True Crime with Kendall Rae - She Went Missing During a “Digital Detox”? Seeking Justice in the Murder of Trina Hunt

Episode Date: January 11, 2024

Trina Hunt was a deeply loved, highly respected woman living in Port Moody, British Columbia. She was fun, kind, generous and had a zest for life that most people don’t have. She was married to a man named Iain Hunt, and based on the reporting there didn’t appear to be any major issues in the relationship. However, on January 18th, 2021, he reported her missing after returning from work and not being able to find her. As HIS story goes, he and Trina went to a campsite on January 16th together and didn’t bring their phones because they were doing a “digital detox.” Nobody knows what the couple did on the 17th, because unfortunately, Iain has been super vague about the details… Police and volunteers searched high and low for her, and then, over 2 months later, her remains were uncovered near the area of the campsite they visited that weekend. Is it just a terrible coincidence her remains were found where he said they last visited... or is he responsible? If you have any information related to the murder of Trina Hunt, please call IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 OR email [e-mail] Trina Hunt Website: https://trinahunt.com/ Please Bring Me Home NPO: https://pleasebringmehome.com/ Donate to NCMEC through my campaign! https://give.missingkids.org/campaign...  Shop my Merch! https://kendallrae.shop This episode is sponsored by: 3 Day Blinds Rocket Money Modern Fertility Smalls- For 50% off your first order, head to Smalls.com/KENDALLRAE and use code KENDALLRAE. Check out Kendall's other podcasts: The Sesh & Mile Higher Follow Kendall! YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook Mile Higher Zoo REQUESTS: General case suggestion form: https://bit.ly/32kwPly Form for people directly related/ close to the victim: https://bit.ly/3KqMZLj Discord: https://discord.com/invite/an4stY9BCN CONTACT: For Business Inquiries - [e-mail]

Hello everyone and welcome back to True Crime with Kendall Ray. I am so happy to have you here with me today to discuss yet another case. And if you are new, then welcome. Really quick before we jump into today's case, I wanted to let you know that we have restocked our neck, neck hoodies. You guys have been selling them out quickly. And this could possibly be our final restock. So if you want one, be sure to get your hands on it.

You can get it at KendalRate.shop and 100% of the proceeds is donated to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as always. But let's go ahead and get into this case. Now, this is one that so many people have requested and a lot of my members have specifically requested this case. Today, we're going to be discussing the unsolved murder of Trina Hunt. And before I jump into this case,

I wanted to quickly highlight and thank all of her family, friends, and supporters who have worked tirelessly to get her story out there and to hopefully get train justice. Like so many families are forced to do, they've continued to push for answers even when it's been difficult, traumatizing, and very disheartening. But by doing so, they've been able to reach thousands of people and keep things moving along.

And I hope that by sharing her case on my show, more people will learn about who she was and the circumstances surrounding her murder. Now we are getting close here to the three year anniversary of Trainah's disappearance. And I hope so deeply that 2024 will be the year that justice is finally served. And with that being said,

I wanna start by telling you about the incredible woman that Trainah Hunt was. So Trainina June Ibit, her maiden name, was born on June 6th, 1972, to her parents Diana and Charles. She grew up with one brother, Brad, and although information on her early life has been harder to find, I don't think that will keep us from getting to know who she was. And that's because her friends and family have done such a great job sharing stories and keeping her memory alive. And so I feel confident when I say that Trina seemed to be the embodiment of warm selflessness and love.

She seemed to have an unmatched zest for life and was someone that you would just walk away from feeling happier. Her brother Bradd says that she had a knack and passion for making people feel loved and special, and always prioritized people's comfort and happiness over her own. And spending time with her loved ones seemed to be a huge priority for Trina. She was always planning events, trying to think of ways to bring everyone together, and create special memories with those she loved. And those who are closest with her describe her as someone who was loyal, bright, down to

earth, and they all say that she had a heart of gold. And the continued online support for Trina has really helped me understand just how important she was in the lives of others. And how her death impacted not only family and friends, but an entire community in Port Moody, British Columbia. But before I talk about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and her death, I want to give you some more context about what was going on in her life before all of this happened.

Going into 2021, Trina was 48 years old and living in the heritage mountain neighborhood of Port Moody, British Columbia, with her husband, Ion Hunt. She and Ion were high school sweethearts, and they began dating their senior year after he transferred to her school. Later in life, Trina began working at Shaw Communications, which is a telecommunications company, but in 2019, she was fortunate enough to retire. She had always been a hard worker, but obviously retiring in your 40s is a huge accomplishment. But despite retiring, she maintained close relationships with all of her former co-workers, which honestly, hearing everything that her family and friends had to say about her, this doesn't really surprise me that much. She was the type of

person who made friends and then kept those friends for life. Now, as for Ayaan, he was the CEO of Clean Tech Service Group, which was a commercial cleaning service company based out of Richmond, British Columbia. And from what I can tell, their marriage and their lives leading up to Trina's disappearance seemed pretty normal. And I don't want to speculate too much about their marriage, but for the sake of reporting this case in full, I do wanna mention that from what I read, it didn't appear to have any major problems,

which of course, doesn't mean they didn't have any. And honestly, they're probably the only two people who truly knew what was going on in their marriage. But like I said, going into 2021, from the outside at least everything did seem normal. There seemed to be no indication that anything bad was about to happen, but something bad did happen. On January 18th, Trina disappeared and left her friends, family, and the whole community of Port Moody devastated and confused.

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shades, shutters, and drapery. For a free no charge, no obligation consultation, just head to 3-dayblinds.com slash candle ray. That's by 1.50% off when you head to 3-dayblindblind.com slash Kendall Ray. That's by one get one 50% off when you head to 3dayblind.com slash Kendall Ray. One last time that's the number three D.A.Y. Blinds.com slash Kendall Ray. So in order to tell you about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, I need to sort of rewind a little bit in the timeline, starting with January 14th and 15th. And this is a small yet important detail. On the 14th,

Trina was seen on a few surveillance cameras near a few different retail shops. And I mentioned this because it was a confirmed sighting of her, just a few days before she went missing. Then came the 15th, which was a Friday, and Trina spent part of the day texting with a friend who lived in Ottawa. Because Port Moody in Ottawa are basically on opposite sides of Canada, the two of them were trying to coordinate a virtual

cocktail date, which I love that idea. And just like the surveillance footage on the 14th, I share this with you because this was the last confirmed and reliable confirmation of a conversation that Trina had before she went missing. And that leads me to Sunday the 16th. According to Ion, he and Trina decided that they would take a day trip to Hope, British Columbia, which is about an hour and a half drive, and they went specifically to visit a campground that they used to go to when they were younger. He says they drove his Grey BMW and made no stops on their way there and no stops on their way home. And he

also says that neither of them brought their phones. And this was because, according to Ion, Trina said that she needed a digital detox because at the time, COVID and Trump were dominating the news and it was really bumming her out. So neither of them brought their phones and because of that, there is no digital trace of either of them that day. And so an old coworker of Trinas tried texting her twice that day and didn't get a response until the following evening. But I will explain more about that here in a second.

Now Ion says that they did get home later in the evening on the 16th, and he doesn't remember exactly what time, but he said it was early enough for them to watch a movie before going to bed. Then, when it comes to Sunday the 17th, Ayan has given a very vague response as to how they spent that day. So vague in fact, that her family and friends are still unsure as to what they actually did that day. All they do know is that he claims that they spent the day together. Also, like I said a minute ago,

that evening happens to be when Trina's phone responded to her former co-workers text, and I wanna read it to you guys. The response from Trina's phone said too funny, and then delayed response because I'm trying a digital detox this weekend. Haven't touched my phone all weekend. And this former co-worker replies saying,

wow, good for you. Must be so much harder stuck at home, to which Trina's phone responds, amen. Now I'm sure you picked up on the fact that I said Trina's phone responded because many people believe that it wasn't actually Trina who responded. Based on these blunt responses and lack of emojis, people who are close to Trina are not convinced

that these messages were sent by her. So that brings us back to January 18th. That day, Ayan says that he left her work around 6am and he confirmed that Trina was home and sleeping when he left. And he says that because he didn't want to wake her up so early in the morning, he decided not to set the alarm system the night before. So he says he headed off to work that morning. And then when he returned around 4.30 PM that day, he found Trina's phone, her wallet, her keys, and her car, but no sign of Trina herself. And it was also noted that the door was unlocked and there was no sign of forced entry.

And so, after 30 minutes, he ends up calling the Port Moody Police Department at 5.00 PM and reported his wife missing. And right away, they took his concerns seriously. P.m. PD officers immediately responded to the call and began to canvas the neighborhood that same evening. And they were looking for any signs of trainer as well as any home or business surveillance footage that may help them put together a timeline of when she was last seen. Send dogs were even used in the surrounding area to see if they could pick up a trace of Trina, but all of their efforts came up empty.

There was nothing to explain why she left or where she went, but her friends and family were adamant that Trina would have never just up and left her life. They just knew from day one that something was very, very wrong here, and they pushed for answers right away. So before I found Rocket money, I had no idea how much money I was wasting on subscriptions that I forgot about or some that I paid twice for and didn't even realize it. And with Rocket money, it was able to cancel a bunch of subscriptions that were otherwise tricky to do or just time-consuming. If I asked you how many subscriptions you have, would you be able to list them all out and how much

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to rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Ray. That's rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Ray, rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Ray. And from very early on, the information that they were getting about, printed disappearance just didn't sit right with them. And I already mentioned the texts on her phone that they don't believe she actually sent, but there are other things too.

Like the home security system, because not only was Pregnance a stickler for keeping that system armed and activated, but Ion's explanation for why he didn't say it just didn't make sense to them. Like I explained, Ion says that he didn't set the system on the 17th because he didn't want to wake her up the following morning on the 18th. But according to their website, TrinaHunt.com, the alarm system was down the hall away from the bedroom and at most would have made two quiet beeping sounds of activated or deactivated.

Which is why his whole explanation for not setting it just doesn't make sense. Then there's the fact that Trina missed a phone appointment that she had scheduled at 1pm on the 18th. She just wasn't the type of person that would just miss appointments. And if she ever did have to miss appointments, she would let somebody know she would give an explanation as to why she couldn't make it. Also, and I personally find this to be pretty strange as well. That weekend, I posted a meme to his Pinterest board that said, sorry if I offended you, but maybe you've needed to be offended. Here's my apology and one more thing, fuck you.

And then it has an image of a little girl flipping off the camera. And the timing of it is weird, but it's also weird that I and even posted this because normally he posted like men's fashion and travel inspiration on his Pinterest board. So this was just totally out of the norm. And lastly, I and many others believe that it is pretty odd

that I am says that they drove his BMW to the campsite in Hope. Trina drove Aimer Sadie's SUV, which is the car that they usually took when they went places together. So while the sudden would they take his car and not to mention the fact that January 16th was a very cold day.

I mean, this is January in Canada. And maybe it's just me, but my experience living in Colorado, whenever we go to the mountains and it's snowing and cold, we always take the biggest, most rugged and equipped car possible for the driving conditions. However, the reality is, Ion's word was all investigators and her family and friends had to go off in the beginning. And so, without any sign of where she could be or

what happened, this case was treated as a missing person's investigation from the beginning and nothing more. Like I said before, the initial investigation began on the night of January 18th, and because nothing turned up, the efforts to look for her picked back up the next morning. PM PD officers, search and rescue crews, community volunteers, a helicopter, and canine units joined the search. The heritage mountain community was absolutely scoured, as well as the deeply wooded area surrounding it. And one theory right off the bat was that train had gone out for a walk, which didn't seem like it would be entirely impossible. So PMPD officers went door to door asking for surveillance footage so that they could piece together train as movements from that weekend and sort of help build out a timeline.

And they did end up uncovering several hours of footage, but unfortunately it's unclear to the public whether or not anything valuable was gained from that. Their search efforts went on for a full three days and then on January 21st, the PMPD announced that the community ground search would be put on hold. And although the ground search stopped, they were still encouraging people to come forward with any information or surveillance footage and continue to investigate her disappearance. And as for Trina's friends and family,

they were overwhelmed by support in those first few days. Those who knew Trina and even those who didn't came together to search for her and I'm blown away by their level of organization and sense of camaraderie. Yeah, well, it

may be dark. It's very cold up with that has not stopped the center that is here. They even have small fires going to keep the volunteers here and it hasn't stopped the study stream of people who have been arriving all day to offer a since to ask questions to find out the latest information has concerned continues to grow because it has been almost four days since Trina Hunt was last seen. Now the community has taken up the effort organized through Facebook complete with a detailed map. People can mark to note their search efforts there. Volunteers who arrive here are being asked to cover off particular areas. They've highlighted different areas, so we'll be walking the neighborhood and finding

any cameras that might have information, that might have been missed, that people might not have checked already. Volunteers and police are asking everyone to ensure they are prepared before heading out and say they have been overwhelmed with supplies, even saying they don't need anymore. For a lot of us, the start of the new year feels like the right time to schedule doctors appointments and check in with where you are health-wise. But what about your reproductive health? And that's why modern fertility was created. It's an easy and affordable way to test your fertility hormones at home with a simple

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Now, I mentioned earlier that Trina's disappearance was being classified as a missing person's case, and only a missing person's case. And the PMPD not only confirmed that, but on January 22nd, they also made a statement saying they didn't believe foul play was involved. And then a few weeks later, on February 17th, they made an additional statement, basically saying the same thing. In this statement, PMPD officials shared that in addition to combing through footage, conducting interviews and falling up on tips from the public, they also reached out to the RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

Now IHIT is the largest homicide unit in Canada. It's responsible for investigating homicides, suspicious deaths, and high-risk missing persons' cases where foul play is suspected. And no shocked here, but by contacting IHIT, the Port Moody Police were hoping to get assistance in Trenus disappearance. I mean, after all, they have bigger and better resources. But, like the Port Moied Police shared in their statement, IHIT did not think that Trina's case fit their mandate for an investigation. In other words, the homicide team did not think

that there was enough evidence to suggest that there was foul play involved in Trina's disappearance, and so they wouldn't be investigating it as such. However, this did not stop Trina's friends and family from pushing the public to come forward with information. And there are as she had no mental health problems, she had no financial hardship. There was nothing in her life going on

that would make her just up and leap. So on March 1st, 2021, their family decided to do their own press conference. And speaking on behalf of their family was Stephanie Ibbit, who is Trina's cousin-in-law. And she has continued to take on this role of spokesperson for the family, and I really want to commend her for all that she's done and continues to do. That day, she spoke about Trina, and how their lives have been turned upside down by her disappearance.

She says that their anguish is unbearable and that it's simply impossible to function at times. And Stephanie also read a statement from Ayan who notably wasn't in attendance. And his statement reads, the past six weeks since Trinit disappearance have been a devastating and incredibly difficult time for me and everyone who knows my wife. I feel the same frustration and incomprehension that her parents, family, and friends share

and not knowing what has happened to Trina. I am confident that the police are doing all they can to solve this case and I am hopeful that they will bring Trina home. Now, I am not attending this press conference and not participating in the search efforts and also later on not attending a vigil for Trina has not been overlooked by the public. And I'm sure many of you feel the same way. I mean, I certainly do. I think not attending any of this is highly suspicious and strange, especially when you consider how outspoken and involved everyone else in her life has been. In fact, the same day as the press conference, Prina's family hung a large banner across

an overpass and rocky point part to help raise awareness for her disappearance. And on top of that, a GoFundMe was started to help pay for independent search and rescue organizations like the group Please Bring Me Home. Please Bring Me Home is a non-profit organization that is primarily run by volunteers to help search for missing persons across Canada. And their goal is to solicit anonymous tips regarding cold missing persons cases, find the missing, and bring them home. And in addition to utilizing volunteers, they also work with Black Tracks canine Corporation, the only private canine team with professional credentials to help with cadaver recovery, search, rescue, and more.

I have made a donation to this organization in Trina's name, and I will have their information in the description of this episode so you can learn more about what they do. As I have talked about so many times, I love my animals. I have 10 pets, I have three cats, and I love, love, love my kiddies. I'm really a cat person above all else, and I'm proud of it. Cats are great companions, and my cats just bring so much joy to my life, so the least I can do is feed them the best cat food that money can buy. Cats want a variety in their diet just like we do. And our cats

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your first order. One last time that's promo code Kendall Ray for 50% off your first order. One last time that's promo code Kendall Ray for 50% off your first order, plus free shipping. But jumping back into the timeline because we still have a lot to go over, I wanna talk about March 10th. That was the day that Ion's title and role as CEO of Clean Tech Service Group was terminated. And while his LinkedIn profile said

that he was taking a sabbatical, Ion has been completely wiped from the company's website and social media platforms, leading many to wonder if there's more to that. Then came March 29th, 2021, and two major things happened that day. First of all, IHIT made an announcement that a set of remains

had been found south of Hope, British Columbia near Silver Creek. And these remains were actually one of three that were found in a week in this area. And at first, it was not mentioned that any of these remains belonged to Trina. The second thing that happened on the 29th is that Ion appeared to have moved out of the house that he shared with Trina and moved in with his parents in mission, which is about an hour away. And I don't know why he moved out of the house, but I can say that this has taken the online speculation about him to a whole new level. I mean, first he wasn't involved in anything.

He wasn't helping look for her. And now he's moving away from the area, very strange. But his actions or inactions did not stop this family from pushing forward. On April 18th, a candlelight vigil was held in her honor. And without knowing where she was or what happened to her, this evening was a chance for her loved ones to honor her life and pray for answers. And as I said before, I in did not attend this vigil, which is very, very odd, but he was spotted by neighbors on April 27th

for the first time in weeks. We're turning to the home that he once shared with Trina. And I can only imagine that every day felt like a lifetime that they had to wait for answers, but fortunately, they didn't have to wait much longer. Because on May 1st, 2021, the remains that were found in Hope, British Columbia, back on March 29th were identified as belonging to Trina Hunt, and her case was immediately reclassified as a homicide.

A tragic end in the search for Trina Hunt, nearly three and a half months after she was reported missing, homicide investigators confirmed that human remains found in hope on March 29th are those of the 48-year-old Port Moody Woman who had been missing since January. Hunt was last seen at her home around 6am on January 18th. Her husband reported her missing later that day when he returned home from work. Since her disappearance, police, search and rescue crews and hundreds of volunteers have scoured the area around her heritage woods home and the hopes of finding her. Previously, port moody police said they did not believe foul play was involved in her

disappearance. Now, a statement from IHIT says foul play is suspected in her death and the team has reclassified the case as a homicide. And clearly, you cannot ignore the obvious here. That Trina's remains were found in an area that I and said that they went just days before he reported her missing. They drove to hope without their phones without any trace of where exactly they were or what they did and that's the approximate area where she was found. And not surprisingly, this detail only made the online speculation grow and confirmed what

many people already believed that Ion killed his wife. Now, of course, I just have to say this, Ion is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The information I'm sharing does make it sound like this is an open and shut case, however, it is very much still open and ongoing to this day. Nobody has been charged with Trina's murder, and IHIT is still working diligently to bring her killer to justice. So once the news of her body being found was made public, Trina's friends and family entered

a new stage of grief. I mean, now instead of mourning the unknown, they were mourning the known. And what they knew was just unimaginable. How could Trina, someone who was so kind, so loving, so caring, be a victim of murder? The portmody community gathered in support of her family, and for the next several days, built a beautiful memorial outside her home. They filled the lawn with balloons, purple tulips, which was her favorite flower, and pictures of the woman they knew and loved. And homicide investigators announced that they

currently had nobody in custody in connection with her murder. However, they recognized the seriousness and impact of her death and were working hard to solve it. And then on June 1st, Trinus family announced that they were offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and charges of the person responsible for her murder. They were desperate for answers, and like many, they hoped that this would incentivize someone to come forward. And by this point, her family expressed that they had no answers, no arrests, and no closure. And unfortunately, as of today, that is still true. IHIT Sergeant Frank Jing also shared the news of this reward in a press conference and also asked for anyone with information to come forward.

And he said that they are keeping their investigation airtight out of concern for public safety, but made it clear that they are working hard to solve her murder. And in fact, investigators executed two search warrants on June 5, 2021, one at Trina and Ion's house in Port Moody, and a second at Ion's parents' home in Mission, the place that he moved not long after her disappearance. Neighbors watched as officers taped off the house and came in and out of the house throughout the day, and although it hasn't been reported what if anything was found during the execution of these searches, we do know that both Tria and Ion's cars were towed away as potential

evidence. And IIT did announce on Twitter a day later that two search warrants had been executed, but that no arrests were made yet. Emphasis on yet, because one year later, on June 3, 2022, someone was arrested. But it may not be what you think. So let me explain. On June 3, neighbors watched as Ion was put in handcuffs outside of his home and taken away by officers around 4 p.m. Witnesses tell us the man in his slippers was quiet.

He didn't struggle with police. Trina Hunts family stunned. Loved one's confirming it's Ion Hunt Trina's husband. I think they're just overwhelmed and actually relieved with everything that's come down today. Every time you drive up the street you look at the house right. I hit will only say one man has been arrested in connection to Trenas death. The arrest at the couple's port moody home Friday. No charges have been laid, so police are not releasing a name. I think it is a sense of relief, yes.

Yeah, just to know that somebody's caught. Just happy. You don't mean that something's getting done and they have enough evidence. Residents emotional after one and a half years of no answers. It's been 18 months of asking what happened, who did it? Is it safe in

our neighborhood for us and our kids? Like is her family going to get answers? Terrific. And like you just heard, the police weren't saying who was arrested, just that someone was arrested. But obviously, neighbors saw him being arrested and word traveled fast.

So everyone knew it was Ion that was arrested. But as exciting as this arrest seemed, it was over in a blink of an eye. A day later, on June 4th, with no pending charges, Ion was released from police custody. And one sergeant with IHIT was quick to clarify that this did not signify the end of the investigation. It just meant that charges had not been filed, saying, quote, just that we aren't there yet. Regardless though, this was a devastating blow

to Trina's family. For one day, they thought maybe just maybe justice was on the horizon. Trina's cousin-in-law Stephanie said that they never thought for a single minute that there would be no charges. However, she did say that she and the rest of the family knows that IHIT is working hard

and wouldn't have made the arrest without a reason. The other devastating thing about the arrest and the release was that it happened the week that Trenna would have been turning 50 years old. And she was so excited for her 50th, she was even planning her birthday party before she went missing. And on her birthday, her brother shared this message. Today is a day Trina was so excited for.

Trina had dreams of ringing in her 50th birthday by celebrating with an intimate party, as well as taking a family cruise. She had already started talking and planning her events as that is what Trina did. She was always such a planner. Trina had a knack and passion for making people feel loved and special. She was always fussing over others, bringing them drinks or appetizers

or filling their bellies within the elaborate feast. Her primary goal was always, is everyone comfortable, is everyone happy? Once this was achieved, Trina could relax. That is what Trina would have done for her 50th birthday party. Even though it was her special day, she would have fussed over others. The more I learn about Trina Hunt, the sadder I become for her friends and family. I mean, what a devastating loss. She just seemed like an incredible person.

Her family has not given up hope, though, and I don't think any of us should either. I know I'm frequently talking about cases where police have failed or haven't done enough or haven't taken families seriously, but from what I've gathered, the police in this case have done the best they can. It appears that they are working really hard on this case.

They are taking it seriously, and they don't want to prematurely charge anyone unless they are 100% confident. In the last year, Trina's family has renewed the $50,000 reward, and it's been reported that ION has not contributed to this fund at all. And this reward is active to this day, So if you have any information related to the murder of Trina Hunt, please call ijit at 1-877-551-4448 or email ijitinfo at rcmp-grc.gc.ca. And I wish I had more to share with you all, but I do have confidence that this will eventually be solved, that we will have justice for Trina Hunt, at least I can only hope that that is the case. That is going to be it for me today guys, thank you for joining me for another episode, and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, it really does help me out.

If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendal Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there. you