A 17-year-old has been arrested in the alleged murder of Sunshine Stewart, a paddleboarder who was found dead after being reported missing in Maine earlier this month.
Stewart’s cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, Maine State Police revealed Thursday. The 48-year-old was found dead on July 3 at Crawford Pond in Union, a popular recreation spot near the campground where she was staying.
The suspect, who is male, was arrested without incident Wednesday night, police said. He is from Maine and came to the pond area to spend summer vacation time with his family, according to an official familiar with the investigation.
The suspect, who has not been named by police, was transported to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, according to Maine State Police.
The Office of the Chef Medical Examiner in Augusta determined the manner of death was a homicide.
Crawford Pond in Union, Maine, July 9, 2025.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
The condition of the body when it was found indicated the death was not a suicide or an accidental drowning, officials said.
The tragedy had left the residents of small, tight knit community scared.
Stewart rented a camp site at Mic Mac Family Campground for the summer season on May 1. She had only stayed on the grounds for two or three nights prior to her disappearance on the evening of July 2. The owner of the campground said she has provided hours of video to authorities in case it can prove useful.
Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart was found dead after she went paddleboarding on a lake in Maine, and her death has been ruled as a homicide, officials said.
Kim Ware
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
