Stefanie Damron has been missing since September 23rd, 2024. The then-13-year-old was last seen at her family's home in New Sweden, Maine. According to the family, Stefanie walked away from the home and into the woods after an argument with her older sister. She never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again.
Stefanie is the Damron's middle child. She has five siblings; at the time of her disappearance, they ranged from the ages of 8 to 21. The Damron family lives an "off-grid" lifestyle - their New Sweden home is a yurt-like structure that does not have any indoor plumbing or running water. The home is also located on 26 acres of land and is surrounded by vast woods.
Stefanie's parents, Lisa and Christopher 'Dale' Damron told police that they were not home at the time Stefanie vanished. They explained that they were in town to fill out a job application, and they brought two of their children with them. Four of the other children, including Stefanie, stayed behind. At some point, Stefanie and her older sister got into an argument over chores. The family stated that the argument prompted Stefanie to storm off into the woods.
Lisa Damron explained that her oldest daughter sent her a text message about Stefanie being missing around 3:00 PM. She said that it was not unusual for Stefanie to want to take time to herself when she was upset. The family said that they looked around the woods for her, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Stefanie's parents contacted police the following day to report their daughter missing.
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What happened to Stefanie?
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| Source: NBC News |
As noted above, Stefanie seemingly vanished into thin air after being seen walking into the woods near her family's New Sweden, Maine home. The family stated that she was familiar with the woods and had ventured through the area several times in the past. Stefanie also reportedly had run off before during times of frustration, but according to family, she was always found within a few hours.
Most reports indicate that Stefanie did not have a cell phone at the time of her disappearance. The Damron family's "off-grid" lifestyle gave Stefanie and her siblings very little access to electronic devices and social media. While the oldest Damron sibling seemed to have a phone, it does not appear that the other children had regular access to such items.
More about the Damron family.
Two years before Stefanie's disappearance, the Damron family moved from Rusk, Texas to New Sweden, Maine. The move occurred after an incident in Texas in which the parents - Lisa and Christopher 'Dale' Damron - were arrested after they were found to be intoxicated at a local McDonald's while two of their children were left in their car. Lisa Damron later pleaded guilty to a charge of deadly conduct and received a deferred sentence.
Some of the Damron children were temporarily removed from their parent's custody following this incident. Once custody was restored, the family moved to Maine. The family moved with a man named Richard, who the children refer to as their grandfather, but is actually a lifelong associate of Dale Damron. After moving to Maine, the family befriended a man named Andrew - who the children refer to as 'Uncle Andrew'. The yurt structure that the family moved into is on Andrew's property.
Stefanie and her siblings were reportedly homeschooled and "taught the basics". After Stefanie was reported missing, her parents told police that they planned to send their children to the government program Job Corp, which would help them gain qualifications to obtain GEDs. Reports state that Stefanie's older brother attended one of their classes, but there are no known records of any of the other Damron children doing so.
Stefanie's access to a support system outside of her immediate family was very limited. She did not attend school and was not involved in any community activities such as sports or clubs. According to her family, she had "no friends" at the time of her disappearance.
More about Stefanie's disappearance.
As previously stated, Stefanie was reportedly home with a few of her siblings at the time of her disappearance. The Damron parents were not home, but the "grandfather", Richard was present. According to Richard, he was working at a maintenance project at the home when he saw Stefanie storm out of the house with tears in her eyes.
It appears that Richard and possibly the older sister with whom Stefanie had argued witnessed Stefanie walking into the woods. Although the woods are vast, there is also reportedly a path through the area that leads to a main road. According to NBC News, "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. By the time anybody got up there, the vehicle was already gone.”
The search for Stefanie.
The Damron family reportedly searched for Stefanie themselves around the area before contacting police. Stefanie was formally reported missing on September 24th, 2024. She turned 14 on October 6th, 2024 - about two weeks after she vanished.
Initial searches for Stefanie were extensive. Lt. Darrin Crane from the Maine State Police told Dateline, “Several K-9 teams went very early on. We’ve also gone back with cadaver dogs. We have talked to neighbors repeatedly — just seeing if they remember anything, or have heard anything, or saw anything suspicious that day or around that time frame.” A large-scale search of the dense wooded area took place for several days. Unfortunately, nothing was found.
Weeks stretched on without any updates in the case. Then, in December 2024, the FBI announced that they would be joining the Maine State Police on their investigation into Stefanie's disappearance. A $15,000 reward in exchange for information was announced as well.
Meanwhile, as news about Stefanie's disappearance began to circulate around news outlets and social media, speculation began to build as well. Many people had questions about the Damron's family chosen off-grid lifestyle - especially as it seemingly kept their children isolated from the outside world. Many also questioned whether or not the children were receiving a suitable education.
There were also inevitable concerns about the arrest/CPS incident that had occurred just two years prior to Stefanie's disappearance in Texas. There has been speculation that the Damron parents chose to move the family to such a remote area in Maine to avoid further incidents involving CPS from occurring. Concerns about the parent's alcohol and possible drug use has been big topic as well.
Despite all of this, police have publicly stated that they do not believe Lisa or Dale Damron are directly responsible for Stefanie's disappearance. However, they have not completely ruled out foul play as a factor in the case either. The fact that a vehicle was heard passing by shortly afterward Stefanie left her home makes it possible that she was picked up - but at this time, police have not been able to determine anything of the sort.
It's also possible that Stefanie succumbed to an accidental death in the woods. However, there have not been any direct signs of that, either. In May 2025, another search took place for Stefanie that lasted over three days. The search included "personnel from the Maine State Police, Maine Warden Service, FBI, numerous volunteer search-and-rescue organizations and support teams using drones, K9s and horses." The search ended unsuccessfully; nothing of interest was found.
Still missing.
At the time of her disappearance, Stefanie was approximately 5'0" and 130 pounds. She has brown hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeved blue shirt, and black Harley Davidson hiking boots.
The MSP and FBI are continuing to investigate Stefanie's disappearance. If you have any information that could help solve the case, please contact the Maine State Police at 207-532-5400 or submit a tip online with the FBI.
