Fifteen months after a 13-year-old girl vanished from her family's remote woodland home in Maine, the mystery of her disappearance has only grown more profound. Police have released scant information, her father has offered conflicting theories, and neighbours who long feared for the children's welfare now suspect the worst.
A Remote and Troubled Home
Stefanie Damron was last seen on the afternoon of September 23, 2024. According to her parents, she walked into the woods near their property in New Sweden, Maine, to 'clear her head' after an argument with her older sister. She never returned, prompting a large-scale search that found no trace of her.
The teenager had been living an isolated, off-grid life in a wooden yurt on a 20-acre plot with no running water or indoor plumbing. At the time she vanished, Stefanie and her 18-year-old sister, Star, were residing there with an 80-year-old family friend, Richard Turgeon, known as 'Grandpa'. Their parents, Christopher 'Dale' Damron, 48, and Lisa Marie Damron, 47, lived a mile away in a trailer with their four younger children.
Neighbours describe a deeply concerning situation that began when the family moved from Texas in 2021. "It was actually like watching a train wreck in slow motion from the time they got here," said 74-year-old neighbour Doug Tinsley.
Inconsistencies and Alarming History
Investigations have uncovered serious discrepancies in the official narrative. Two neighbours reported hearing a loud argument in the woods near the yurt on the day Stefanie disappeared. They also disputed the father's claim that he alerted neighbours immediately, stating they did not learn she was missing until September 25, two days later.
The Damron family's troubled history with child welfare services has also come to light. The parents previously lost custody of their children for six months in 2015 following an arrest for public intoxication in Texas. The FBI confirmed 'many' Child Protective Services (CPS) reports had been filed regarding Stefanie and her siblings, describing her upbringing as 'very untenable at times'.
Neighbours say they repeatedly contacted Maine's CPS and local officials about the children's welfare, citing a lack of visible schooling, poor living conditions, and the children often being seen in filthy clothes. They claim no substantive action was taken.
Bizarre Theories and Neighbourhood Tensions
In the absence of answers, Stefanie's father, Dale Damron, has publicly floated unusual theories. On a podcast in March 2024, he suggested his daughter might have been secretly meeting older men online using a flip phone and could have been pregnant. Neighbours find these claims implausible. "Stefanie seemed like a little kid to me," neighbour Shelley Carson said. "I can't imagine her hooking up with anyone."
Damron's attitude has further strained relations locally. He has been accused of threatening neighbours, with one alleging Damron showed him a semi-automatic weapon during a dispute. Another neighbour found two dead rats tied to his mailbox.
The only local who defends the family, Andrew 'Uncle Andrew' Losiewicz, 60, who let the parents live in his camper, admitted he told Dale Damron he was "abandoning your kids" by leaving the two teenagers in the yurt. Losiewicz offered his own unfounded theory, suggesting the sisters would drug 'Grandpa' Turgeon to sneak out.
A Family Pattern of Instability
The case has shed light on a pattern of instability. Lisa Marie's first husband, Billy Harsanyi, revealed she left with Dale Damron for Texas during a custody battle in 2008, and he has not seen his children since. One of Lisa Marie's adult daughters from a previous relationship also confirmed she cut ties with the family years ago.
As the Maine State Police and FBI continue their investigation—a source close to the case believes Stefanie never left the New Sweden area—the community is left with haunting questions. The description of Stefanie provided by her parents has been questioned by neighbours, who say the photo does not resemble her and that she was taller than the listed 5 feet.
Fifteen months on, with winter snows again covering the remote plot where Stefanie lived, the search for answers in this deeply unsettling Maine disappearance continues, underscored by a history of missed red flags and a childhood lived far from the public eye.
