Authorities are stepping up their search for missing Maine girl Stefanie Damron by offering a $15,000 reward.
Stefanie, 14, was reported missing on September 24th, a day after she “was last seen walking out of her house and into the woods located on the West Road in New Sweden,” according to the Maine State Police.
The teen’s parents, Christopher and Lisa Marie Damron, told WGAM-TV that their daughter “got into an argument with her sister” and then “walked off” into the woods.
On Monday, December 2, the FBI and MSP announced a $15,000 reward in exchange for information leading to Stefanie’s safe return or the arrest and punishment of anyone implicated in her disappearance.
“The FBI hopes that this reward will encourage anyone with knowledge regarding Stefanie’s whereabouts to come forward. “Any detail, no matter how small, could be useful,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, in a press 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.”
On December 2, the FBI and MSP held a joint news conference to discuss the matter. Maj. Scott Gosselin of the MSP stated that his department’s serious crimes section investigators and the FBI Boston Division spent hundreds of hours investigating Damron’s abduction and conducting numerous interviews.
“At this time,” commented Gosselin, “there’s been no credible information or sightings of Stefanie.”
Kim Milka, the FBI’s associate special agent in charge, noted that agents have pursued leads in Maine, across the country, and Canada. Authorities’ investigations included a neighbourhood canvas and a large grid search with dogs, she said.
“Rest assured, we are working to find out what happened to Stefanie and reunite her with her family,” Milka stated during the news conference.
On November 21, the MSP released two fresh images of Stefanie to help in the hunt.
“These photos appear to show a younger Stefanie – the most recent photo we have is the one we’ve previously posted with the flower in her hair (from Summer 2024),” the MSP stated on Facebook at the time.
Stefanie was described by authorities as 5′ 0″ and weighing 130 pounds, with green eyes and shoulder-length brown hair. She was last seen wearing blue trousers, a long-sleeve blue blouse, and black Harley Davidson hiking boots.
Stefanie’s parents had stated that they were not home when their daughter went missing.
“We live a half mile back in the woods and our kids are very comfortable in their surroundings so there was nothing to raise flags the first few hours,” they informed me at the time.
At the news conference, Gosselin stated that Damron has no current access to electronic devices, according to officials, and that she did not have a mobile when she went missing.
Gosselin also informed reporters that Stefanie’s disappearance was not unusual, which explains why her family waited a bit longer to contact authorities.
Jeri Harms, Stefanie’s great-aunt, previously told the Brooklyn Squad podcast that Stefanie had run away before but was always discovered in the woods by family members.
The FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team (CARD) of special agents trained and experienced in missing child cases was quickly dispatched to assist MSP in locating the teen after she vanished, according to the news release.
“The Maine State Police remains steadfast in our investigation into Stefanie’s disappearance,” Maine State Police Colonel William Ross stated in a news statement on December 2.
“Every lead, no matter how tiny, is being exhaustively pursued in order to find her. We sincerely appreciate the FBI’s assistance, and we continue to urge anyone with information to come forward. Your tip could be the key to solving this case and delivering answers to Stefanie’s family.”
Anyone with information regarding the crime is asked to call the Maine State Police Houlton Barracks at 1-800-824-2261 or 207-532-5400, or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.