The Skagit County Community Justice Center, where a murder charge request in the Krista Hunt case is now under review.
SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — An update in the case of the death of Krista Joy Hunt as investigators have formally requested a murder charge, according to the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.
On March 19, 2026, detectives submitted charging paperwork to the Skagit County Prosecutor’s Office seeking to charge Juan Manuel Delgado Jr. with second-degree murder under RCW 9A.32.050 in connection with case number 26-01235.
Delgado was already in custody at the Skagit County Jail on unrelated charges at the time of the filing. Authorities confirmed he was known to Hunt.
Formal charges had not been filed in Skagit County Superior Court as of publication.
Last known movements before disappearance
Hunt was last seen around Jan. 25 near the Lone Star Restaurant in Concrete. Witnesses said she was with Delgado.
The two got into a truck. Hunt later got out and walked away. She was not seen again.
“I reported Krista missing on February 1st, and every day without her feels impossible,” her mother, Pamela Hoyt-Hunt, wrote.
Investigators with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office located remains earlier this week during a targeted search along the river near milepost 90.
Authorities said the operation was tied to an active missing persons case, not a search and rescue mission. Deputies searched the area by boat before locating the body along the riverbank.
Family pushes back on how suspect is described
As the case has unfolded, Hunt’s mother has publicly rejected how Delgado has been characterized.
“Please can we stop referring to Juan Delgado Jr. as Krista’s boyfriend,” Hoyt-Hunt wrote. “He was a moment in her life. He subjected her to relentless cruelty and nothing else.”
Allegations of violence in weeks before disappearance
In a GoFundMe post created during the search, Hoyt-Hunt described severe injuries her daughter suffered before she disappeared.
“He’s not a man! but a foolish tormented boy from a violent biker world who knew nothing of love,” Hoyt-Hunt said. “He treated her as something to break, not cherish.”
Those details have been reflected in prior reporting as the case drew wider attention.
What happens next in the case
The Skagit County Prosecutor’s Office will now review the submitted charge request and determine whether to formally file it in court.
Delgado remains in custody.
As with all criminal cases, the charge is an allegation, and the suspect is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
PNW Daily will update this story as court filings are released.
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