EXCLUSIVE Paddleboarder's 'terrifying' final moments with boy, 17, who 'toyed with cops' after 'strangling' her to death
Sunshine Stewart, 48, was found beaten and strangled to death in Union, on July 3. She had been staying at the Mic Mac Campground and was paddleboarding on the nearby Crawford Pond when she was killed.
For two weeks, the small, tight-knit community was gripped with fear as police hunted Stewart's killer.
A breakthrough finally came on August 16, when 17-year-old Deven Young - who'd been staying at the same campsite as Stewart with his parents - told State Police he had some information about her death.
Young then accompanied investigators on an excursion to 100 Acre Island in the middle of the pond, near where Stewart's body was found. What the teen told police is not clear, but within hours he was arrested and charged with her murder.
On Friday, Young appeared in a Knox County courtroom where he denied killing Stewart. Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the crime, sharing only that the scene was 'unusual' while accusing Young of acting with 'depraved indifference.'
While several unknowns still hang over the case, Stewart's lifelong friend Meredith Smith told the Daily Mail she is haunted by the thought of what she must've experienced in her final throes of life.
'I can't even explain it in words, but I feel horrific thinking about what she must have seen and felt, looking at this person… she must've been so scared,' said Smith.
'The more I read and see of him… those last moments of her life were probably just horrifying.'
Smith, who remembered Stewart as fierce and strong, believes she would've 'fought like hell' to fend off her killer - if she was even given the chance.
'I have a feeling she was snuck up on…someone would've had to have taken her by surprise,' she added.
In the days after Stewart's death, Young continued posting on his Facebook page, seemingly unfazed by the commotion stirring within the local community.
In his final post before his arrest, on July 12, Young shared an image of a boat anchored at sunset. In a conversation beneath the post, he told a friend, 'I'm doing good,' when asked how he was.
The owner of Mic Mac Campground, Katherine Lunt, has also shared that there was nothing about Young's behavior that gave her any cause for suspicion.
He continued to act like he always had, Lunt said: offering to assist other campers with their pets, yard work, and making wood crafts by hand, which he'd give out to other campers.
Young reportedly displayed the same willingness to be helpful when Maine State Police returned to the campground on July 16, seeking leads in the Stewart case.
Meredith Smith, who had known Stewart for four decades, told the Daily Mail she's haunted by what Stewart must've experienced in her final moments (Smith and Stewart are seen together, right, as children)
The teenager approached the officers and said he had some information to share.
Young then accompanied police to Crawford Pond, and reportedly led them to the opposite end of 100 Acre Island from where Stewart's body was found.
He was interviewed after the excursion. Police left the camp and returned later the same night, heading straight to the Young family's camper where they remained inside for roughly two hours before taking him into custody at 10:30pm.
Smith, like many others who knew and loved Stewart, is curious to know what Young said to investigators that led to his arrest.
Evidence in the case was ordered to remain sealed by a judge last week, until at least Young's next court appearance on August 22.
As Smith waits for answers, she blasted Young as a 'sick individual' whom she believes was trying to taunt the police.
'What kind of game was he playing?' asked Smith.
'I really think he was trying to toy with the cops… I don't think he feels guilty or remorseful, judging by his actions and his social media posts. Maybe he's incapable of remorse?'
Addressing Young directly, she alleged: 'You're a very sick individual and I hope that you get the help that you need and I also hope that they throw away the key and lock you away forever because I don't think you'll ever be okay to be in society again.'
Requests for comment from Young's attorney and his parents have gone unanswered.
The owner of Mic Mac Campground, Katherine Lunt, has also shared that there was nothing untoward in Young's behavior that gave her any cause for suspicion
Young, who is from Frankfort, Maine, has spent the last two summers vacationing with his family on Crawford Pond.
Stewart was also a seasonal guest at the campsite. She'd arrived in Union from Tenants Harbor only days before her death.
Any connections Young had to Stewart are not yet known.
Rumors have circulated on social media that Young was a known troublemaker at the site and his behavior had long raised concern - but campground owner Katherine Lunt denied any truth to the claims.
'They were never kicked out of the campground,' she told the Midcoast Villager.
'Quite honestly, if any of this were true, the day this investigation started, he would have obviously been the first suspect in this case, and it would not have taken two weeks to solve.'
Young appeared in a Knox County courtroom on Friday morning via Zoom, where he denied responsibility for Stewart's death.
He is currently being held in a youth detention center in South Portland.
Young's Facebook page was deleted within hours of his arrest.
His profile picture had shown him posing with a shotgun in a chair, glaring at the camera, with a cartoon American flag superimposed at his feet.
A video he posted to his now-deleted TikTok in January 2024 showed a slideshow of black and white images of Young sitting in a vehicle, with the voice of a man playing over the top, which said: 'It's not your fault, mom. You raised a really good kid. The world just f**ked me up.'
Young's parents, Tara and Jessie Young, have also deleted their Facebook pages.
According to Tara Young's page, which was viewed by the Daily Mail last week, she works at a residential care facility in Searsport, Maine.
Friends and loved ones of Stewart's have voiced their collective heartache over her passing, remembering her as kind, talented, and a free spirit.
'Everyone who knew her loved her,' said Smith.
'Every time I think of her, I think of home and a childhood filled with happy memories. She was always smiling and she had a laugh that was so infectious… She'll be missed terribly.'
Lunt shared Smith's heartbreak, adding that she was horrified such a terrible crime could take place on her doorstep.
'It is heart-wrenching and terrifying that we had no idea the murderer was amongst us as we were looking for a stranger,' said Lunt.
Stewart would have turned 49 next month.
Young will turn 18 this September.
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