It’s been one year since Port Moody, B.C.’s Trina Hunt disappeared and her cousin-in-law, Stephanie Ibbott, said the pain her family feels is still so deep, “there will never be complete closure.”
The 48-year-old’s remains were found by a member of the public south of Silver Creek in Hope more than two months after she disappeared.
“How do you make sense of your loved one, who was absolutely innocent, being murdered and left to rot in the woods?” said Ibbott, who speaks for Hunt’s family, on Tuesday.
“It kind of hit me like a freight train this morning. One year, probably not to Trina’s death, but one year of our lives without Trina in it, and just a lot of thoughts … reliving the trauma of the year.”
Hunt was reported missing on Jan. 18, 2021, by her husband Iain, who said he’d seen her that morning.
Hunt’s cousins have said Iain told the family they were visiting a campground in Hope the weekend of Jan. 15, adding that they were on a digital detox, so Hunt couldn’t be reached by phone.
She was last seen on surveillance footage four days before she was reported missing. Her disappearance triggered an extensive search effort that included search and rescue crews and community volunteers.
Homicide investigators executed search warrants at Hunt’s home in Port Moody and Iain’s parents’ home in Mission. Global News reached out to Iain for comment on this story.
In June 2021, the family posted a $50,000-reward for information leading to an arrest and charges in the case, but none have been made or laid to date.
“What doesn’t make sense is that she was found in Hope. I don’t know if that will ever make sense,” said Ibbott. “Such an undignified way for such a dignified person’s life to end.”
Many questions about Hunt’s homicide remain.
“Like the rest of the public, we’re not privy to the details of the investigation, which I understand,” said Ibbott. “We just talk to IHIT and they reassure us they’re dedicated and focused on solving this and I have to believe them.”
Ibbott said she’s confident charges will be laid and she begged anyone with information to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-4448.
With files from Rumina Daya and Elizabeth McSheffrey