Stefanie Damron

• September 1, 2015: Parents, Lisa Marie and Christopher, were arrested in Texas for Deadly Conduct | Speeding – child endangerment, possession of drugs and public intoxication, and children were temporarily removed from their parents’ custody.
• December 2015 – The children were returned to their parents’ custody.

• 2019, Stefanie’s father wrote, “After our CPS fiasco, these moments are rare. Thank God we had a CASA advocate in our corner with Carrie, but the bus is coming along, and we’ll be heading to Maine away from these bad memories”
• This history includes a police incident where both parents were arrested for alleged intoxication while their children were left unattended in a vehicle. Following this, Stefanie’s mother, Lisa Marie Damron, faced legal repercussions but ultimately received a lesser charge.

• The family: Christopher “Dale” and Lisa Marie Damron, grandfather (not by blood), Stefanie and four siblings from Texas to New Sweden, a town whose population was 577 as of 2020.

• May 2024: Stefanie’s oldest brother attended Job Corps in 2024 and earned his GED in May 2024.
• Stefanie was homeschooled and had limited access to social media, according to the FBI.
• According to Stefanie’s mother, Stefanie has no friends.
• Stefanie had tried to run away several times recently, but family members always found her in the woods.

• About a month before she went missing, Stefanie had run off but was found a few hours later hiding in the woods Source

• Early Afternoon: Her parents, Lisa and Christopher, were away for a job interview.
• Stefanie Damron was at home with three of her siblings and grandfather.
• 3:00 PM: Stefanie’s mother began getting text messages from her oldest daughter saying that Stefanie had left the house and was last seen on walking out of her house and into the woods off West Road in New Sweden.
• Unknown Time: Upon their return, they learned that Stefanie had disappeared following an argument with her 16-year-old sister. It was common for the children to play in the woods near their home, so her initial departure didn’t raise concern. However, when she failed to return, her family began searching for her and later contacted the police.

• On September 24, 2024, her father, Christopher Damron, reported Stefanie missing to the Maine State Police Troop F.
• Maine State Police Troop F and the Major Crimes Unit North began investigating the circumstances surrounding Stefanie’s disappearance.
• The Major Crimes Unit North also collaborated with the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit (CCU) and the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team (CARD) to ensure that all resources were utilized in finding Stefanie.
• The Maine Warden Service and Maine State Police K9 Unit have searched large parcels of land near Stefanie’s last known location. The Major Crimes Unit will continue to investigate the case in partnership with the FBI’s CARD team.

• The police release information about Stefanie’s disappearance.

• Christopher and Lisa Marie Damron, Stefanie’s parents, said in an October statement that she argued with her sister before she left. Source

• The first public organized ground search for Stefanie is organized by locals and volunteers. Twenty-eight people walked for 10 ½ hours on Oct. 26 in the area near the home of the Damron family. Most were local residents, but a few traveled from southern Maine because they have Aroostook connections.

• Christopher Damron said he and the family suspect that Stefanie used an old cell phone belonging to her grandfather to connect with people on social media.

“We had bought an old, simple phone. We didn’t even know it could connect to the internet. Turns out, this $20 flip phone was how she connected,” Christopher Damron said. “We didn’t know. Our kids are raised off the grid, no social media. We honestly believe someone could have picked her up.” Source

• A $15,000 reward was announced at a joint press conference. The Maine State Police and the Boston Division of the FBI held a press conference to provide an update. The FBI offered the reward while requesting continued public interest.
• Police recently released new photos of Stefanie in hopes that someone would come forward.

• A vigil was held at First Baptist Church of New Sweden by Pastor Richard Matley Link

• Maine Department of Public Safety confirmed that more than a dozen tips have come in since the reward was announced. The department also stated that detectives are still following up on leads in this case.

“We have conducted more interviews, traffic roadblocks to provide the public with information and continue to follow up on the few leads that are coming in,” says Lt. Darrin Crane, the commanding officer of the northern division of the Major Crimes Unit. “We continue to work with the FBI and all local, county and other state agencies. The State Police is dedicated to finding Stephanie or determining what happened to her. We have thousands of investigative hours into trying to do just that and will continue on with the investigation.”

• Lt. Crane added that to their knowledge, Damron does not have current access to electronic devices and limited access to social media. The Maine Warden Service has canvassed the woods for Damron but has had no credible information of sightings of the 14-year-old girl. Link

• Lisa Damron interview with Dateline:
  • Stefanie had gotten into an argument with her older sister about chores before she ran off. “They were arguing about who was gonna do what,” she explained.
  • After the argument, Stefanie went outside where her grandfather was doing maintenance work on the front door. “He said that she turned around, she looked back at him — she had tears in her eyes,” Lisa said. “And she turned around and just kept walking.”
  • Lisa says Stefanie then walked into the woods by the house, an area with which she was extremely familiar. There is a path through the area that leads to the main road. The family heard a vehicle pass by shortly after Stefanie ran off, although nobody saw it. “They do not know if it was a vehicle, a four-wheeler, a motorcycle or something,” she said. “By the time anybody got up there, the vehicle was already gone.”
  • Shortly after learning Stefanie had run off, Lisa headed home to help look for her. “I started looking for her, going up and down the roads and everything because, I mean, she has done this before,” she said.
  • Lisa told Dateline that there have been two other instances where Stefanie has run off — but not like this. “I’ve been able to find her the times she did it before, but this time I couldn’t find her,” she said. Link

• Stefanie Damron’s father announced a coordinated private volunteer search scheduled for Saturday and requested enough participants to form three search teams. Source
• After reviewing various theories, terrain descriptions, public tips, and information reportedly provided by mediums, organizers identified four fixed landmarks believed to define the primary search area:
  • New Sweden Town Hall/cell phone tower
  • Thomas Park
  • The sharp left-hand curve on Rista Road
  • The trailhead and Beardsley Brook crossing on Rista Road
• Organizers established the approximate center point of the search area at 46.9722, -68.1105, and instructed all three teams to work toward that location.
• Three search teams were assigned separate starting points:
  • Team 1: Trailhead below the New Sweden Post Office.
  • Team 2: 270 Rista Road, where the property owner granted permission for volunteers to begin searching.
  • Team 3: Trailhead and Beardsley Brook crossing on Rista Road.
• Volunteers were instructed to conduct systematic searches extending approximately 100 to 150 feet off both sides of trails, creeks, treelines, and access routes while progressing toward the designated center coordinates.
• Searchers were asked to carefully examine:
  • Fallen trees, old logs, and exposed root balls.
  • Brush piles and logging debris.
  • High grass and treeline transition areas.
  • Wet depressions, drainage areas, and small pools.
  • Old skid roads and overgrown side trails.
  • Culverts, creek banks, and debris accumulation areas.
  • Clothing, footwear, or any personal belongings.
• Safety instructions emphasized that no one should search alone. Volunteers were advised to wear boots, long pants, and bright-colored clothing and to bring water, insect protection, a fully charged cellphone, and GPS capability.
• Participants were instructed not to enter private property without permission and not to move logs, dig, probe the ground, or handle any item that could be related to Stefanie Damron’s disappearance. If a potentially significant item was located, volunteers were directed to photograph it in place, record the GPS coordinates, leave the item undisturbed, and immediately notify the search organizer and law enforcement.
• In his announcement, Stefanie’s father stated that the objective was to search the designated area “carefully, safely and systematically,” emphasizing that the effort was intended to evaluate available information against the physical terrain rather than pursue theories without evidence. He also invited volunteers to contact him directly if they wished to participate in one of the three search teams.

• Following the private volunteer search conducted days earlier, Stefanie Damron’s father provided a public update stating that no evidence or signs of Stefanie were found during the search. Source
• He described the effort as a long and intensive search but said the specific area searched still required a much more thorough examination. While he could not comment on the remainder of the trail system, he emphasized that the section they searched “definitely deserves a much closer look” and said organizers were considering the best path forward for continuing the search.
• Addressing public comments, he clarified that he was not leading the search. Instead, he explained that he reviewed the information and evidence available to him, connected the information together, and identified an area he believed warranted additional searching.
• He also expressed disappointment that Doug Tinsley did not attend the search after publicly stating he would do anything possible to help locate Stefanie.
• Stefanie’s father thanked everyone who volunteered, acknowledging those who gave their time, walked difficult terrain, and participated in the search. He said their support meant more than he could express and ended the update by offering his gratitude to everyone involved.

Stefanie vanished on September 23, 2024, after walking into the woods near her New Sweden home.

Stefanie is described as 5’0″, 130 lbs., with green eyes and shoulder-length brown hair. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeve blue shirt, and black Harley-Davidson hiking boots. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Maine State Police Houlton Barracks at 1 (800) 924-2261 or (207) 532-5400. Facebook post

• Police do not believe Stefanie has access to electronic devices.
• The Maine Warden Service, with the help of K9 teams, canvassed the woods for Stefanie, but did not turn up any clues as to her whereabouts.
• Authorities have not made a determination as to whether they believe foul play is involved in her disappearance. Despite extensive investigative efforts, Stefanie remains missing.
• Investigators have conducted many interviews and followed up on leads in Maine, nationally, and in Canada.

• NamUs Case Number: MP # 130932  namus.nij.ojp.gov
• Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit – North / Agency Case Number: 24SO4774 — Troop F (Maine) 207-532-5400
• FBI: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/stefanie-damron

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Maine State Police Houlton Barracks at 1 (800) 924-2261 or (207) 532-5400.