Islands. That spoke to her self-motivation and spirit of 'getting things done and enjoying life every day,' he said. 'She was such a sweet person and very strong and independent, and took care of a lot of people,' Twyon said. The pond, in the 2,400-resident town of Union, is about 600 acres (243 hectares) and does not have public access. It is available for a variety of uses, including boating and fishing. The 100 Acre Island preserve in the center of the pond is a wooded island reachable by canoe, kayak or paddleboard from a nearby campground. The pond has numerous nooks and narrow areas, so it's possible there were other boaters on the water at the time of the killing who were unaware someone was in danger. Police said the teen was taken to Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. Loved ones of Stewart — who was known as 'Sunny' by her friends — launched a GoFundMe page to help celebrate her life. The page said memorial service dates were being determined.
