Latest news with #SunshineStewart
Yahoo
5 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.
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Maine boy Deven Young, 17, accused of murdering female paddleboarder, 48, 'was a bully at school'
A teenage boy arrested for brutally murdering a female paddleboarder was known by his classmates to be a 'bully' at school, it has emerged. Deven Young, 17, was taken into custody last Wednesday night and charged with beating and strangling Sunshine Stewart, 48, to death in Union, Maine. Her body was found on July 3. The murder came hours after Stewart set off alone to paddleboard on Crawford Pond, a popular recreation spot near the campground where she was staying. Now, people who grew up with Young have spoken out about what he was really like. One childhood friend said Young had bullied kids since preschool, and two other people who knew him said – in separate interviews – that the accused murderer would regularly get in trouble for fighting, according to Bangor Daily News. Another classmate, however, said he never saw Young bully people himself. Jaxon Mushero, 18, a friend of Young's who knew him since they met in third grade at Leroy H. Smith School in Winterport, said they talked on the phone in June. He said Young seemed 'a little off' during the call – but not to a concerning degree. Speaking about the charges brought against Young, Mushero said: 'Just finding out, seeing that just shocks me. It really does. That was my childhood best friend. I grew up with him.' Young is charged with murder as a juvenile in Knox County. Court documents obtained by Maine's Total Coverage state that Young 'did intentionally or knowingly cause the death of another human being, namely Sunshine Stewart, or did engage in conduct that manifested a depraved indifference to the value of human life and which in fact caused the death of Sunshine Stewart.' Young appeared in a Knox County courtroom on Friday morning via Zoom, where he denied responsibility for Stewart's death. Meanwhile, the Office of the Maine Attorney General has filed a motion for Young, who will turn 18 in September, to be tried as an adult. If Young's case remains in juvenile court and he is convicted, his sentence cannot exceed his 21st birthday. However, if the case goes to adult court and he is convicted, he faces at least 25 years in prison. The teenager spends vacation time in the Crawford Pond area each summer with his family, an official familiar with the investigation told ABC News. Young's home in Frankfort is approximately 38 miles from the pond. Stewart rented a camp site at Mic Mac Family Campground in Crawford Pond for the summer season on May 1. She had only stayed on the camp grounds for two or three nights before she disappeared on July 2, after last being seen leaving her camper to go paddleboarding at around 6pm. Any connection between Stewart and Young are not known. News of the murder left locals in the tight–knit community of Union terrified. Meredith Smith, a childhood friend of Stewart's, told the Daily Mail she was shocked by the news of Young's arrest. 'Part of me is relieved that someone has been arrested, but the other part says this is far from over because I feel like there's still so much more to this story that we don't know,' said Smith. 'Sunshine was strong and feisty; she would've put up a fight... she would've given this person hell.' When Stewart – a marine biologist, lobsterman, bartender, and boat captain – had still not returned by the early hours of July 3, someone raised the alarm. Before dawn broke, a search and rescue drone spotted Stewart's paddleboard drifting alone. Her body was later discovered along the southeast shore of 100 Acre Island, a nature preserve in the middle of the pond. Police have not confirmed any details of how Stewart's body was found, or in what condition, sharing only that the circumstances were 'unusual.' For now, Young was ordered to continue to be detained at Long Creek Youth Correctional Facility in South Portland. The 17-year-old is scheduled to appear in court again on August 22.
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Paddleboarder's 'terrifying' final moments with boy, 17, who 'toyed with cops' after 'strangling' her to death
The childhood friend of a paddleboarder murdered in Maine says she is struggling to fathom the terror she must've experienced in her final moments. 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.
Fox News
22-07-2025
- Fox News
Teen murder suspect led police on 'wild goose chase' after paddleboarder's death in coastal town: report
Print Close By Julia Bonavita Published July 22, 2025 The teenage suspect accused in the brutal slaying of a Maine paddleboarder reportedly led police on a "wild goose chase" through the vacation destination as locals feared the possibility of a killer lurking within the remote campsite. The body of 48-year-old Sunshine "Sunny" Stewart was discovered on a remote island in Union's Crawford Pond earlier this month after departing for a solo paddleboarding trip, according to the Office of the Maine Attorney General. An autopsy determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, Maine State Police said. Nearly two weeks later, authorities announced a 17-year-old male had been arrested and charged in connection with Stewart's murder. NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS GRIP COASTAL TOWN AFTER PADDLEBOARDER'S 'TERRIFYING' MURDER Both Stewart and the teenager were reportedly staying at Mic Mac Campground when the alleged killing occurred, ABC News reported. "It's not a place where these things happen," Katharine Lunt, the owner of Mic Mac, told ABC News. "It's not a place where we're suspect of each other." As authorities raced to find Stewart's killer, Lunt reportedly combed through surveillance footage from across the campground in search of anything suspicious. "I was looking for a stranger," Lunt said. "Somebody out of the ordinary. Absolutely nobody was looking for a child. We were looking for an adult." NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS REIGNITED AFTER PADDLEBOARDER'S MURDER IN QUIET COASTAL TOWN The search continued, with Maine State Police reportedly zeroing in on a remote area where Stewart's paddleboard was found. "I was obsessed with finding out who did this," Lunt said. "Because it was terrifying for everybody." Meanwhile, the teenager, who was visiting the campground with his parents, was reportedly eager to aid in the hunt for Stewart's killer. He would often offer to help fellow campers with their pets or yard work, and enjoyed doling out wooden crafts and taking his little boat out on the water, according to Lunt. PADDLEBOARDER'S MYSTERIOUS KILLING ROCKS QUIET SUMMER VACATION AREA "He volunteered," Lunt said. "He said he had some information, and he took them in the opposite direction of where Sunny was found. He had said he had something to show them, and took them out on the lake on pretty much a wild goose chase." As the two-week-long search continued, the teenager was "acting totally normal," Lunt told ABC News. "He acted like nothing ever happened." "It's haunting," she added. "He was not on anybody's radar." Police reportedly spoke with the teenager for several hours before leaving the campsite. Later that evening, authorities returned to arrest him. "Just thinking, 'no way, this cannot be happening,'" Lunt said. "Then I went back to [the] surveillance cameras to see where he was at the time [of the killing], and those surveillance videos indicated he was on the lake at the time." NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS STOKED BY 13TH BODY FOUND IN SMALL TOWN The footage reportedly showed the suspect returning to land before sunset on the evening of Stewart's alleged murder. "We have a lot of kids, and they do a lot of things," Lunt told ABC News. "But not anything that would make you think that any child was going to murder somebody here. I have nothing nice to say. It's disgusting." In a brief court appearance on Friday, the teenager entered a denial to the charge and is currently being held at a youth detention facility in the Portland area ahead of his status conference on Aug. 22. The suspect's attorney declined Fox News Digital's request for comment. The state attorney general's office is asking the court to try the teenager as an adult, a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital. If convicted as an adult, the teenager would face a maximum prison sentence of 25 years to life. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The state attorney general's office and Lunt did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. As the investigation into a possible motive surrounding the alleged slaying of Stewart remains ongoing, her loved ones are still clinging to their memories of the avid fisher, carpenter and captain. "She was just a wonderful friend," Bethany Leach Parmley, a lifelong friend of Stewart's, said. "A really loyal, wonderful friend. She was just so fun and funny, and you couldn't help but have a good time around her." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Print Close URL
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Yahoo
Maine paddleboarder murder suspect acted 'totally normal': Campground owner
No one expected their summer on the lush, serene banks of Crawford Pond, Maine, to be upended by a heinous killing. That peace was shattered this July when camp newcomer Sunshine "Sunny" Stewart had gone paddleboarding -- and never came back. Police found the 48-year-old strangled and bludgeoned to death the next morning. A two-week hunt for a killer ensued. It was even more shocking when that search stopped -- and authorities were able to make an arrest, and the suspect turned out to be a 17-year-old staying at the camp. In her first interview since police charged Deven Young with Stewart's murder on Friday, Mic Mac Campground owner Katharine Lunt explained to ABC News the horror that engulfed her idyllic corner of rural Maine since July 2, and how fiercely driven she's been to protect it. "It's not a place where these things happen," Lunt said. "It's not a place where we're suspect of each other," she said, describing the grounds as a "haven for all of us." MORE: Teen suspected of killing Maine paddleboarder charged with murder Lunt first met Stewart at the beginning of May when she registered for a seasonal campsite with a friend. "Sunny was very excited to be on the lake and paddleboard," Lunt said. Just before America's birthday, Stewart set out on the pond for a quiet evening swim and paddle. She left her purse in her car, its windows open, Lunt said. Just before midnight, Lunt noticed on her security camera system that Stewart's friend was searching the waterfront with a flashlight -- prompting Lunt to check it out. Stewart's board and paddle were missing. She was nowhere to be found. Lunt called local police, and the search ensued. "We first thought that maybe she was hurt," Lunt said. "Maybe she had been hit by a boat. We had no idea why she hadn't returned." State and local agencies and even locals helped look for Stewart by land, water and air with the help of a drone. Dense fog sat on the banks of the 600-acre pond. Two local residents found a blue paddleboard -- which then helped direct police's attention to the area where her body would be found. As police combed through evidence day after day at the campground, Lunt was determined to help crack the case. She combed over footage from her robust surveillance apparatus around camp, with a total of 16 security cameras, that authorities say was in fact key to the investigation. "I was looking for a stranger, somebody out of the ordinary," Lunt said. "Absolutely nobody was looking for a child. We were looking for an adult." It created an atmosphere of suspicion, according to Lunt. "When we didn't know what had happened, and we felt there was a stranger amongst us, so every day I was up at dawn till dusk at the gate of the campground, making sure that we were not allowing any strangers in our community," she said. MORE: 'This stuff doesn't happen here': Murdered paddleboarder sparks concern in small town Lunt helped rally campers to offer their footage if it might have something, and even volunteer their DNA. "I was obsessed with finding out who did this -- because it was terrifying for everybody," she said. One young man staying with his parents at Mic Mac that summer seemed eager to help, too: a 17-year-old always offering to help others with their yard work or loose pets. He'd even made wood crafts to give to other campers, Lunt said. He liked to go out on his little boat. Deven Young had something to show police that might help, Lunt recalled Young said. He took an investigator and the warden out on the water. "He volunteered, he said he had some information, and he took them in the opposite direction of where Sunny was found," Lunt said. "He had said he had something to show them, and took them out on the lake on pretty much a wild goose chase." MORE: Missing Maine paddleboarder was murdered, suspect unknown: Police For two weeks, the suspect was "acting totally normal," Lunt said. "He acted like nothing ever happened." She shook her head. "It's haunting. He was not on anybody's radar." Lunt believes that perhaps Young "said something" that caught investigators' attention and made them scrutinize him more closely. After speaking with him for a couple more hours, police left, only to return that evening and head directly for the Young family's site. He was arrested the evening of July 16. Young has been charged with Stewart's murder and is currently in custody at a juvenile detention facility. State prosecutors have moved to charge him as an adult, according to a spokesperson for the Maine Attorney General's office. That request has not yet been ruled on. At his first court appearance Friday, Young entered a denial on the charge which will be addressed at a later hearing. His attorney had no comment. As police were at the Youngs' door the night of his arrest, Lunt pored over any surveillance footage she could find that might give a clue. "Just thinking, no way, this cannot be happening," Lunt said. "Then I went back to surveillance cameras to see where he was at the time [of the killing] -- and those surveillance videos indicated he was on the lake at the time." Young returned to land before it was dark on the night of the killing, according to Lunt's surveillance footage. Though Lunt didn't know Young well, she knows one thing: she never saw him and Stewart interact. Young's family had first camped at Mic Mac during the 2024 summer season, and returned this year. His grandparents had a site previously and he had visited them sometimes, too. Stewart had only been there for a few days. "They hadn't crossed paths," she said. "I think she was at the wrong place at the wrong time." Lunt recalls Young as perhaps an "awkward boy," but polite with no particular red flags she could recall. "We have a lot of kids, and they do a lot of things -- but not anything that would make you think that any child was going to murder somebody here," she said. "I have nothing nice to say. It's disgusting." At his first court appearance on Friday, Young entered a denial -- a procedural move disputing the allegations -- and arguments will be heard at a later hearing. The next hearing has been set for Aug. 22 in the Rockland District Court. In the meantime, Young will be kept in custody at a juvenile facility to ensure he'll appear at future court appearances and "to prevent the juvenile from inflicting bodily harm on others," Judge Eric Walker ruled Friday. Moving forward, Lunt wants to help the healing process by remembering Stewart as a "true ray of sunshine." "She was a force to be reckoned with," Lunt said, noting that her radiant energy will live on, but a difficult healing process has just begun. "A beautiful individual was just going out for a paddle and never came back. It's not fair." The Mic Mac family and entire Midcoast Maine community plan to hold a celebration of life on Sunday, Aug. 10. Lobster boats from the surrounding area are invited to take part in a "captain's salute" to honor Stewart.
