Stefanie Earleen-Jenn Damron was born on October 6, 2010, to Christopher Dale Damron and Lisa Marie Damro.

Lisa Marie Damron is originally from Georgia, while her father Christopher Dale Damron, who grew up in West Virginia, also spent time in Florida and Rhode Island during his younger years.

Over the years, Stefanie’s family has moved multiple times, living in West Virginia, Texas, and Illinois before eventually settling in Maine. They have six kids between the age 8 to 21, all living with them.

The household also includes an unrelated older man named Richard, who has been a part of the family for most of Stefanie’s life and is regarded as a grandfather figure.

In Maine, They reside on approximately 26 acres of land in the rural town of New Sweden, Maine. Their home lacks necessities such as running water and indoor plumbing, with electricity supplied by a generator.

Stefanie’s parents have stated that their children are homeschooled and, as they grow older, attend JobCorps for further education and training.

Stefanie was reported missing by her family on September 24, 2024, and was last seen walking out of her house and into the woods located on West Road in New Sweden on September 23, 2024. At the time of her disappearance, her parents were away; Stefanie was reportedly wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeved blue shirt, and black Harley Davidson hiking boots when she went missing.

Stefanie is a white female with green eyes and shoulder-length brown hair. She is approximately 5’0” tall and weighs approximately 130 lbs. She is home schooled and has limited social media access.

Immediately after she was reported missing, the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team (CARD) of special agents specifically trained and experienced in missing children matters deployed to assist Maine State Police with the search.

Stefanie remains missing despite extensive investigative efforts, including a neighborhood canvas and video search and an expansive grid search utilizing canines by the Maine Warden Service and Maine State Police.

Investigators have also conducted dozens of interviews and followed up on potential leads in Maine, across the country, and Canada.

The FBI’s CARD Team will continue to assist Maine State Police with on-the-ground investigative, technical, behavioral analysis, and analytical support.

The public is being asked to play an active role in helping us find Stefanie by reviewing her updated missing person poster and sharing it on social media:  https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/stefanie-damron.

Anyone with information should immediately call the Maine State Police Houlton Barracks at 1-800-824-2261 or 207-532-5400. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, your local FBI office, or submit a tip online at  tips.fbi.gov.

Volunteers:
Spring 2025 Search for Stefanie Damron: If you are able to assist with the search, please complete following form: Search Form
If you own property in the area and are willing to grant access for the search, please complete following form: Land Owner Permission To Search Forms

2015

• 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: 

March 24, 2019

• 2019, Stefanie’s father wrote, “after our CPS fiasco these moments are rare thank God we had 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.

June 4, 2021

The family had moved to Maine from Texas in 2021

• 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.

2024

• May 2024: Stefanie’s oldest brother attended Job Corps in 2024 and earn his GED in May 2024.
  
• Stefanie was home schooled 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.

July, 2024

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

September, 23, 2024

• Stefanie Damron was at home with three of her siblings and grandfather.
• Early Afternoon: Her parents, Lisa and Christopher, were away for a job interview.
• 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.

September 24, 2024

• 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.

September 26, 2024

• The police release information about Stefanie’s disappearance.

October 2024

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

October 26, 2024

• 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.

November 11, 2024

• 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.”
Video reference

December 2, 2024

• 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 offers the reward while requesting continued public interest.
• Police recently released new photos of Stefanie in hopes that someone would come forward.

December 21, 2024

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

January 6, 2025

• 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

January 7, 2025

• Lisa Damron interview with Dateline:

According to Lisa, 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

Current Status

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

Stefanie is described as 5’0″, 130 lbs., green eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair. Stefanie was last seen wearing blue jeans, a long sleeve blue shirt, and black Harley Davidson hiking boots. Anyone with any information about Stefanie’s whereabouts 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.spite extensive investigative efforts, Stefanie remains missing.
• Investigators have conducted many interviews and followed up on leads in Maine, nationally, and in Canada.

Sources:

NamUs Case Number: MP # 130932:  https://namus.nij.ojp.gov: 
Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit – North.  https://www.maine.gov/
The Maine State Police -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.

Interview with Jerri Harm, Stefanie’s great-aunt from Illinois, to discuss the circumstances surrounding Stefanie’s disappearance.

Introduction
(00:07) The speaker shares that Stefanie’s missing person flyers have been widely shared across multiple social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Clapper. Notably, Nancy Grace and NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) have also acknowledged and shared Stefanie’s case.

Background on Stefanie’s Disappearance
(02:47) Stefanie’s great-aunt explains that the family moved to New Sweden, Maine, about four years ago. Stefanie, who recently turned 14 while missing, disappeared after an argument with her 16-year-old sister. She walked into the woods near their home, which was not unusual since the children frequently played there. However, this time, she did not return.

(05:07) Her parents, Lisa and Christopher, were away for a job interview at the time. When they returned and realized Stefanie had not come back, they began searching and later called the police.

(05:55) There is speculation that Stefanie may have been corresponding with someone online and could have been picked up at the end of the driveway, which is nearly three-quarters of a mile long. She may have previously acquired a phone without her parents’ knowledge.

Prior Incidents & Search Efforts
(06:36) About a month before she went missing, Stefanie had run off but was found a few hours later hiding in the woods.

(07:20) Law enforcement, including the FBI, has conducted extensive searches using ground teams, dogs, cadaver dogs, and drones. A public search last Saturday found some items, but it is unclear if they belonged to Stefanie.

(08:10) There have been reports of other missing children in Maine, some of whom have been found, but a 17-year-old boy remains missing.

Family & Environment
(10:36) Stefanie’s family lives a secluded lifestyle, and the children are homeschooled with minimal interaction outside the family. They moved from Texas to live off-grid.

(11:24) The disappearance has deeply affected the family, particularly her younger siblings, who are now kept in sight at all times.

Physical Description of Stefanie
(12:05) Stefanie is about 5 feet tall, weighs between 100-130 lbs, has brown shoulder-length hair, and green eyes. There was a reported sighting of a girl matching her description with dyed blue hair in southern Maine, which was investigated.

Investigation & Speculations
(14:37) A close family friend known as “Uncle” lives across from the family’s property. While an initial search suggested his property had not been examined, it was later confirmed that the FBI did search it with dogs and drones. However, a public ground search later found items that the FBI reportedly missed.

(16:01) The family has repeatedly asked law enforcement to search a nearby river, about two miles from their property, but as of yet, no official search has been conducted.

(17:27) During a public search, the “Uncle” allegedly released aggressive pigs and dogs to prevent searchers from accessing certain areas. This raised concerns about his potential involvement.

Suspicious Online Activity & Contacts
(23:04) Three weeks before Stefanie disappeared, an 80-year-old neighbor reported catching her trying to steal his truck. He claimed he dropped her off at the “Uncle’s” property. This man has been questioned multiple times by law enforcement.

(29:05) Investigators discovered that Stefanie had been corresponding with older men on Facebook. One was 32 years old, and another was in his 50s. The latter has multiple accounts with young girls added. The FBI has questioned him several times.

(30:49) Stefanie had also received a call from an unknown number on her grandfather’s phone. When her father called back and warned the caller that they were tracing the number, the FBI later found no records of it, which raised further concerns.

Potential Sightings & Theories
(33:55) A tip suggested that Stefanie was seen at a gas station in Buckton Haniford, Maine, with an older man. She had blue hair, avoided eye contact, and bought only one fountain drink before leaving. The FBI investigated the lead.

(34:41) There are concerns that drug traffickers in the deep woods of Maine may be involved, as the area is known for meth distribution and trafficking into Canada.

Law Enforcement & Corruption Concerns
(40:06) The FBI has officers from Pennsylvania and Boston working on Stefanie’s case. This involvement has raised questions about whether law enforcement has undisclosed information.

(41:34) Concerns have been raised about corruption within the local Maine police. The case of Eric Foot, a Marine who was missing for four months before being found dead, highlighted issues with falsified reports by Officer Chandler Cole, who was later arrested but released on a low bond.

(43:59) Another case involved a Maine police officer selling fentanyl from his squad car to high school students. Additionally, the case of missing woman Tenn Shaw was mishandled, with crucial searches only recently conducted.

Family’s Perspective & Response to Criticism
(51:08) The family has faced online harassment, with some accusing them of involvement in Stefanie’s disappearance. Stefanie’s great-aunt defends the family, stating that they are actively searching every day.

(55:35) Some speculate that Stefanie planned to leave, possibly due to feeling isolated. However, there is concern that she may have ended up in a dangerous situation beyond her control.

Final Thoughts & Call for Awareness
(1:29:24) The FBI remains actively involved in the investigation. The public is urged to share information and continue spreading awareness to bring Stefanie home safely.

Conclusion
Stefanie Damron, 14, is still missing. If you have any information, please contact law enforcement. Sharing her story can help bring her home.