DAYTON, Maine — A woman from Virginia who was reported missing was found dead last week in Maine. Her family gathered with locals in the Dayton area for a vigil Wednesday, as many questions about the tragedy remain unanswered.
Autumn Cleveland, a 23-year-old Taylor Swift fan who loved true-crime documentaries, was found dead Sept. 2 in a vehicle parked near Goodwins Mills Road in Dayton. Her death is being investigated by Maine State Police.
“I keep checking my phone expecting to see a message from her,” Brooke McDonald, Cleveland’s sister, said Wednesday.
McDonald said the two had visited Maine over Memorial Day weekend, driving from Virginia and eventually making it to Baxter State Park, where they saw a moose in the wild. It was on this trip that McDonald said her sister fell in love with the state.
“She said, ‘I want to go live in Maine for a little bit,'" McDonald said.
Cleveland made the dream a reality. She packed up her belongings and headed north from Virginia in the last week of August. McDonald said the move was in line with Cleveland’s personality as a young woman with a “traveler’s spirit.”
McDonald, a former police officer, said she is still trying to make sense of the mysterious loss of her sister soon after her arrival in Maine.
“It was a shell shock to us because she’s always been very, very safe,” McDonald added.
At the vigil Wednesday, the Cleveland family was joined by those they had never met, drawn to Goodwins Mills Road to support a grieving family.
“It means a lot. It’s nice to see people show up,” McDonald said.
The Maine State Police is awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine Autumn Cleveland’s manner of death.