8 hours ago
2
U.S.|Teen Charged With Murder in Killing of Paddleboarder in Maine
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/us/maine-arrest-paddleboarder-homicide.html
Sunshine Stewart, 48, was found dead near 100 Acre Island after disappearing while paddle boarding in Union, Maine.
Published July 17, 2025Updated July 18, 2025, 2:40 p.m. ET
A 17-year-old has been charged with murder in the death of a woman who disappeared this month while paddle boarding near a remote island in Maine, according to the Maine attorney general’s office.
The authorities identified the suspect on Friday as Deven Young, of Frankfort, Maine. He will turn 18 on Sept. 24, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General said. The office said it was seeking to try Mr. Young as an adult.
His arrest in the killing of Sunshine Stewart, 48, who the authorities said had died from strangulation and blunt force trauma, was announced on Thursday by the Maine State Police, who did not name him or say whether he had been charged.
The police said on Thursday that they were continuing to investigate Ms. Stewart’s killing and asked for the public’s help.
Mr. Young made his initial appearance on Friday in court in Knox County, The Midcoast Villager reported. He was ordered to be held, and his next court appearance is Aug. 22.
Jeremy Pratt, a lawyer for Mr. Young, declined to comment on Friday about the case.
Mr. Young is being held at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.
Image
A state game warden found Ms. Stewart’s body around 1 a.m. on July 3 near 100 Acre Island, a nature preserve on Crawford Pond in Union, Maine, that is only accessible by water, the authorities said.
Ms. Stewart was believed to have been paddle boarding between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. the previous evening, according to the authorities. She lived in Tenants Harbor, Maine, which is roughly 20 miles south of the pond, along the Atlantic coast.
Mark Walker is an investigative reporter for The Times focused on transportation. He is based in Washington.
Neil Vigdor covers breaking news for The Times, with a focus on politics.
