Family and friends of Trina Hunt are continuing to search for the missing Port Moody woman — and are asking volunteers who live in the region to help out.
A community search through walking trails in the Heritage Mountain area is being organized on the weekend: March 20 and 21.
Trina was last seen on Jan. 18 in her Heritage Mountain home, according to family and friends. “We’re going to start with this weekend and hopefully carry it on from there. We will take it one day at a time,” said Jennifer Ibbott, who is Hunt’s sister-in-law.
Using the Gaia GPS app, routes are being identified in the area, and volunteers will walk a 5-km section of the route in groups of 10 to look for unusual patterns in nature.
While they’d like to find Hunt, Ibbott explained that’s not the expectation of the community search: The goal is to gather information that could be used to understand where she may have gone.
“You’re looking for things that don’t belong and you have to look up, right to left, to the skyline and the trees,” she said, noting that unusual bird activity is one of the natural phenomenon searchers will be looking for.
A Facebook group, called “Trina Hunt Search Volunteers,” has been created for volunteers to sign up to take part in the search either 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers will be grouped into teams and will be contacted about a meeting point.
It's not a random search and people are not encouraged to drop by.
Instead, they should sign up to participate, Ibbott said.
The group is closed, with requirements that those who join be local; as well, people with relevant skill sets are encouraged to specify how they could use them to help.
Ibbott said with the COVID-19 pandemic curbing social interactions, the search will be held in a safe manner with physical distancing, and volunteers are encouraged to stick to the trail and not wander into the woods.
Talking is discouraged to help people stay focused. “You’re observing what’s going on around you. You’re looking off the trail. You’re looking for unusual patterns in nature.”
The goal is to hit all of the trails on Heritage Mountain, and the Gaia app will keep track of where the search has been so organizers know they haven’t missed anything.
In addition to the scheduled search, people recreating in the area — either hiking, biking or on ATV trips — are asked to email their GPS coordinates to give organizers an idea of popular spots in the area.
That information can be emailed to [email protected]
Ibbott said their search is in addition to searches using trained dogs in the area. It augments the Port Moody police investigation as well as the community and Coquitlam Search and Rescue searches that were conducted shortly after Hunt went missing.
The hope is that new searchers will reveal information crucial to the case and bring some closure for the family. As well, people with information can also call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or Port Moody Police Department at 604-461-3456.
A Facebook group Missing: Trina Hunt Last Seen in Port Moody BC Canada also has information for the general public.
According to a poster that continues to be distributed, Hunt disappeared from her Heritage Mountain home on the morning of Jan. 18. She is believed to be wearing a black The North Face jacket with a teal green collar, pink and purple shoes. She is 5’4” and weighs 120 lbs. As well, she was wearing a diamond wedding rings and a silver Rolex watch.
