Missing paddleboarder Sunshine Stewart’s body discovery leads to murder investigation
A murder investigation has been launched after a paddleboarder’s body was mysteriously discovered in rural Maine.
The body of Sunshine Stewart, 48, was discovered under “unusual circumstances” by state game wardens at about 1 a.m. last Thursday near 100 Acre Island on Crawford Pond in the community of Union, 60 miles south of Bangor, according to Maine State Police.
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.
Authorities received a phone call after Stewart failed to return about six hours after heading out to the water, sparking a multi-agency search.
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 last Thursday determined that Stewart was a homicide victim.
Authorities did not release further details surrounding her death, and it was not immediately clear whether Stewart was found in the water or on land.
A manhunt is underway for Stewart’s killer, and police are urging anyone who saw her the night she disappeared to come forward with information.
“The Maine State Police recognizes the fear and discomfort that this incident has brought to the town of Union and the Crawford Pond community,” authorities said in a statement Wednesday. “We understand the community’s concerns and ask that residents continue to remain vigilant, be aware of their surroundings, and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”
Stewart’s sister, Kim Ware, who affectionately calls her sister “Sunny,” shared her heartbreak on Facebook after learning of her sibling’s death. “In utter disbelief! I’m devastated!!,” she wrote.
On Tuesday, the grieving sister changed her profile picture to a photo of her and Stewart smiling and embracing, with the caption: “My best friend, my sister, my everything.”
Speaking to ABC affiliate WMTW-TV this week, Ware remembered her sister as a “truly amazing” aunt, the “world’s best bartender, sternman, lobersterman, and boat captain.”
Stewart’s friend Stacey Yandell told the news station that she “was a strong, self-made woman” who managed to rebuild her own house. “She was her own HGTV.”
Friends said that Stewart never married or had children. She is survived by Ware, her brother, and her nephews.
A GoFundMe set up last week to help cover Stewart’s funeral costs and support the family raised more than $20,000 by Thursday.
“Today is a somber day for our family and friends,” it read. “We’ve unexpectedly lost the light in our lives that was Sunny. We are asking everyone who has reached out to see how they could help to please help us to send her off the right way.”
