A 17-year-old male has been arrested in connection with the murder of a Maine woman found dead earlier this month following a solo paddle board outing.

The teen, who has not been publicly identified, was taken into custody without incident Wednesday at approximately 10:30 p.m. by the Maine State Police, according to a release from the department.

48-year-old Sunshine Stewart of Tenants Harbor vanished July 2 from Union, Maine after going paddle boarding in Crawford Pond. Her remains were discovered the next day. 

Police have not announced the exact charges against the teen suspect, who is currently being housed at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, but have said the arrest was made as the result of “relentless investigative work.” 

“I am floored with elation and grief,” friend Rachel Blemenberg, who had been staying with Stewart at the time, told News Center Maine after the arrest.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta determined that Stewart died of strangulation and blunt force trauma, police said.

The homicide investigation

Stewart left for the solo paddle board trip from the Mic Mac Cove Campground around 6 p.m. on July 2, according to the Maine Wire. When she didn’t return, a search was launched hours later to find the 48-year-old contractor. 

Her remains were discovered early the next morning on 100 Acre Island, an area in the center of the lake said to only be accessible by boat, during an aerial drone search.

According to authorities, the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit Central was called in to assist with the investigation due to the “circumstances surrounding the discovery.”

Although the identity of the teen suspect has yet to be released, several local news outlets, including WMTW, reported that the suspect is believed to have spent time in the area while on vacation with his family.

About Sunshine Stewart

Kim Ware, Stewart’s sister, described her to the news outlet as someone who loved being outdoors and often spent time hiking, boating, and doing yoga. Before she began working as a contractor, she also spent time working as a marine biologist and boat captain.

Close friend Kimberly Hammill told NBC News that she’d once even sailed to the Virgin Islands. 

“I grew up in Union, and as far as I know, nothing like this has ever happened here,” Hammill said of the crime. “For it to have happened to Sunshine is like, how could that even be? It just makes me feel like nothing will be right again ever.” 

Hammill is hoping to remember her friend in happier times.

“I want people to remember her as the force of nature that she was,” she said. “She was such a loyal, good person. That was her most memorable quality — how much she believed in everybody.” 

According to police, the investigation into her death remains “active and ongoing.” 

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Maine State Police at (207) 624-7076 or texting MESPTIP to 847411.