The death of a paddleboarder who never returned after heading out for an evening on the water in Maine has been ruled a homicide by police.
Investigators have identified the deceased as 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart. Her body was found during a search of Crawford Pond in Union, a town in southern Maine, after she disappeared on July 2, authorities confirmed in a statement.
An autopsy determined her death was a homicide. The cause of death has not been released, and police have not shared any information about potential suspects, though they did indicate that the conditions under which she was found warranted the presence of additional units.
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Kate Hamar, who lives in the area, told CBS local affiliate WGME that at first, people thought Stewart had died in a boating accident.
“It’s left everybody pretty shaken,” Hamar said, adding that the lack of information is causing concern.
“From how hush-hush they’re [police are] being, it seems like maybe there’s more going on,” she said.
The owner of Mic Mac campground near Crawford Pond, Kathy Lunt, told WGME that Stewart lived seasonally on the property and that she was seen heading out on her paddleboard hours before she went missing.
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Lunt told the outlet that she called the police when Stewart’s roommate expressed concern about her whereabouts.
The campground said in a Facebook statement on Monday that investigators had been on site every day since the incident to access the crime scene, which Lunt said was not on the actual campgrounds.
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Sarah Nelson, who was raised in Union, told the local outlet, “It’s really sad that this happened. I have friends that live on that lake, and I can only imagine how they feel.”
Meanwhile, a childhood friend of Stewart’s has spoken out in her memory.
Meredith Smith, who grew up with Stewart in Union, told WGME, “When they said it was her, I couldn’t even believe it. She was just a great, great person all-around.”
“To know Sunny, I don’t think she had a bad bone in her body, and anyone that knew her was just in awe of her,” Smith continued.
“Nobody would want to hurt Sunny. So, it’s kind of scary for all of us who live local to think that somebody is out there, if they can do that to her, then what could possibly happen next?”
“We’ve unexpectedly lost the light in our lives that was Sunny. We are asking everyone who has reached out to see how they could help to please help us to send her off the right way,” the fundraising page says.
Investigators searched a dumpster at Mic Mac Campground on Monday, according to CBS.
Maine police said the investigation is ongoing is asking anyone who may have seen Stewart paddleboarding on July 2 between 6 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on Crawford Pond to contact police.
“As always, members of the public are encouraged to remain aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement. Additional information will be released when it becomes appropriate to do so based on the progress of the investigation,” police said.