$50,000 Reward Offered for Information in 2021 Death of Wabaseemoong Teen Trent Hunter

WABASEEMOONG FIRST NATION — REGIONAL CRIME NEWS — The Ontario government is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the death of 17-year-old Trent Hunter of Wabaseemoong First Nation.

Hunter was found critically injured at a residence on Main Street East in Wabaseemoong First Nation during the early morning hours of Dec. 11, 2021.

Police continue to investigate his death as a homicide and are again appealing to anyone with information — including details that may have appeared insignificant at the time — to contact investigators.

Police Renew Appeal Nearly Five Years After Trent Hunter’s Death

Treaty Three Police Service and emergency medical services were called to the Main Street East residence at approximately 3:25 a.m. on Dec. 11, 2021, following a report of an injured person.

Hunter was pronounced dead at the scene.

Later that day, the Ontario Provincial Police Criminal Investigation Branch was asked to assist Treaty Three Police Service with the investigation.

The OPP North West Region Crime Unit continues the investigation under the direction of the Criminal Investigation Branch.

The Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service are also involved. OPP Forensic Identification Services and the Emergency Response Team have provided assistance during the investigation.

Ontario Offers $50,000 Reward

The Ontario government is now offering up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Hunter’s death.

Detective Inspector Ryan Gordon of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch said investigators hope the reward encourages people with knowledge about the case to come forward.

“Trent’s family deserves answers. We hope this reward encourages those with information to do the right thing and come forward with information. Even the smallest detail could be the piece investigators need to move this case forward.”

The renewed appeal is particularly important in a case that has remained unresolved for almost five years.

Investigators may be interested not only in direct eyewitness evidence but also information about conversations, movements of people or vehicles, events before or after Hunter’s death, or other circumstances that could assist in reconstructing what happened.

Anyone providing information should report what they know directly to police rather than conducting their own investigation or confronting anyone they believe may be connected to the case.

Trent Hunter Listed Among Missing and Unsolved Murdered Indigenous People Cases

The OPP identifies Hunter as one of the Indigenous people whose unresolved deaths continue to be investigated through cases highlighted in its Missing and Unsolved Murdered Indigenous People report.

The report is intended to bring renewed public attention to unresolved cases and encourage people with information to contact investigators.

Hunter’s death also sits within a much broader national concern surrounding missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, men, boys and gender-diverse people.

For families and communities, unresolved cases can mean years without answers about who was responsible and why.

For police, the passage of time does not necessarily mean information has lost its value. Relationships change, people may become more willing to speak, and details withheld years earlier can become important when combined with evidence investigators already possess.

What a Homicide Investigation Means

Police describing a death as a homicide means investigators believe the death resulted from the actions of another person.

It does not, by itself, identify which Criminal Code offence may ultimately apply.

Canadian law distinguishes between offences including murder, manslaughter and other circumstances resulting in death. The appropriate charge depends on evidence concerning intent, actions and the circumstances of the death.

No criminal charges have been announced in connection with Hunter’s death in the information released by police.

Because no accused person or specific charge has been identified, it would be premature to assign a Criminal Code section or discuss a sentencing range as though a particular offence had been established.

If charges are laid, NetNewsLedger will provide details of the applicable Criminal Code provisions and the sentencing options available to the court.

What to Do if You Have Information

Anyone with information concerning Trent Hunter’s death is asked to contact the Ontario Provincial Police at:

1-888-310-1122

People who want to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers at:

1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)

Information can also be submitted through Ontario Crime Stoppers.

Police stress that even information a person believes is minor may assist investigators.

People should not confront anyone they suspect of involvement, trespass on private property or attempt to gather evidence themselves.

If a person has documentary evidence — including photographs, messages, videos or other records — it should be preserved in its original form and provided to investigators rather than altered or posted publicly.

Nearly Five Years Without Answers

Hunter was 17 when he died.

As the fifth anniversary of his death approaches in December, the new reward represents another effort to generate information capable of moving the investigation forward.

The central question remains unanswered: who was responsible for Trent Hunter’s death?

For his family and Wabaseemoong First Nation, the renewed police appeal is about finding the information investigators say they still need to answer that question and bring the case before the courts.