Police Criticize 'Serial Killer' Theories After Paddleboarder Found Murdered in Quiet Town

Authorities in Maine are calling out "irresponsible" reporting in the wake of a paddleboarder's murder more than a week ago in a small town in Maine.

The scourge comes more than week since police has released any information about the death of 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart, who was found dead after she had gone paddleboarding alone at Crawford Pond in Union, Maine, which is about an hour and a half northeast of Portland.

The woman, who hailed from Tenants Harbor, had been reported missing on July 3 at approximately 1:05 a.m. She was later found dead, and authorities ruled it a homicide after an autopsy was performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta. The cause of death has not been released.

Police urged residents in the small town (population approximately 2,400) to stay vigilant. 

“The Maine State Police recognizes the fear and discomfort that this incident has brought to the town of Union and the Crawford Pond community,” a police spokesperson said in a statement last week. “We remain steadfast in our efforts to investigate the death of 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart.”

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But more than a week has come and gone without an update, and now speculation is running rampant, particularly after Fox News attempted to advance a theory that Stewart was the victim of a serial killer.

According to the Bangor Daily News, the outlet interviewed Peter Valentin, chair of the Forensic Science Department at the University of New Haven's Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences. In that interview, Valentin called the discovery of seven sets of human remains found over a period of two months in New England "curious" but stopped short of drawing conclusions. He then said on Fox News that evidence was needed such as DNA to link the human remains.

"So, could these groups be a source of useful information? I think that's a possibility," Valentin said. "Are these groups also potentially a source of wild theories that have very little grounding in the information that actually does exist? I'm sure that's true as well."

Main State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss didn't directly address the Fox News interview, but Moss did say that "floating unverified claims without facts fuels fear." Moss also said "it's irresponsible."

"Right now the focus for detectives is following where the evidence leads and keeping the integrity of the case intact," Moss said. "Detectives are still working to piece together the full picture and releasing partial or premature information risks compromising the case."