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A teenager has been charged in the suspicious death of a Maine paddleboarder that stoked fears of a serial killer looming throughout the New England region.
A 17-year-old male has been charged with one count of murder for his alleged involvement in the death of 48-year-old Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart nearly two weeks after the paddleboarder was found near Union’s Crawford Pond, according to the state attorney general’s office.
The charges come one day after Maine State Police said in a press release that a teenager had been arrested in connection with the death of Stewart.
NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS GRIP COASTAL TOWN AFTER PADDLEBOARDER’S ‘TERRIFYING’ MURDER
Authorities are investigating the “suspicious death” of Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart after she went missing near Crawford Pond in Union, Maine on July 3, 2025. (Sunshine Stewart/Facebook)
Stewart was reported missing after she failed to return from a solo paddleboarding trip on July 2. The next morning, police discovered her body on an island only accessible by boat, and subsequently determined the circumstances surrounding her death were “suspicious.”
An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta determined Stewart’s cause of death as strangulation and blunt force trauma, according to MSP.
The suspect, who remains unnamed due to his age, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, police said.
The news surrounding Stewart’s mysterious death rattled the sleepy vacation destination as authorities worked to find the killer.
NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS REIGNITED AFTER PADDLEBOARDER’S MURDER IN QUIET COASTAL TOWN
Crawford Pond on July 9, 2025, in Union, Maine. Police are investigating the murder of a woman last seen paddleboarding on the pond. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“In a place where most people don’t lock their doors, like, ever, it definitely feels a little intrusive,” Gus Williams, who lives near Crawford Pond, told WMTW 8, adding, “I don’t know, [it’s] terrifying.”
MSP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The murder also sparked fears of a serial killer lurking after 13 other bodies have been discovered in primarily wooded or remote areas throughout New England since March 2025.
PADDLEBOARDER’S MYSTERIOUS KILLING ROCKS QUIET SUMMER VACATION AREA
Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart’s…
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