Sadly, when 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart set of off on July 2, 2025, from the Mic Mac Campground for a fun day of paddleboarding on the nearby Crawford Pond in Union, Maine, she never returned. After the campground’s owner Katherine Lunt reported her missing to the police, a search began. Authorities found her beaten, strangled, lifeless body in what they described as an “unusual circumstance” at a nature reserve in the middle of the pond.
Police kept a low profile on the case, offering few details in the search for the perpetrator. They eventually arrested and charged 17-year-old Deven Young for Stewart’s murder on July 16.
While police were searching, Young was reportedly “unsuspicious” acting, according to Lunt.
“He would offer to assist other campers with their loose pets, yard work, and make wood crafts, which he gave to other campers,” explained Lunt to the Midcoast Villager. “We as a campground community, are devastated that he continued camp life amongst us as normal and we suspected nothing. It is heart-wrenching and terrifying that we had no idea the murderer was amongst us as we were looking for a stranger.”
He was even active on social media. Evidently, the teen posted a photo of a boat anchored on a lake at sunset. Under it, a commenter asked how he was and he nonchalantly answered, “I’m good, how are you doing?”
Police haven’t shared any details about the evidence they have against Young. The Daily Mail reported that hours before his arrest was announced, police were collecting DNA samples.
Lunt claimed that Young approached the investigators and volunteered information about Stewart’s death. They took the teen out on a boat where he led them in the opposite direction of where her body was. Investigators returned the boy to the campground and then interviewed Young and his parents.
Lunt also divulged that she reviewed security camera footage. The videos apparently showed that before Stewart left, Young went out on Crawford Pond in an aluminum boat. He was seen returning in the same vessel. Police haven’t revealed anything from their interrogation or a motive.
Young officially denied responsibility for Stewart’s death when he appeared in a Knox County courtroom on July 18. Details will reportedly remain sealed until a status conference scheduled on August 22.
