by Investigators have determined that the unexplained death of a lady from Maine who vanished last week while paddle boarding on a pond close to a remote island was a homicide.
Maine State Police reported Monday that state game wardens found the corpse of 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart at around 1 a.m. on July 3 near 100 Acre Island, a nature park on Crawford Pond in Union, Maine, that is only reachable by water.
Authorities scoured the area for several hours after Ms. Stewart was reported missing, and they concluded that she had gone paddle boarding between 6 and 9 p.m. the previous evening.
She resided on the Atlantic coast at Tenants Harbor, Maine, some 20 miles south of the pond.
Other information regarding the murder were not disclosed by the authorities, nor were they told if Ms. Stewart’s body had been discovered on land or in the ocean. However, officials stated that because of the circumstances surrounding the discovery, the wardens had contacted the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit.
According to the state police, she was killed by someone else, according to an autopsy conducted by Maine’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner on July 3. Citing the ongoing investigation, the police did not reveal the cause of death.
Anyone who may have seen Ms. Stewart the night she vanished is urged to contact the state police. The organization advised individuals to be mindful of their surroundings and report anything strange.
The agency stated in a statement on Wednesday that it was continuing to look into the death of Ms. Stewart and was going over each lead it had gotten from a State Police tip line.
According to the Maine State Police, the town of Union and the Crawford Pond community are aware of the anxiety and unease this occurrence has caused.
According to the state police, the investigation was being conducted in collaboration with the proprietors of a nearby campground.
As of Wednesday, over $19,000 has been contributed for Ms. Stewart’s (also known as Sunny) burial costs through a GoFundMe page.
The page stated that today is a serious day for our friends and family. Unexpectedly, Sunny, the light of our lives, is no longer there.
Ms. Stewart’s sister, Kim Ware, said ABC News in a statement that her sister had once gone to the Caribbean in a hurricane and had worked as a lobsterman, boat captain, and marine biologist.
In a statement to the site, Ms. Ware added, “We must now come together and give her justice.”
The 600-acre Crawford Pond is a well-liked location for fishing and camping. The state capital, Augusta, is roughly 30 miles to the southeast.
