UNION, Maine — A 17-year-old teenage boy has been arrested in connection with the killing of a Maine paddleboarder, state police said Thursday morning.
The teen, who is from Maine, was not identified because he is a juvenile.
Sunshine Stewart, 48, of Tenants Harbor, was found dead in a pond in Union on July 3, state police said. Crews found her body while searching for the missing paddleboarder.
An autopsy determined her cause of death as strangulation and blunt force trauma and the manner of death was homicide.
Authorities on Thursday did not immediately share details about a possible motive or whether the teenager and Stewart knew each other.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, state police arrested the teen without incident in Union in connection with the homicide investigation.
He was taken to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.
The arrest is the result of “relentless investigative work” by detectives and investigators with the Maine State Police, state police said Thursday.
State Rep. Katrina Smith, a Maine Republican, called Stewart’s homicide “a tragedy on every front.”
Shortly after news of the teen’s arrest broke on Thursday, Smith thanked investigators for their work on the homicide case.
“Thank you to the Maine State Police for your diligence in keeping our community safe! This is certainly a tragedy on every front. Rest in Peace Sunshine,” Smith said in a post on Facebook.
Stewart’s killing has rattled the quiet communities surrounding Union, a small town southeast of Maine’s capital city of Augusta.
The homicide prompted public safety warnings from both law enforcement and Smith, whose constituents live near Union.
“Stay vigilant. Lock your doors, don’t be alone in remote areas,” Smith said in a Facebook post on July 9.
An investigation into Stewart’s death is ongoing.
Anyone with information for investigators is asked to contact the Maine State Police at 207-624-7076 or by texting MESPTIP to 847411.
Union is a small town southeast of Augusta. The town’s population was 2,383 at the 2020 census.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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