“It’s About Danni”: 48 Hours Reports on Danni Houchins Homicide February 8 2025

On September 21, 1996, 15-year-old Danielle “Danni” Houchins left her home in Belgrade, Montana, planning to take a break from a family argument by driving to a nearby fishing access site. The Cameron Bridge Fishing Access along the Gallatin River was a familiar spot, one she had visited many times before. Her truck was later found parked in the lot, with her keys and a water bottle left on a nearby path. There was no sign of Danni.

As night fell, her family and friends grew more anxious. Law enforcement officers conducted a preliminary search but decided to halt their efforts after dark. Unwilling to wait, family friends familiar with the area took matters into their own hands. Their worst fears were realized when they discovered Danni’s body face down in the muddy undergrowth, far from the walking path. A vibrant and outdoorsy teenager was gone, and the circumstances surrounding her death were as murky as the swamp where she was found.

A Community Gripped by Mystery and Fear

Rumors quickly spread through the small town of Bozeman. Some believed Danni had died in a tragic accident, while others were convinced she had been murdered. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation, collecting evidence from the scene and interviewing those who had been in contact with Danni that day. Despite their efforts, no immediate suspects emerged.

Speculation within the community only fueled uncertainty. Rachelle Schrute, a family friend, recalled the fear that gripped the town. “There was so much other speculation … It just caused fear.” But days after the discovery, the coroner’s report provided an unexpected conclusion—Danni had drowned, with the manner of death listed as “undetermined.” Officials suggested she may have tripped and fallen, a theory her sister, Stephanie Mollet, found impossible to accept.

A Sister’s Fight for the Truth

For years, Stephanie Mollet refused to accept the official explanation. Danni was an experienced outdoorswoman, comfortable hiking and fishing in rugged terrain. Stephanie believed someone had hurt her sister and vowed to uncover the truth. As time passed and the case went cold, that promise remained unbroken.

In 2020, determined to find answers, Stephanie approached new detectives at the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office. She demanded access to the original case file, hoping to find something investigators had overlooked. What she read in the autopsy report horrified her—bruising on the back of Danni’s neck, vaginal injuries, and the presence of semen in her underwear. These details had been known to authorities in 1996, yet the case had not been pursued as a homicide.

Realizing that new forensic methods could yield answers, the sheriff’s office reopened the investigation. They sought the help of Tom Elfmont, a retired investigator with extensive experience solving cold cases.

The Breakthrough in the Case

Elfmont and his team focused on four hairs found on Danni’s body. Unlike traditional DNA evidence, these were “rootless” hairs, long considered nearly impossible to analyze. Advances in forensic technology, however, had changed that. Using specialized lab testing, investigators extracted a full DNA profile from one of the hairs.

The next step was forensic genetic genealogy, a cutting-edge technique that cross-references DNA with publicly available family trees. In May 2024, after nearly 28 years, they finally had a name—Paul Hutchinson.

Hutchinson had lived in Bozeman at the time of Danni’s murder. He was a graduate student studying fisheries and wildlife biology and had worked in an area near the Gallatin River. Over the years, he had built a career as a fisheries biologist for the Bureau of Land Management. Married with two children, he had no known criminal history and was respected in Montana’s hunting and fishing circles.

A Confrontation That Ended in Death

On July 23, 2024, Elfmont and his partner visited Hutchinson at his office, wearing body cameras to record the interview. According to the investigators, Hutchinson became visibly nervous when asked about Danni’s case. He sweated profusely, scratched his face, and chewed on his hand. The interview lasted nearly two hours, but the detectives never explicitly asked if he had killed Danni.

After being released, Hutchinson’s behavior became erratic. Hours later, he contacted the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office, stating that he needed assistance. By the time authorities arrived, he had taken his own life.

In the aftermath, forensic testing confirmed that Hutchinson’s DNA was an exact match to the evidence found on Danni’s body. The case that had haunted a family for nearly three decades was finally solved.

A Town in Shock, A Family Finds Closure

For those who had known Hutchinson, the revelation was shattering. Rachelle Schrute, a close friend of the Houchins family, had known Hutchinson for nearly 20 years. She had even gone on solo fishing trips with him, never once questioning his character. “How dare you just exist and go on to have a family and a career,” she later said. “How dare you when you knew all along what you had done.”

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer announced the case’s resolution at a press conference. “This case exemplifies our relentless pursuit of justice,” he stated. “We never gave up on finding the truth for Danni and her family, exhausting all means necessary to bring closure to this heartbreaking chapter.”

Stephanie Mollet, who had spent decades seeking answers, spoke with unshakable conviction. “Even though this man will not face a jury of his peers, I have no doubt he was the one who forcefully and violently sexually assaulted my sister, then held her head down in a marsh until she choked to death on mud.”

The conclusion of the case left lingering questions. Investigators determined that Danni and Hutchinson had never met before. They labeled her murder a crime of opportunity—a tragic encounter that ended in brutal violence.

Justice, Even Without a Trial

Paul Hutchinson’s death meant there would be no trial, no chance for a court to hold him accountable. Yet for the Houchins family, the truth had finally been exposed. After years of doubt and frustration, they had the answers they needed.

Danni’s case is a stark reminder of the power of forensic science in solving cold cases. New technology gave investigators tools they had never possessed in 1996, tools that ultimately uncovered the name of a killer who had walked free for decades.

For Stephanie Mollet, the promise she made to her sister had been fulfilled. The fight for justice had not been in vain.