Man charged with death of missing girlfriend found in river with broken neck

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (TCN) – A 42-year-old man has been charged in connection with the death of his girlfriend, who was reported missing in February and found several weeks later in a river.

KING reports that Krista Hunt, 37, was reported missing on Feb. 1.  She was last seen Jan. 25 in Concrete, Washington, with a man believed to have been her boyfriend. The victim’s mother said that their truck ran out of gas and that Hunt walked away and was not seen after that.

Pamela Hunt alleged that Hunt’s boyfriend, Juan Delgado, was abusive, and shortly before Hunt went missing, her mother, Pamela Hunt, took her to the hospital; she had suffered a broken leg. Pamela Hunt told KING, “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.”

Oxygen True Crime reports that Hunt also told hospital staff that she had been dragged across the road, burned with a lighter, punched, and hit with  belt. She said she did not want to report the abuse.

Two days after Hunt was reported missing, Delgado allegedly shot himself at a bar, according to KING. Oxygen reports that deputies had gone to talk with his mother about Hunt; she reportedly told them that she had last seen her getting into Delgado’s truck at a towing company. Shortly after this, she called 911 to report that Delgado had laid down plastic sheeting and shot himself in the face; he suffered from a cheek injury but survived. While receiving medical care he reportedly said he missed his girlfriend. 

During the course of the investigation, clumps of Hunt’s hair was found in Delgado’s truck, along with her blood. Delgado allegedly refused to answer investigators’ questions. KING reports that Delgado allegedly told friends that Hunt had been hit by a car.

Hunt’s body was found in the Skagit River on March 12 and identified as her a few days later. KING reports that the coroner could not determine her cause of death, but noted that she had a broken neck, jaw, and ribs. The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office announced second-degree murder charges against Delgado on March 20. 

After the charges were filed, KING reports that Hunt’s brother, Rand Hunt, said, “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."

According to KING, Delgado is being held on $1 million bail.

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