Teen Charged with Murder of Paddleboarder in Maine
A 17-year-old boy has been accused of leading police on a fruitless search for paddleboarders at a Maine campground, where he allegedly murdered a woman. Deven Young, who was present at Mike Mac Campground, faces charges related to the death of 48-year-old Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart. Stewart had recently joined the campground community and was reported missing while paddleboarding just before Independence Day. Authorities later discovered her lifeless body, showing signs of strangulation.
Katharine Lunt, the owner of the campground, expressed her shock during an interview. “This isn’t the kind of place where such events occur,” she remarked, describing the site as a “shelter for all of us.” Lunt further noted that Young had always been eager to help out around the campsite, including crafting wooden items for other campers. Interestingly, he even offered to aid the police in solving Stewart’s murder.
According to Lunt, Young initially directed the police away from the actual crime scene. “He claimed to possess some information and led them on a wild goose chase by the lake,” she recounted. Despite the gravity of the situation, she commented on how normal Young seemed during this time. “He acted as if everything was fine,” she added, emphasizing that he hadn’t raised any suspicions prior to the arrest.
It was later revealed that his behavior could have piqued the interest of investigators, leading to several hours of questioning before returning to his family’s campsite. Young was arrested on July 16. He is currently being held at Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. The Maine Attorney General’s office is pursuing an effort to charge him as an adult since his birthday is upcoming in September.
Back in his community, acquaintances shared mixed feelings about Young. Some claimed they had known him since childhood and that he often found himself in trouble. There were also reports from parents who described Young as a bully and mentioned experiences of their children being victimized by him since they were very young.
