DNA evidence solves Montana murder, nearly 30 years later

( NewsNation ) — Nearly 30 years after the death of Montana teen Danielle “Danni” Houchins, her killer has been identified using DNA , according to local law enforcement.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office matched DNA samples collected from the Houchins’ body to 55-year-old Paul Hutchinson of Dillon, Montana — who took his own life just hours after he was interviewed about Houchins.

Houchins, 15, left home around 11 a.m. Sept. 21, 1996. After she didn’t return, her family reported her missing and went searching. Her mom found her truck at a fishing spot on the Gallatin River. Later that night, Houchins was discovered face down in shallow water.

It’s believed Houchins and Hutchinson had no prior connection and met randomly at the river, where he “raped then suffocated her.”

Multiple suspects were interviewed, but all possibilities were eliminated over the years and the case grew cold.

Things changed in 2021, when a new sheriff and private investigator began looking at the case using modern technology. Four hairs, collected from Houchins’ body at the time of her death, were sent off for testing.

The FBI could only identify a partial DNA profile from one of the hairs, which was then sent off to Parabon NanoLabs in Virginia. Scientists were then able to identify Hutchinson using DNA databases.

Such cases, which the sheriff’s office calls stranger homicides, are hard to solve because they rely so heavily on DNA and physical evidence.

“This case exemplifies our relentless pursuit of justice. We never gave up on finding the truth for Danni and her family, exhausting all means necessary to bring closure to this heartbreaking chapter,” Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said in a statement.

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