A former student of the Hyde School in Bath is suing the private boarding school and members of the Gauld family who operate it, alleging she and other students were subjected to forced labor and emotional abuse.

Jessica Fuller, who now lives in Palm Beach County, Florida, is the named plaintiff in the suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Maine by her attorneys, the Maine-based Island Justice Law and the Massachusetts-based Justice Law Collaborative.

Her attorneys are seeking class-action status to include students at Hyde School who they allege engaged in forced labor starting in July 2015.

Fuller was 16 when she began attending Hyde in July 2014. She left the school in February 2015.

The 47-page court filing says the school — founded by Joseph Gauld in 1966 — claims to offer a character development curriculum designed to help troubled students. Instead, it alleges the school operates as a “systematic child exploitation scheme.”

The six counts in the lawsuit allege trafficking, forced labor and negligence. It asks the court to seize all the defendants’ assets, including real estate, financial accounts and business interests.

The suit names Head of School Laura Gauld, her husband, Executive Director Malcolm Gauld, and several other members of the Gauld family as defendants.

According to the Portland Press Herald, which first reported the lawsuit, Dana McCavity, chair of Hyde’s board of governors, wrote in a letter to the school community Friday that the lawsuit’s claims “grossly mischaracterize Hyde’s policies and practices over time or are patently false.”

One week after a Maine paddleboarder was found murdered in a local neighborhood pond, members of the community are left searching for answers as fears of a potential serial killer grips the sleepy coastal town. 

The body of 48-year-old Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart was discovered in the early morning of July 3, just six hours after she had left for a solo paddleboarding trip around Crawford Pond, according to the Maine State Police. 

Stewart’s remains were reportedly found near 100 Acre Island, a wooded area accessible only by boat, according to WMTW 8. 

NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS REIGNITED AFTER PADDLEBOARDER’S MURDER IN QUIET COASTAL TOWN

Officials have remained tight-lipped about the investigation into the “suspicious” circumstances surrounding Stewart’s death, which has been ruled a homicide. 

“I think it’s just confusing because we don’t know what happened, like, if this was an isolated incident or a personal thing, like a grudge,” Gus Williams, who lives near Crawford Pond, told WMTW 8.

Despite the growing unease within the local community, authorities are asking the public to remain calm. 

PADDLEBOARDER’S MYSTERIOUS KILLING ROCKS QUIET SUMMER VACATION AREA

Authorities are investigating the “suspicious death” of Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart after she went missing while on a paddleboarding trip near Crawford Pond in Union, Maine on July 3, 2025.  (Sunshine Stewart/Facebook)

In a statement released by MSP on Wednesday, officials acknowledged the “fear and discomfort that this incident has brought to the town of Union and the Crawford Pond community,” while vowing to continue investigating Stewart’s death. 

However, authorities have not revealed whether they have named a suspect in Stewart’s death or the circumstances of how she was killed.

MSP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS STOKED BY 13TH BODY FOUND IN SMALL TOWN

Crawford Pond in Union, Maine, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.  (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Local police are asking for the public’s help after 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart was found killed near Crawford Pond in Knox County, Maine on July 3, 2025.  (U.S. Geological Survey)

But the words of comfort from authorities have done little to calm the fears of Williams, who told the local outlet he walks his dog near the pond every day. 

“The first time I was walking down here yesterday, I got to the path and was like, ‘No, I’m not going to go,’” Williams said.

Stewart’s apparent murder comes as fears of a serial killer lurking within the New England region are gripping the public. 

NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS: MASSACHUSETTS INVESTIGATORS IDENTIFY BODY PULLED FROM RIVER

Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart’s body was found after she disappeared during a paddleboarding trip near Crawford Pond in Union, Maine on July 3, 2025.  (Sunshine Stewart/Facebook)

At least 13 bodies – with the majority found in wooded or remote areas – have been discovered throughout Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, according to authorities. 

Last month, the remains of 21-year-old Adriana Suazo were found in a wooded area in Milton, Massachusetts, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office. Suazo’s body showed no signs of trauma, with her cause of death remaining undetermined pending an investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. 

Given the recent string of victims found within the region, MSP has asked “that residents continue to remain vigilant, be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”

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But for locals within the community, the words of warning are not enough to ease their fears of a killer lurking within their midst. 

“In a place where most people don’t lock their doors, like, ever, it definitely feels a little intrusive,” Williams said, adding, “I don’t know, [it’s] terrifying.” 

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report. 

Authorities are urging the public to remain calm after a paddleboarder was murdered in a quiet Maine town, sparking fear within the community following rumors of a possible serial killer lurking within the region.

The remains of 48-year-old Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart were discovered near Crawford Pond on July 3, just six hours after she departed for a solo paddleboarding trip, according to a press release from the Maine State Police (MSP). 

“Captain Sunny was an amazing person” who “would give you the shirt off her back,” Kim Ware, Stewart’s sister, told WMTW 8. 

PADDLEBOARDER’S MYSTERIOUS KILLING ROCKS QUIET SUMMER VACATION AREA

A multi-agency search was launched after officials received reports of a missing paddleboarder, with authorities with the Maine Game Wardens locating Stewart’s body at approximately 1 a.m. the next morning, police said. 

Following the gruesome discovery, investigators with the MSP Major Crimes Central Unit were called in to investigate the circumstances surrounding Stewart’s “suspicious death,” according to the department. 

An autopsy ruled Stewart’s death a homicide, with officials choosing not to release the cause of death, according to the press release. 

NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS STOKED BY 13TH BODY FOUND IN SMALL TOWN

Local police are asking for the public’s help after 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart was found killed near Crawford Pond in Knox County, Maine, on July 3, 2025.  (U.S. Geological Survey)

The killing has ignited fear within the local community as authorities have not yet named a suspect in the paddleboarder’s mysterious murder. 

​​”The Maine State Police recognizes the fear and discomfort that this incident has brought to the town of Union and the Crawford Pond community,” the department said in a statement on Wednesday.

The incident comes as paranoia surrounding the possibility of a serial killer lurking within the New England region grips the area following a series of unexplained deaths in recent months. 

NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS: MASSACHUSETTS INVESTIGATORS IDENTIFY BODY PULLED FROM RIVER

Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart’s body was found after she disappeared during a paddleboarding trip near Crawford Pond in Union, Maine, on July 3, 2025.  (Sunshine Stewart/Facebook)

At least 13 bodies have been discovered throughout Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine since March 2025 – with the majority found in wooded or remote areas. 

Last month, the body of 21-year-old Adriana Suazo was found in a wooded area in Milton, Massachusetts, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office. Following an investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, authorities announced that Suazo’s remains showed no signs of trauma, with her cause of death still waiting to be determined. 

Despite the string of victims found throughout the region, authorities are urging the public to remain calm as officials investigate the circumstances surrounding Stewart’s death. 

NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS ADDRESSED BY MASSACHUSETTS DISTRICT ATTORNEY AFTER 8TH BODY DISCOVERED

A map showing the locations where bodies in the New England area have been found. (Fox News)

“We understand the community’s concerns and ask that residents continue to remain vigilant, be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement,” MSP said.  

MSP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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As authorities search for answers, Stewart’s loved ones are left grieving the loss of a marine biologist, lobsterman and boat captain who previously sailed to the Caribbean in a hurricane, her sister told the local outlet. 

“To know Sunny is an amazing blessing,” Ware told WMTW 8. My sister and my best friend,” adding, “Truly an amazing woman. Now we have to rally and give her justice!”