Police in Maine are investigating the death of a paddleboarder as a homicide after her body was discovered near a campground in the rural state. Authorities are appealing to the public for assistance in identifying the perpetrator.
Sunshine Stewart, 48, from Tenants Harbor, Maine, was found deceased on Crawford Pond in Union on Thursday. While the manner of death has been officially ruled a homicide, Maine State Police have not yet released the cause of death.
Investigators are urging anyone who may have seen Ms Stewart paddleboarding on 2 July, between 6pm and 9pm, near 100 Acre Island on Crawford Pond, to contact them. The police described the investigation as “active and ongoing”.
Stewart lived about a half hour 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.
Crawford Pond is located in the 2,400-resident town of Union, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) northeast of Portland, the largest city in the state. The area is popular with campers and daytrippers.
The pond is approximately 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 lake 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.
“As always, members of the public are encouraged to remain aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement,” police said in a statement. “Additional information will be released when it becomes appropriate to do so based on the progress of the investigation.”
Loved ones of Stewart, who was known as “Sunny” to friends, launched a GoFundMe page in her honor in the wake of her death. The page states that arrangements and memorial service dates were still being determined. The page had raised more than $17,000 by Wednesday.
“Today is a somber day for our family and friends. We’ve unexpectedly lost the light in our lives that was Sunny,” the page said.
The killing is a shock to the community, where family trips to the lake are a summertime staple, said Debbie Hilt, who lives in the area. Hilt said she knew Stewart as a child and knew her to be a regular user of the lake as an adult.
“I’ve been on the lake since the early ‘60s. I grew up down there since I was 8 years old,” she said. “I don’t even remember anything like this.”
Katharine Lunt, the owner of the nearby campground, which is called Mic Mac Cove Campground, said in a Facebook post that authorities have been using the campground to access the crime scene. The crime scene is not located on the campground itself, the post says.
Lunt said in the post that her business is not commenting on the investigation other than to say it is cooperating with authorities who are working the scene.
“The investigators have been here doing their job and we do not need the media distractions at this time,” the post says.
