The teenage suspect accused in the brutal slaying of a Maine paddleboarder reportedly led police on a “wild goose chase” through the vacation destination as locals feared the possibility of a killer lurking within the remote campsite. 

The body of 48-year-old Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart was discovered on a remote island in Union’s Crawford Pond earlier this month after departing for a solo paddleboarding trip, according to the Office of the Maine Attorney General. An autopsy determined Stewart’s cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, Maine State Police said. 

Nearly two weeks later, authorities announced a 17-year-old male had been arrested and charged in connection with Stewart’s murder. 

Crawford Pond is seen on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 in Union, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The footage reportedly showed the suspect returning to land before sunset on the evening of Stewart’s alleged murder. 

“We have a lot of kids, and they do a lot of things,” Lunt told ABC News. “But not anything that would make you think that any child was going to murder somebody here. I have nothing nice to say. It’s disgusting.”

In a brief court appearance on Friday, the teenager entered a denial to the charge and is currently being held at a youth detention facility in the Portland area ahead of his status conference on Aug. 22. The suspect’s attorney declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

The state attorney general’s office is asking the court to try the teenager as an adult, a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital. If convicted as an adult, the teenager would face a maximum prison sentence of 25 years to life. 

The state attorney general’s office and Lunt did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

As the investigation into a possible motive surrounding the alleged slaying of Stewart remains ongoing, her loved ones are still clinging to their memories of the avid fisher, carpenter and captain. 

“She was just a wonderful friend,” Bethany Leach Parmley, a lifelong friend of Stewart’s, said. “A really loyal, wonderful friend. She was just so fun and funny, and you couldn’t help but have a good time around her.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.