A high-stakes homicide investigation in Washington State has finally recovered evidence that has led to murder charges against a local man. Following the recovery of a body in the local river, a breakthrough has finally been reached in the disappearance of a missing woman since January.
Krista Hunt, 37, vanished from her small town of Concrete, Washington, in late January of this year. Hunt was reported missing on Feb. 1 and was last seen with a man named Juan Delgado. Hunt’s mother originally reported that her daughter's vehicle ran out of gas near the Lone Star restaurant, and that the victim walked away into the night, never to be seen again.
On March 12, Skagit River dive teams recovered a body from the depths near milepost 90, which turned out to be that of the missing 37-year-old victim, Krista Hunt. The location of the body was initially questionable, and suggested this could have been an accident.
Autopsy results later revealed injuries including a broken neck, ribs, and jaw, raising questions about whether this case was an accident.
Evidence That Could Not Go Unnoticed
Investigators believe Hunt may have been dead or dying prior to hitting the water. Clumps of the victim's hair and a significant amount of blood were found in Delgado’s truck, which indicated this could be the last place she was seen alive.
According to the court documents, Delgado provided several different narratives as to what actually happened to Krista Hunt, claiming she had been “hit by a car” at one point, but changing the script and saying she simply “walked away” at another. Detectives found no evidence suggesting this death was caused by a vehicle strike, prompting them to focus on the scene of violence within Delgado’s truck itself.
The physical evidence found in his vehicle told a much more macabre story, which prompted investigators to do more digging into the history of both Delgado and Hunt.
A Toxic and Deadly Connection
Friends and family of the couple described the connection between them as a "powder keg" that had been steadily escalating in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. Hunt’s mother claimed that before her daughter's disappearance, she had brought her to the hospital after she suffered a broken leg, which was confirmed by medical records. Hunt claimed Delgado allegedly “boot-stomped her leg and chest.”
Hunt’s mother also stated that her daughter alleged a time when Delgado would set a timer and tell her he was going to hit her “every 15 minutes” for an unknown duration of time.
The suspect is currently being held on $1 million bail as attorneys prepare to present this concoction of forensic evidence in court on March 26, 2026. The defense maintains Delgado’s innocence at this time.
