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Stefanie Damron, 14, of New Sweden, Maine, was reported missing
by her family on Sept. 24, when she was last seen walking out of
her house and into the nearby woods. Stefanie, who is
homeschooled and has limited access to social media, has not
been found despite extensive searches and interviews,
authorities said.
The FBI is collaborating with Maine State Police and is hopeful
the reward will incentivize anyone with information regarding
Stefanie's disappearance, said Jodi Cohen, special agent in
charge of the FBI's Boston division. The reward is available to
anyone with information leading to Stefanie's safe return or the
arrest and prosecution of anyone involved in her disappearance,
the FBI said in a statement.
“Stefanie’s family desperately wants to know where she is, and
we are fully committed to helping our law enforcement partners
exhaust every investigative resource to find her and bring her
home," Cohen said.
New Sweden is a rural community of about 575 people located 310
miles (498.90 kilometers) north of Portland. Stefanie did not
have electronic devices with her when she was last seen, and was
known to sometimes leave home for the woods behind her house,
though not for this long, Maine State Police Major Scott
Gosselin said Monday.
“We are looking for help from the public in order to maintain a
vigilance for Stefanie and to report any tips or leads that
might be helpful to our investigation,” Gosselin said.
Stefanie's disappearance has attracted media attention from as
far away as Europe. Tips have come in regarding the case from
other states and Canada, and authorities are following up on
those, police said. However, police have yet to receive any
concrete leads, they said.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services has been
notified, which is standard procedure whenever a minor goes
missing or there could be an issue in the home, police said.
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