A Maine vacation all too quickly ended in horror after a teenage boy was accused of murder!ng 41-year-old paddleboarder Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart before seemingly going on with his life, complete with a selfie caption reading to the effect that he is doing fine.
On Wednesday, July 16, Deven Young, a 17-year-old Maine resident, was apprehended in relation to the death of Stewart.
The gruesome murder has rocked the small town of Union, Maine, where the body of Stewart was found in Crawford pond earlier this month.
As Maine State Police reported, Stewart disappeared after going out to paddleboard on July 3.
Her losing made people search for her immediately, and her dead body was discovered in the pond later. Later, officials confirmed that she had been strangled and beaten to death.
A Family Vacation that Turned into Tragedy
Both Stewart and Young were said to be camping in the same campground and popular summer locale, the Mic Mac Family Campground, a campsite located in the Midcoast of Maine.
On May 1, Stewart rented a place at campground and had spent only a few nights there before she met with her untimely end.
ABC News also reports that Deven Young, who also had his family there, was present.
Although the police are yet to disclose how the two met, the court records indicate that Young was in the vicinity when the murder took place and that the evidence links the murder to him.
Afterwards, a judge determined that it was probable cause to believe that Young killed Stewart intentionally and did so with mature understanding and responsibility of an adult.
Facebook Post Brings Eyebrows
What left investigators and the rest of the population speechless was the next move.
Young allegedly killed an innocent person in a horrifying way but remains active on Facebook, so it seems that he did not change his mood much, being calm, and even cheerful.
WGME examined one of the posts, according to which Young posted a photo of himself, and when a user inquired about his wellbeing, Young respected, saying: Doing well.
The posting was done several hours after Stewart was already discovered dead and after the killing had allegedly taken place. His Facebook page was not disabled until at least one day after his arrest and was later revealed to have been closed.
The profile that was deleted had a number of pictures of earlier camping expeditions, which included images at Mic Mac Family Campground.
Usage of social media by Young has not been mentioned by the police as being part of his arrest; however, the creepy posts have left a lot of people disturbed who are following the case.
A Shocked Community
According to friends and family, Sunny Stewart, or Sunny as she was affectionately called, was a free spirit who enjoyed nature, paddleboarding and networking with people.
Her death, rather than the tragedy of her life, has shaken everyone who knew her.
One of her friends wrote on social media: She was such a warm person. It is simply sad to consider how her life had to come to such an end, alone, in the water, and killed by someone so young.
Residents of the area were shocked to think that such a violent act can take place at the usual sleepy vacation place.
One longtime camper said, we come here to escape the madness. And now it seems like no safe place to be.
No Known Reason so far
Up to date, investigators have not presented a motive behind the killing. There is no information as to whether Young and Stewart were familiar with each other or not or whether this was a random attack.
The prosecutors have yet to comment on a potential attempt to provide a trial to Young as an adult, but the judge has hinted that the case might be headed in that direction.
On Friday, July 18, Young was arraigned on murder charges before a Knox County court in Rockland, Maine, via a video connection. His legal team has made no public statement.
Due to the age factor, some court proceedings might not be open until he is officially charged as an adult.
An Outrageous Loss
Stewart left her family and associates with grief and puzzlement of her death.
An organized paddleboard vigil at Crawford Pond is being planned in her memory and friends are arranging to be on the water in silence to memorialize her life.
One of the family members said, she was full of light. Her very name, Sunny, is an indication of how she used to be as a person.
As this case is coming out many are wondering how the justice system will deal with such a young suspect, and whether they will ever find more answers as to what caused such a tragedy.
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