Going West: True Crime - Danielle Houchins // 435

Episode Date: September 7, 2024

In September of 1996, a 15-year-old girl was found assaulted and drowned near a fishing access site in Montana. Though they initially suspected it to be an accident, police spent decades trying to catch her killer, until the search finally concluded in July of this year. This is the murder of Danielle Houchins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on true crime fans? I'm your host T and I'm your host Daphne and you're listening to going west Hello everybody. We are back For those who don't follow us on social media and you're wondering why we didn't have an episode this Tuesday, it was because we gave our little team Labor Day off and also Heath and I were finishing up our trip in England. Yeah, we were actually flying back on Tuesday.

Yeah, so we just couldn't record because we were traveling and yeah, wanted to give our team the day off. So sorry about that, but we are back and we are not gonna take a day off anytime soon. Yeah, hopefully not. Yeah, today's episode is a really crazy story that actually just saw resolution this year. Actually, in fact, just a couple months ago.

Yeah, so a big thank you to Molly for recommending this because Molly saw that update come in and wanted to let us know about the case and that it got this resolution so thank you so much Molly for telling us about this story today and yeah without further ado let's dive into it. Alright guys this is episode 435 of Going West so let's get into it. How to stop losses work on Kraken?

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and I host a true crime podcast called Up and Vanished. My new season has taken me to the remote town of Nome, Alaska, where two people have gone missing. I'm convinced they were murdered, and someone in this town is covering it up. We came back without my son. I want you to find him. The roommate lied about his whereabouts Saturday night. I know he's murdered. I know he is. I want to find my brother.

Everything about this points to a homicide. I invite you to be a fly on the wall for the most intense real-time murder investigation you'll ever hear in a podcast. Hi, Payne. Would you like to solve a murder? Receiving cryptic messages from a random stranger. I want to stay anonymous. I'm scared. Are you ready to get your hands dirty?

From Tinderfoot TV, Up and Vanished Season 4 is available now. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts. In September of 1996, a 15-year-old girl was assaulted and drowned near a fishing access site in Montana after leaving for a solo hike. Though they initially suspected it to be an accident, police spent decades trying to catch her killer, until the search finally concluded in July of this year. This is the story of Danielle Houchens, who went by Danny very often, but we're going to call her Danielle today, was born on November 11, 1980 in Alexandria, Minnesota. Along with her parents, Cheryl and Rex, and younger siblings, Stephanie and Jake,

she eventually relocated to Belgrade, Montana. Now, Belgrade is located in southwest Montana, just north of Big Sky, which is renowned for its skiing and outdoor recreational activities and resorts. So, definitely a very scenic place to call home. And this was fitting for the Houchens kids and the Houchens family in general, who were extremely adventurous and outdoorsy. You know, the kids really took after their parents here who worked as ski patrollers.

So overall, this was a very good move for the whole family. Stephanie Daniels' little sister describes them as a loving and tight for the whole family. Stephanie, Danielle's little sister, describes them as a loving and tight-knit family and that Danielle was the typical big sister that she and her brother both looked up to. Danielle was an honor student so she was very intelligent and intellectual but she loved nothing more than to be outdoors in her free time. Like her parents, she enjoyed skiing and also loved to hike, raft and rock climb. You know, all of which she could do right there in Montana. She was active in student ministries as well.

And her Reverend Dave Hanson, who also happened to be the dad of one of her best friends, remembered quote, life to her was interesting and fun. We certainly loved her a lot. Her sister Stephanie also fondly remembers her sister sharp, dry sense of humor and her love of grunge and rock music. Remember this case takes place in the 90s.

In September of 1996, 15 year old Danielle was just beginning her sophomore year at Belgrade High School with aspirations of becoming a biological engineer. Saturday, September 21, 1996 was the first day of autumn, which also meant the Fall Equinox Festival in Belgrade, which was sure to be a ton of fun. And the typical activities of this festival is just people getting together and having like a barbecue, there's a parade, a classic car show, arts and crafts, music, food, and a lot more that just goes on

throughout the entire day. So it sounds like a really fun way to kind of get the community together. But before this festival was really set to begin or as it was starting, Danielle asked her mom if she could head out to Cameron Bridge Fishing Access, which is a fishing and hiking area only about three miles or 4.8 kilometers from the family's home. Now Danielle kind of just wanted to blow off steam after reportedly having a bit of an argument with her family. So her mom, Cheryl, agreed to let her daughter go on this little hike, but asked that she

return by 2 PM at the latest because they were having family friends over that day. She told Danielle to keep an eye on the time, lending her daughter her watch to ensure that she could do so. And you know, this being the first day of autumn, the sun was still setting kinda late. It set that day at 7.23 p.m. in Belgrade, so she was supposed to get back hours before having to worry about losing daylight. Yeah, and she also left early.

I mean, she left the house at around 11.30 a.m., so her mom just didn't want her to be out for more than two and a half hours. But as the afternoon wore on, 2 p.m. came and went and Danielle did not return home. So after this her mom Cheryl began to get a little bit worried wondering if Danielle had fallen or gotten injured while out on the trail by herself. Thus Cheryl and her friend headed out to the area to look for Danielle and they found her white truck still parked in the parking lot, proving that she had not

left the trails. And when they approached her truck, they noticed that it was unlocked. And most disturbingly, they also recovered Danielle's keys and water bottle on a hiking trail adjacent to the parking lot. So now they're really kind of thinking that something might have happened. So Cheryl yelled her daughter's name Circling the area looking for her in panic So because she's alarmed, you know, she's finding the water bottle on the trail She decides that she's going to leave her daughter a note on her truck that says quote Danny

We came to look for you. We went for help. We have your keys stay here We came to look for you. We went for help. We have your keys. Stay here Her family called the gallatin county sheriff's department around 3 pm to report danielle missing and about an hour later Search and rescue arrived and began to scour the area for any clues because remember danielle is only 15 years old So the fact that she went on went out on a hike by herself and she did not come back as very Alarming to anybody not even from like a foul play point of view But like her family's originally thinking that she fell and was injured that something happened on the trail Yeah, it's just a scary thought regardless. Yeah, either way something just doesn't seem right here So as the night grew dark and it got colder out with near freezing temperatures,

the search was called off until the next morning. But a few friends and family members vowed to continue determined to find her before the sun rose because I mean they knew that she was out there. Her car is still there. They're assuming that she is out there somewhere on the trails and they just can't imagine of course Her being in the dark and in the cold alone, especially without knowing what even happened quite yet Yeah, I mean as a family or a friend There's there's kind of like that thought process of how could I possibly leave my loved one out there on This trail alone like yeah. Well, I returned to my warm home without her. Exactly.

Right. Yeah. Yeah. So two brothers that lived nearby and were friends with Stephanie, remember Stephanie is Danielle's sister, were intent on helping their friend find her sister. Their dad took them out searching with flashlights and they knew the area very well, so they seemed like a good group to go out and help look for her. But sadly the three of them wound up being the ones who came across

Danielle's lifeless body. So of course they left the area immediately to alert the authorities of what they had found. But as they drove out of the park they passed by Danielle's dad and his pickup truck before they could get to the police. So they pulled him over and informed him that they had found his daughter. In the heavy thickets of the marsh, Danielle was found face down in water, unmoving. Her body was recovered only about 200 feet from where her car had been

parked. So when her mom and the initial group were searching, she hadn't been far at all. Like they very much could have stumbled upon her. I think it's just devastating to know that they were searching for hours and hours not knowing just how close Danielle's body really was. Yeah, truly. So around 930 p.m. Danielle was pulled from about a foot and a half of water. So she's not in deep water at all. This is a very shallow part of this river. Yeah, and even some reports state that it could have been as shallow as about eight inches. Yeah, so remember that as we're talking about

what happened to Danielle and her autopsy that this water was very shallow. Well, the handling of the case by the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office drew a lot of criticism from the very start. Because just two days after Danielle's body was discovered, Sheriff Bill Slaughter announced, quote, There's no indication of foul play yet. If anyone was out there at the fishing access between 1130 a.m. and 6 p.m. and saw Danielle, we would like to talk to them." But throughout the investigation, he indicated that he believed that it was more likely to be an accident, and some even questioned whether or not it had been a suicide. He

later doubled down on his assertion, announcing that they were leaning toward her death being completely accidental, which is gonna piss you guys off when you hear the details. Yeah, truly. He said, quote, that's surely what we suspected. The fact that there weren't any cuts or bruises is also worth noting. I think we've got to be prepared for the fact that this may have been an accidental drowning. However, the results of the autopsy called this account into question when it turned out that Danielle had been sexually assaulted before her death. Yeah and also her mom's gold watch, remember her mom lent her her gold watch

so she could keep track of the time, was still on Danielle's arm but basically it had slipped down her wrist and was caught around the middle of her hand like almost towards her knuckles And it was just stuck there So it kind of seemed like maybe it came off in a struggle or someone had tried to take it You know to steal it, but here's what detective Cindy Boatek thought about it because Detective Cindy Boatek was a new officer on the force at the time of Danielle's death. She's a pretty big part of the story because she investigated the case herself from 2006 to 2016. And remember this happened in 1996. So Cindy claimed that she believed that the

watch's placement indicated that Danielle had been dragged there by her left arm. Yeah, and I feel like I have to agree with this because if you imagine somebody dragging someone by their wrist and they have a watch on and it's kind of a loose watch, you would imagine that it would slip down the hand towards the knuckles, right? Yeah, absolutely. It makes a lot of sense, which again is also very disappointing why, as you're saying, Heath, we're going to get so pissed about this because they're looking at her death like an accident. Meanwhile, her watch is almost off of her hand.

And there is so much more that doesn't point to that because Danielle's bra was also pulled up and her underwear was slightly pulled down, which is not a state that you would imagine she would put herself in, especially knowing that she had been sexually assaulted. And when she was found, her body was located again in the water, but also underneath a willow tree covered in weeds and brush, like someone had tried to partially conceal her.

Yeah, they didn't do a very good job, but it looked like they tried to at least. Yeah, at least in some Small way so that she wasn't so obviously laying out and also one of her shoes had slipped off And it was a little ways away from her body, so this doesn't look like a normal scene There's definitely a struggle here Yeah, I mean it boggles my mind that they would make that initial assessment in the first place like None of this looked like an accident or a suicide.

Yeah, and also actually there's one more small detail too. Her ponytail had kind of been must up in a way that looked like a struggle as well. So she didn't look like perfectly normal and peaceful laying in the water and maybe she tripped and drowned. Like there's a lot of things fussed up with her body that are not pointing to her just passing away accidentally.

Yeah and you would imagine that if she did trip and like fell face down in the water she would have had to have hit her head pretty damn hard to be unconscious and drown in that little of water. Yeah. Remember eight inches to a foot and a half of water. And for anybody wondering if there was anything strange found in her system, there was not, there was just some caffeine found. So she was not drugged. She was not under the influence of any drugs. So that is an important thing to note as well.

So like many other investigators over the years, Detective Cindy Botech was very disappointed in the treatment of the case as anything other than a homicide, claiming that they lost valuable hours to entertaining other theories when the investigation should have been much faster and more eventful. Cindy remembered, quote, This case always bothered me because I was a couple days on the job when it happened and I'm like somebody fucking killed her. Where was the pressure? Where

was the pressure to find a murderer? 15 year old Danielle's body was examined at the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula, and the coroner confirmed that Danielle had drowned, but the manner of death was ruled undetermined. Medical examiner Gary Dale wrote in his report, quote, until such time additional information indicates otherwise, the manner of death is undetermined. However, unlike what the sheriff surmised from the crime scene, Danielle actually did have some blunt force injuries, including bruises and scrapes to her scalp, her legs, and the back of her neck.

And she also had scratches along the sides of her face, which looked like defensive wounds, as if she was trying to pull someone off of her as they held her head in their hands. She had sustained an injury to her genitals as well and there was male DNA found in her underwear, which is what helped indicate sexual assault. But maybe the most disturbing detail was that there was mud found in her airway and also in her stomach, meaning that she likely inhaled mud from the floor of the pond as she was being held underwater by her attacker. Investigator Cindy Botech said, quote, people drown all the time.

And what's in their body? There's water in their lungs, right? That's what you find. What did we find in Danielle? A stomach full of mud. That doesn't happen in a drowning. Who swallows mud? Matt Boxmeyer, who's been a detective with the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office since 2016,

said quote, why they left it as undetermined, I don't know. It doesn't make sense to me. I would have listed it as a homicide. But with no leads on who could have done this, and the manner of death officially deemed undetermined, the investigation completely dwindled within months. Detective Cindy Botech later said, quote, At the time, the sentiment was so strong that we don't know what happened. We just don't know. I guess she went out there, laid down and died. How can you read this report? How can you read that autopsy report and think that she just laid there and died, especially when the toxicology report comes back and she didn't have anything in

her system that would cause her to pass out. I mean, Cindy's got the right idea. Like she's looking at this so logically and the fact that she had only been on the job for a few days when this started and it was even so clear to her like, what the hell? I don't know how you don't look at this logically you know what I mean? Like I don't know how you drop the ball that bad and go yeah this was anything other than a homicide it just it doesn't make any sense. Well both

Cindy and Matt Boxmire again they're both detectives claim that they believe that it was someone that she knew based on the intimate and brutal nature of the crime. Danielle's parents were absolutely dumbfounded that the death could have been anything but a murder. And they were trying to think like, could somebody in Danielle's life have done this? But she was such an amazing person that she didn't have any enemies. There was nobody that came to mind for them that would make sense to do something so horrific to her. Right. And she's also just, uh, she's a 15 year old girl. So yeah, exactly. I mean, yeah, she's 15. She's naturally athletic. She's an avid skier and she had been there to go

on a hike. So how did she wind up face down and unable to move in such shallow water when there were no injuries keeping her there. Yeah, like she didn't have a broken leg that would have, you know, indicated that she had tripped it. Even if she did, like, yeah, like she would have fell down in the water and then just like rolled over and been like, okay. Yeah. The only thing I could have thought of was what I originally said, which was, you know, hitting your head and then potentially drowning that way, but that did not seem to be the case. Yeah, she did not hit her head. So that's why it's so frustrating that there's no way you can look at this and say, oh yeah, well, she could have died accidentally because of XYZ. No, there is nothing supporting that claim. So during the initial investigation, four hairs were collected from Danielle's body.

Four foreign hairs found in her underwear, just like the other male DNA, which the police believed were arm hairs. These hairs were eventually entered into the CODIS database, but there was no match found initially, which was disappointing. But of course, thankfully, they at least had these and could just hope that a lead would come in at some point. And these hairs is what solved this case later on. Absolutely. By the way. So detectives also found a footprint of what looked like a men's boot, but this

was never matched, though it did help paint the scene a little bit more. But still, it didn't seem clear who could have done this. Again, with Matt and Cindy kind of thinking that it could have been somebody that she knew, they're thinking, you know, this area isn't very big. Belgrade has a population of around 10,000 people, so they're wondering if somebody that she knew

followed her there or spotted her there and then took the opportunity to do something while they were alone together. But of course that also could have happened with a stranger. But they're really just trying to look at all the options here. Now, multiple persons of interest were interviewed over the years,

though they were never named publicly, but Cindy claimed that she was certain that one or more of them were involved in Danielle's murder. She explained, quote, At least one person that I interviewed I know or I have very, very strong suspicions that he knows so much more than he's telling. So much more. And it drives you crazy when they look you in the eye and they know that you know that they're lying and they just smile away.

And that just drives you crazy in a case like this." Well unfortunately, the case grew cold as no new information came forward. Their community had to move on and her family was forced to wait and hope that answers were coming. As the years went by, Stephanie found herself increasingly haunted by what had happened to her big sister, especially after the way the case was handled and talked about by the sheriff. She remembered, quote, The community was really rocked.

No one could understand what had happened. I always knew in my heart that it couldn't have been an accident. Understandably, Stephanie called it the single most traumatic and painful thing that she and her family had endured, and that it shaped who they were and how they lived their lives from that day forward. Stephanie said, quote, I've had a lifetime of nightmares about losing someone and how people were just going to be taken away from me, people I love. I'll wake up sobbing in the middle of the night. I've had to resolve my trauma.

I had to do therapy and figure out how to live a life and then come back and fight for her. Additionally, the distrust that they had in the sheriff's department and for the general integrity of the investigation ran extremely deep here. Stephanie explained, quote, one of the real pieces of sensitivity I had and my family had walking into the reinvestigation of Danny's case was the sheer fact that while we thought law enforcement was on our side, they lied to us in 1996 and they withheld information from us.

That led to a significant feeling of distrust with the sheriff's department." And actually, many officers agreed with this sentiment and felt that the investigation was dismissive and wreaked of confirmation bias, even despite what the autopsy found. Keith Farquhar was a deputy at the time and was on the scene during the ground search for Danielle as well as the search of the vicinity when her body was found. And this year in 2024, he reflected back on the investigation saying quote, I never felt like that was being pursued in the manner of somebody killed this girl and we need to find them. Keith also acknowledged that Sheriff Bill Slaughter, for whatever reason, seemed eager to resign to the conclusion

that Danielle's death was simply a tragic accident. And that it may be impossible to ever know the truth. And it just makes you wonder if he didn't want to stir panic, he didn't wanna make people think he was running an unsafe county, like, I don't know. It could be a lot of different things. Yeah, it could be that, as well as maybe it was without any, you know, persons of interest,

maybe he thought that the case would just be too tough to solve, I don't know. Yeah, or just wanted to forget about it and pretend like bad things didn't happen there. Like, it's just crazy that he felt so strongly about this or at least did you know announce that he did publicly um and many other people on the force are like no yeah well in a minute here we're going to talk about the fact that he says oh yeah no i never said that i never said that it was an accident i always maintained that it was a

homicide which is complete bullshit and Stephanie who again is Danielle's sister Even explains that that is complete bullshit. Yeah, Keith continued quote I don't know what his motivation was, but you shouldn't give up on a homicide of a 15 year old girl It just seemed wrong to me to say oh well It's undetermined and then for subsequent sheriffs to just not pursue it as well. It was really unsatisfactory to me. But Sheriff Bill Slaughter argues that the case was never deprioritized or investigated as anything other than a murder.

Liar. Yeah, I mean, that's literally not what he said. He said many things that go against this quote. But he blamed the crime scene for any delays, saying quote, We never talked about anything but a homicide. It was a tough case to investigate as far as the scene goes. It was kind of located in a swamp, which doesn't help you. Bill maintained that the case was pursued with the utmost urgency and care. Despite publicly stating in an interview with the area's local paper that he did

not believe foul play to be a factor in this case, Bill later said that he didn't know why the state forensic examiner listed her manner of death as undetermined. He's kind of pointing the blame towards the medical examiner and saying, well, it's actually his fault because he said that it was undetermined, but you're the guy that said that it wasn't a homicide in the first place. Like, you're saying the same shit. You're part of this, bro. He explained, quote, we can tell you the manner of death because we all felt like she was a strong young woman. She didn't fall in four inches of water or three inches of water in a swamp and drown.

She just didn't. I mean all she had to do was roll over on her back, right? We were all frustrated about that call, that it wasn't a homicide. It seems to me it was pretty obviously homicide, and we told the parents that. No you didn't. Stephanie has publicly disputed this claim, however, and maintains that the investigation was approached way too casually, saying, quote, If they were behind the scenes treating it as a homicide,

that's not what they portrayed to my family. What they portrayed was, well, we don't know, but it really just could have been an accident. You know, she had that knee brace and she kind of just tripped and fell. Stephanie maintains that the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office failed her sister, adding, quote, accountability to me is not necessarily about the individual, but it's about the institution and making the institution better so it doesn't fail other victims of rape and murder. But this very summer of 2024, after 28 years shrouded in anonymity, advancements in DNA

testing and a lucky sample from a genealogy site would finally unearth who took Danielle's life. I'm Tanks and Atra and I'm Invest Investigator Slater. And together we co-host a podcast called Psychopedia, which is a true crime podcast infused with comedy making it a crime-ity. Each week, Investigator Slater brings us a wild and thoroughly researched true crime case. I'm here to digest it all and react just like you probably are right there on the other side of the microphone. Somehow, I've got to present each case with the detail and respect it deserves while also

cracking up at Tanks' perfectly timed humor and thought provoking questions. Listen to and follow Psychopedia on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Before we left you guys, Daphne was explaining that advancements in DNA technology was about to nail Danielle's killer. And largely due to her sister Stephanie's fight for justice, Danielle's case was reopened in 2019, 23 years after her murder. According to Stephanie, she was encouraged by her spouse to push for answers in her sister's case. So in 2020, she started working closely with Sergeant Matt Boxmeyer, who we mentioned earlier, who was still motivated to find answers for Danielle's family. In 2021, Gallatin County elected a new sheriff, Sheriff Dan

Springer, who outsourced the investigation of the case to California, and I'm so glad that they did this because they're really thinking outside the box here. He was hired by the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office just five days before Danielle was killed, and had been haunted by her death ever since. Sheriff Springer explained quote, People have picked it up and tried to run with it where they could and things have gotten cold over time. In 2019 the case was reopened by the Sheriff's office and some more DNA test attempts were made. And then in 2021 I became the Sheriff and I just felt like we needed some fresh eyes on this. Someone with different experience, different knowledge base, and with fresh eyes.

So Dan passed the case along to two experts. One, a retired Los Angeles Police Department detective and current private investigator named Tom Elfmont. And two, a sergeant named Court Depweg, who is an expert at utilizing DNA technology to solve cases. Now, it took until August of 2023, but the manner of Danielle's case was finally updated to homicide. The evidence was sent over to a lab in California for further testing, but unfortunately at that time, still no matches were found in the CODIS database, which we will discuss why very shortly. However, the forensic evidence was then sent to Virginia where it was confirmed to be a

match for someone who had entered their DNA into a family genealogy website and linked investigators back to a 55-year-old Montana man named Paul Hutchinson. Like what an idiot. I mean, I'm so glad that he did this, but I mean, he must not have known that his DNA was left behind at a crime scene and that he should not be putting his DNA anywhere, anywhere at all, because it could be linked. But obviously, we're super glad that that happened. Well, we have to remember that this was also 1996. So DNA was not really at the point where

they could do this kind of testing. So I'm sure he was probably thinking, well, you know, they don't have me, they don't have me, they're never going to get me. Yeah. And if he's 55 this year, that would mean that back in 1996, he was about 27 years old. And remember, Danielle was 15. So Tom Elfmont and another detective approached Paul outside the Bureau of Land Management offices where Paul worked. And when they did, they saw Paul and two co-workers unloading a pickup truck in the parking lot. Tom remembers, quote, I said, Paul, I'm with the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office and I'd like to speak to you a little bit. He turned white.

Danielle's family was alerted that the Sheriff's Office was cautiously optimistic about their findings and that they would be interviewing their suspect. The interview took place on Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024, so just a little bit over a month before we're recording this episode. The detectives contacted Stephanie promptly that same day to let her know what was going on. And Stephanie said recently, quote, they shared with me that he was clearly guilty. They had talked to him about a number of Montana cold cases, but when they brought out Danielle's photo, he started sweating, had to excuse himself, wringing his hands and things like that.

And his body language and body posture clearly indicated to them, to law enforcement, that he was guilty. Though he didn't confess at that time, they think he was actually, from what they shared with me, surprised that they let him go that day. So the next steps of the plan were in motion as of that evening. They were going to be contacting a lab the very next morning, who was doing a final confirmation on the DNA. And then I think they were going to take the content of that interview, paired with the

DNA match to a judge, to get an arrest warrant. According to the detective who interviewed him, Paul was nervous and fidgety, his behavior becoming increasingly unsteady at the mention of 15-year-old Danielle Houchens. Yeah, the walls at this point are just closing in on him. Exactly. In the announcement they made weeks later, the Sheriff's Office described, Investigators noted he sweated profusely, scratched his face, and chewed on his hand. When showed a photo of Houchens, Hutchinson slumped in his chair and exhibited signs of

being uncomfortable. Upon release, his behavior was observed to be erratic. The next day, Wednesday, July 24th, 2024, brought a twist that no one saw coming. Stephanie said, quote, so I ended the call obviously that evening feeling like, okay, wow, we're going into this next phase of this fight and this is about to happen and wow. And then I woke up the next morning

to a text message from Tom that Danny's killer had taken his own life. I was shocked. Around 4.15 a.m. on the morning of July 24th, like hours after he was interviewed by police, Paul called the Beaverhead County Sheriff's Office asking for assistance and then hanging up. He was found in his car a short while later,

dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Ultimately, despite her frustration at the investigation and the shock of this new information, Stephanie felt relief at the news, as well as profound empathy for the family of her sister's killer. Sheriff Dan Springer agreed, saying, quote, I feel sorrow for the Hutchinson family. They were unaware of course, and in many ways they are also victims of this man. According to reports in the media, the small community of Dylan, where he lived, as well as anyone who knew and loved Paul was shocked and saddened at the news. And even had a hard time initially believing that he was connected to the case.

Yeah, exactly because Paul actually had no criminal record, hence why his DNA didn't come up in CODIS. And investigators truly believe that this was just a cruel crime of opportunity. Sadly, it seems as if Danielle was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. On August 8th of this year, the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office announced via a press conference that they finally had their culprit. The DNA found on Daniel's body was a 100% match for Paul Nathaniel Hutchinson of Dillon, Montana. An avid outdoorsman, Paul worked as a fisheries biologist for the Bureau of Land

Management in Dillon, and at the time of the murder, he was a graduate student at Montana State University, and he was also living in Bozeman at the time, which is about 20 minutes away from where Daniel lived in Belgrade. He had been married for 22 years and had two adult children when his identity was discovered. Which is honestly terrifying knowing that there are people amongst us who seem so regular and possibly loving and normal, but they're harboring the darkest of secrets. Yeah, it's insane to me that a person can do something so horrible like this and then just go about their life and live as if it never even happened.

Yeah, he has like a good job. He has a wife, a family, like can't even imagine what his family thought of this after all those years. Well, what ended a decades-long search for justice for 15-year-old Danielle began a nightmare for the family that Paul left behind. After the announcement of his involvement, his wife, whose name is Christy Hutchinson, released a statement that read, quote, we are absolutely heartbroken to learn this news and our hearts go out to the Houchins family. It's good to know that they will at last be able to find the closure that they deserve. Our own family was already reeling from dealing with Paul's suicide.

In 24 years of marriage, there was never any hint that something like this could be lurking in the background. Paul was an exceptional husband and father. This latest news makes our grieving so much more complicated. We would appreciate being given the space to process and come to terms with this development as we mourn And I just want to say like I actually do feel bad for for Paul's family not for him obviously he's a piece of shit, but I feel bad for them because Here they are thinking that they've got this loving husband this loving father who could do no wrong

And then to come to find out that your entire life is shattered because your dad was a piece of shit in 1996 yeah and and that that he committed that so long ago as long as you have known him as long as his wife and his children knew him he had he was a murderer yeah it's just crazy when things like this come to the surface and you know i gotta say um i feel no sympathy for him because it's not like he said, oh, I, you know, I was, I was guilty. It's not like he turned himself in.

He fully lived his life, aware that he had taken the life of a 15-year-old girl and he had no remorse. If he did, he would have turned himself in. Well, and then he took his life because he knew that he was caught. He knew he would spend the rest of his life in prison. Right, and if investigators never came knocking on his door,

well, they didn't come knocking on his door, but if they never came to question him, he would have continued to live his life and not given a shit that he had killed Danielle. Yeah, and it's just, it's so sad that he didn't even leave any kind of note, apologizing or explaining what he had done and that he just let it, let it, you know, he took it to the grave.

He took exactly what happened to her to the grave, which shows even more how much of a coward he is that not only did you get to live for years and years and experience getting married and having a family and having a good job and having coworkers and friends friends but you didn't even in the very end when given the chance you still didn't give her family answers. Right at the end you still did not do the right thing. So the funeral home who handled his memorial posted a statement alongside Christie's this was in lieu of an obituary and it read, quote,

On behalf of Brundage Funeral Home, we would like to acknowledge the thoughts and sentiments of everyone that is trying to post to Paul's obituary. And these are all valid feelings. We would also like to express our deepest sympathy for Danny's family for their loss and hope that they are able to find closure for this heinous event. For everyone, please understand that the position of a funeral home is not to sit in judgment of anyone, but to support the families that are left to pick up the pieces of this or any other events in life. The family of Paul are also now trying to figure out how to move forward and pick up the pieces of their lives that they now question. The wife and children were not aware of any crimes that have happened prior to them and are also reeling from this news. The funeral

home would ask that everyone please understand that we do not condone what happened in 1996 or any other crimes he may have committed. But respect our obligation to our families we serve and we will give the same dedication, dignity, and respect to all the families we serve. Thank you for your understanding. I just wanted to say real quick, just one quick thought that I had that you actually just brought up. I mean, is it possible that he was, that Paul was living a double life? Is it possible that there are other victims of Paul's out there? I mean, it's definitely possible knowing that he was capable of committing a murder and a sexual assault in the first place.

Obviously, this guy, this isn't a good person. Yeah, and not that this is you know a for sure fact that he does have other victims but kind of kind of reminiscent I think of maybe people like BTK you know this family man who was living this double life he had a good job he had a family had kids and he was murdering people behind the scenes yeah yeah I mean it's definitely possible. Obviously he never was convicted for a crime, so his DNA was never entered into CODIS. So is it possible that he got away with something else and they were never able to make a DNA match because his DNA was not in CODIS?

I mean, now it is, you know? So if there are other crimes that he committed where there was DNA left behind at the scene, we might find out. I'd like at least for the police department to do their due diligence and, you know, look into this at the very least. Yeah, they'll they're definitely wondering about that as well. I'm actually going to read a small update about that in a second. But really quick, I want to read you guys what Stephanie said after this was all discovered

because alongside law enforcement, Stephanie also spoke at the press conference on August 8th, imploring her home state to take the accounts of missing women more seriously. And she said that these institutions failed her sister. She said, quote, "'Montanans, Daniel's story should anger you, "'should make you think about your mothers,

your sisters, your wives, and your daughters, should make you think about everything you do to protect and honor the women you love. But Stephanie claims that despite the irreparable trauma that befell her family at Paul's hands, they've made peace with how her sister's story concluded itself, saying, quote, The idea of him being out there doesn't have to haunt me anymore. Since this happened, police are still investigating whether Paul Hutchinson may have had other victims or crimes. They really are trying to figure this out, knowing how many years he spent in Montana

between the time at least that he was in college to when he passed. So they are trying to see if there are any other Montana cases or beyond that Paul is responsible for or to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. And of course, because this update was so recent, we will keep you posted if there's any more updates in this case. Yeah, we are always trying to look for updates. Some cases that we've covered in the past do get some resolution or there's updates on them, but sometimes they're kind of too small to make a whole episode

about. So the best way to see updates for a lot of the cases we cover is to follow us on socials. We are on Instagram at going West podcasts. We are also on Facebook. We have two groups. We have a private discussion group and then a public page. And yeah, we like to post any updates that we can find. So we'll let you know if Paul is connected to any other cases. But at least at this point, her family knows she was murdered. The man responsible is not alive anymore. He's not on this planet. Like her sister said, you know, she's not going to be haunted by the idea of him being out there anymore. So at least that, but what a devastating conclusion

nonetheless. Absolutely devastating. Well, thank you guys so much for listening. Thanks for tuning in again. Thank you to Molly for recommending today's case and we will see you guys on Tuesday. case and we will see you guys on Tuesday. Alright guys, so for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger! I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp

I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp you