Washington Man Charged With Murder After Girlfriend Found in River

A Washington state man with a documented history of abusing his girlfriend has been charged with her murder after her remains were pulled from the Skagit River nearly two months after she was last seen alive.

Juan Delgado, 42, was charged with second-degree murder on March 19 in the death of 37-year-old Krista Hunt. The Skagit County Sheriff's Office confirmed the arrest after investigators found clumps of Hunt's hair and her blood inside Delgado's vehicle.

Last Seen in January

Hunt was reported missing by her mother, Pamela Hunt, on Feb. 1. A missing persons flyer indicated she had last been seen around Concrete, a small town approximately 100 miles north of Seattle.

According to Pamela, her daughter was last seen on Jan. 25 in Delgado's truck. Delgado told police the couple had run out of gas and that Hunt had walked away from the vehicle. She was not seen again.

When investigators contacted Delgado on the day of the missing persons report, he claimed he had not heard from Hunt in five days. He told police they had experienced problems in their relationship but that he believed they were currently on good terms. He also said he wanted to return her two dogs.

A History of Abuse

Pamela Hunt had been sounding the alarm about her daughter's safety long before she disappeared. She told local outlet KING5 that Delgado had repeatedly abused Hunt and described taking her daughter to the hospital just weeks before she went missing.

"She did in fact have a broken leg," Pamela told KING5. "She said he had boot-stomped her leg and her chest. She said one time he set a timer and told her he was going to hit her every 15 minutes."

In a GoFundMe set up during the search for her daughter, Pamela wrote that when she brought Hunt to the hospital, her daughter "was covered in bruises, both new and old, had been strangled, had two black eyes, and a broken leg." Doctors warned at the time that if Hunt were strangled again, she might not survive.

A Suicide Attempt and an Arrest

Two days after the missing persons report was filed, Delgado shot himself at a bar in Concrete. He survived and told authorities he missed Hunt.

He was taken into custody on Feb. 5 on unrelated charges — two counts of possession of an explosive device, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, and a DUI. He was held on a $100,000 bond. Authorities later declined to pursue the explosive device charges, though it remains unclear whether that decision was connected to the more serious murder charge that followed.

Body Recovered From the Skagit River

Weeks into the search, a body was discovered in the Skagit River near Concrete. On March 18, the Skagit County Coroner confirmed the remains as those of Krista Hunt. Delgado was arrested the following day.

The cause of death remained under investigation at the time of the coroner's announcement, but the report detailed significant injuries including a broken neck, broken jaw and broken ribs.

Following the murder charge, Delgado's bond was raised to $1 million. He remains in custody at Skagit County Jail.

Family Speaks Out

Hunt's family has spoken openly about their grief and their anger in the weeks since her remains were identified.

Her brother told KING5: "I can't imagine the pain my mom is going through right now. I know the pain I'm going through, and it's hard. He stole 60 years of my relationship with Krista."

Her cousin, Holly Luja, wrote on Facebook: "There is such a hole in my life now that my beloved cousin Krista filled."

Pamela Hunt, who had fought publicly for weeks to find her daughter, wrote of the outpouring of support from those who knew Krista: "It feels so good to know how much love Krista shared with so many people from all walks of life. She was definitely one of a kind."

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