FBI offers reward in case of missing northern Maine girl

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The FBI said Monday it is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the return of a northern Maine teenager whose disappearance earlier in the fall has attracted international attention.

Stefanie Damron, 14, of New Sweden, Maine, was reported missing by her family on Sept. 24, when she was last seen walking out of her house and into the nearby woods. Stefanie, who is homeschooled and has limited access to social media, has not been found despite extensive searches and interviews, authorities said.

The FBI is collaborating with Maine State Police and is hopeful the reward will incentivize anyone with information regarding Stefanie’s disappearance, said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division. The reward is available to anyone with information leading to Stefanie’s safe return or the arrest and prosecution of anyone involved in her disappearance, the FBI said in a 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,” Cohen said.

New Sweden is a rural community of about 575 people located 310 miles (498.90 kilometers) north of Portland. Stefanie did not have electronic devices with her when she was last seen, and was known to sometimes leave home for the woods behind her house, though not for this long, Maine State Police Major Scott Gosselin said Monday.

“We are looking for help from the public in order to maintain a vigilance for Stefanie and to report any tips or leads that might be helpful to our investigation,” Gosselin said.

Stefanie’s disappearance has attracted media attention from as far away as Europe. Tips have come in regarding the case from other states and Canada, and authorities are following up on those, police said. However, police have yet to receive any concrete leads, they said.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services has been notified, which is standard procedure whenever a minor goes missing or there could be an issue in the home, police said.

Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press