Authorities say Kathleen Harrison Trent disappeared Jan. 27 and was later found dead off Connecticut Avenue in Manorville.
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — The disappearance of a 63-year-old Riverhead woman in late January has turned into a murder case against her son after police found her body in Manorville woods and prosecutors described a violent stabbing inside the family home.
The case matters now because investigators have moved beyond the missing person stage and into a formal felony prosecution that includes allegations of concealment and evidence tampering. Kathleen Harrison Trent’s death shook Riverhead because she was known through decades of work at Riverhead Raceway and other jobs in the area. Curtis Trent Jr., 36, now faces a murder charge and related counts, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting further court action after a judge ordered a psychiatric fitness review.
The known timeline begins on Jan. 27, when relatives later told police that Kathleen Harrison Trent was last seen at her Forge Road residence in Riverhead. Two days later, her other son reported her missing after he found signs of what prosecutors described as possible blood in and around the trailer and could not find his mother. Authorities said the situation appeared suspicious almost immediately because several personal items had been left behind, including her phone, wallet and medication. Prosecutors also said her pickup truck was missing. That truck became part of the early investigation when, just before 6 a.m. on Jan. 30, police encountered Curtis Trent Jr. returning to the property in the vehicle. In court, Assistant District Attorney Keri Wasson said the defendant told officers he had been looking for his mother and then attempted to flee. He was taken for psychiatric evaluation, and the truck was impounded for forensic testing.
The next major break came on Feb. 11, when patrol officers searching Manorville found a woman’s body in a wooded area off Connecticut Avenue, south of River Road, at about 3:21 p.m. Police later identified the victim as Kathleen Harrison Trent. Initial public statements from investigators were limited. Suffolk County police said only that homicide detectives believed the death was criminal in nature and that an autopsy would help determine the cause. As the case moved into court, more details emerged. News reports citing court records said the defendant was accused of stabbing his mother in the face, chest and abdomen sometime between Jan. 27 and Jan. 29. Prosecutors later added in open court that she had suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso, face and neck, and alleged that some wounds were inflicted after death. They also said the body had been wrapped in a blanket and left about 25 feet from the road. Those are allegations by prosecutors, and the defense has not conceded them.
Riverhead residents were not hearing about a stranger. Kathleen Harrison Trent had spent decades working at Riverhead Raceway, where colleagues described her as a familiar and steady presence. Public tributes said she knew families there across several generations and was often seen helping with race-night operations. Relatives said she also worked as a Head Start teacher and later cared for elderly people in private homes. Friends and family publicly remembered her as a generous woman whose grandchildren were central to her life. That portrait helps explain why the search drew so much local attention and why the criminal accusations landed so heavily. In a community where many cases pass as headlines and fade, this one lingered because the victim’s life was visible in ordinary places, at work, among neighbors and within a family now split between grief, silence and courtroom appearances.
Authorities first announced a second-degree murder charge against Curtis Trent Jr. after his arrest in late February. He was arraigned in Riverhead Town Justice Court, and the prosecution later expanded in Suffolk County criminal court after an indictment. At that later appearance, prosecutors added counts of concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence. Defense attorney Tara Laterza entered a not guilty plea and asked for a psychiatric examination to determine whether the defendant is competent to proceed. Judge Richard Horowitz approved the request, denied bail and cited concerns about flight risk and danger. Prosecutors have said blood-stained sneakers from the home, clothing found in Manorville and swabs from blood on the pickup truck’s tailgate were sent to the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory. The next court date was set for April 22, when the status of the evaluation and other pretrial matters may become clearer.
The emotional details have surfaced in fragments. Riverhead News-Review reported that Robert Trent cried out in court while prosecutors described what they said happened to his mother. Outside the courthouse, relatives gathered together and declined detailed comment. Some family members have posted online about the need for more discussion of mental illness, but those statements remain separate from the formal court record. Prosecutors, for their part, have framed the case as both a homicide and an act of domestic violence. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement released after the indictment that the defendant is accused not only of taking his mother’s life but of trying to hide the crime and conceal her body. The defense has stressed the presumption of innocence. That divide, between severe allegations and the early stage of the prosecution, is where the case stands as Riverhead waits for the next court session.
The prosecution remains active, the defendant remains in custody and the next key date is April 22, when the court is expected to revisit the case after the ordered psychiatric review and additional pretrial steps.
Author note: Last updated March 25, 2026.