You hope you could wake up from the greatest nightmare. Lisa Damron told Dateline, “And it just keeps going and going and going.” All I want to know is where my baby is. All I want is my baby to come home.
Since September 23, Stefanie Damron, Lisa’s 13-year-old daughter, has gone missing from her home in New Sweden, Maine. Lisa said, “She’s a wonderful girl.” It’s unbelievable that all of this is taking place.
It was just another day. Lisa and her husband proceeded to fill out a job application sometime in the early afternoon. Stefanie was one of their six children who stayed at home with their grandfather. The Damron kids receive their education at home.
Prior to our departure, Lisa recalled that she approached me, hugged me, and kissed my cheek while declaring her love for me. I gave her a kiss in return and promised to return.
Lisa claims that at approximately 3:00 p.m., her oldest daughter started texting her to let her know that Stefanie had left the house. She mentioned that she occasionally goes into the woods when she is sad or simply wants to be left alone. They set out to find her and other things. They were unable to locate her.
Lisa claimed that before Stefanie fled, she and her older sister had a fight about chores. She clarified that they were fighting over who would do what.
Stefanie stepped outdoors while her grandfather was fixing the front door after the quarrel. He claimed that as she turned around and turned to face him again, Lisa’s eyes were filled with tears. She simply continued walking after turning around.
Lisa states After that, Stefanie entered the woods near the house, a place she knew quite well. The main road can be reached via a route that winds through the region. Shortly after Stefanie fled, the family heard a car drive by, but no one saw it. According to her, they are unsure if it was a car, a motorcycle, a four-wheeler, or something else. The car was gone by the time anyone climbed up there.
Lisa went home to assist in finding Stefanie shortly after discovering that she had fled. She responded, “I mean, she has done this before,” so I started searching for her, going up and down the roads and everything.
Lisa informed Dateline that Stefanie had previously run off twice, but not in this manner. She claimed that although I had previously been able to locate her when she did it, this time I was unable to do so.
The following day, Stefanie’s family called the Maine State Police (MSP) to report her missing.
Dateline was informed by MSP Lieutenant Darrin Crane that Stefanie’s initial police response was considerable. A number of K-9 teams left quite early. He added, “We’ve also returned with cadaver dogs.” We have had numerous conversations with our neighbors to ask whether they had any recollections, heard anything, or noticed anything unusual that day or during that period.
Lt. Crane claims that the MSP has conducted extensive grid searching in the region, which he described as being highly thick, over the course of many days. More lately, the advent of winter has complicated the hunt. The lieutenant stated, “That’s a hurdle for us.” When the weather permits, we will keep conducting physical searches in the neighborhood. that we’re still working on it.
Lt. Crane claims that shortly after Stefanie vanished, the FBI made its resources available to the MSP. The MSP stated in a November 2024 Facebook post that the Major Crimes Unit will continue to look into the case in collaboration with the FBI’s CARD team. The FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, known as the CARD team, is dedicated to investigating incidents in which a child has been kidnapped by a non-family member.
A reward of up to $15,000 is being offered by the FBI, which has mentioned Stefanie on their website, for information that leads to Stefanie Damron’s safe return and/or the arrest and punishment of anyone responsible for her disappearance.
Lieutenant Crane declined to discuss the specifics of the inquiry and stated that his agency has not yet decided whether Stefanie’s disappearance was the result of foul play. He told Dateline, “We think anything is still possible because we don’t know where Stefanie is today or what happened to Stefanie.” Whether it’s foul play or an accident in the woods, we’re treating everything seriously and investigating any leads that take us in a certain path.
According to Lisa Damron, it has been excruciating to wonder where Stefanie is these past few months. She said, “I wish I knew where she was because she wouldn’t be there.” I know she’s safe here at home, where she would be.
Stefanie weighs 130 pounds and is 5’0″. She has brown hair and green eyes. She was last spotted sporting black Harley Davidson hiking boots, blue trousers, and a blue shirt with long sleeves. Today would be Stefanie’s fourteenth birthday.
The Maine State Police are asking anyone with information regarding Stefanie’s disappearance to contact them at (207) 532-5400 or 1-800-924-2261. Additionally, you can leave a tip online at tips.fbi.gov or call the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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