It's About Danni | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] not a day since I was 12 years old have I not thought about my sister Dany that day in September of
1996 Dany disappeared my name is Stephanie Danny was my older sister mom Danny was 15 years old the
kind of older sister that every little sister looks up to nice stuff sorry Dad are sitting there he's like come on
let's try she was upset with my parents and needed some space to herself Danielle had gone out to Cameron
bridge and she was familiar with this area absolutely Danny didn't return home and
mother grew deeply concerned and so she and one of her friends drove out to Cameron bridge to
see what was going on my mom and her friend walked around calling Danny's name and called the sheriff's department
and reported her missing and a search party was being pulled together everybody's calling out
her name yep so if you were out here you can hear them in the distance Danny Danny right yep if she's out here we
just want her to come home 615 7:30 to 8 started to get dark enough to where I called off the
search family friends came out after dark that was about 9:30 when the dispatcher called me and said they found
her body how were you informed that Danny was gone I was at home my dad came home
home and told my mom and I I could hear him telling her that Danny was gone and she said I know they'll they're going to
look again in the morning as soon as it's light they'll be back out there looking for they're going to find her
they're going to find her and he said no honey they're they're they found her she's
gone she was strong and she was Brave and she was everything I looked up to being 656 to the fishing game at Cameron
Bridge go ahead law enforcement didn't tell my family a lot in 1996 there was never a doubt in my mind
that someone killed this 15-year-old girl from the instant you saw her body moment I saw her
15-year-old girls don't die in the swamps at night it took almost 30 years but I had
to know I spent 27 years on the Los Angeles Police Department and when I retired I
moved here to Boseman Montana what did you think of the original investigation into Danny's
death oh it was it was terrible it was terrible so I know where the body was there is zero doubt in my
mind that they lied to my family I told Stephanie I will solve this case Stephanie I promised myself I promised
my sister I'm coming for you Danny I never would have guessed how this ended [Music]
[Music] it was the end of September 1996 a Saturday night a fishing area just outside of Boseman Montana
a place of Tranquility until this night a few miles up a rural Highway near the small town of
Belgrade Searchers discovered the body of 15-year-old Danny hin what brought your sister Dany down to this area back
on September 21st 1996 that morning uh we had kind of a family spat Stephanie molette was Danny's little sister and so
she got 15-year-old mad about it and needed some space and some time and she had her driver's license now people
wonder how does a 15-year-old get a driver's license in the state of Montana in 1996 you actually got your driver's
license at 15 she was a very proud driver so she hops into her Chevy pickup truck and why would she come to this
place if she wanted to just kind of take a break it's peaceful after Danny's pickup truck was located a
sheriff's posy had searched this Wilderness for Dany until it got too dark but that same night two brothers
friends of the hin family refused to call it quits so they came down this very path
at night with their flashlights that's right they would across this bridge right somehow in the dense muddy woods
they found her body the body I believe Peter was right in this area when she was found right in
here yes Keith farquar then a Gallatin County Sheriff's deputy was the first officer on the scene in the first hours
after Danny was found no one was really sure what had happened to her did this look like an accident scene or something
else something entirely different there's nothing here then or now that would suggest a
15-year-old girl should all of a sudden be faced down in a small amount of water
and mud and be dead she's a mountain kid and is it possible to put into words the shock and horror of that
moment it's like everything you um knew doesn't exist anymore um to not understand how that could have
happened and to just feel a gaping hole in your whole being relle shro went to school with
Stephanie and Dany and I always thought Stephanie and Danny were super cool Danny was like my friend's cool older
sister they were the most downto Earth friendly people the sisters love the Montana
Wilderness she is pretty this is like a nature playground out here and our family we just played a
classic Montana girl right she could fish she hiked she could ski and Danny was smart she loved
science she was so interested in the way that the world worked and she had a sense of humor right uh yeah
[Music] Isn't She Lovely look at your lovely daughter here she was witty and she was funny and
everyone loved her Danny she'd make humor at her own expense see my nose here's my
eye how quickly did words spread that Dany had been found and that she was dead oh like wildfire
it was a lot of shock you know learning about Dany dying it came in stages you know there were
the rumors all of a sudden of somebody died initially I had just heard somebody drowned while Danny's Family was
awaiting an official cause of death everyone it seemed from first responder Keith farquar to folks all over town
were speculating about what had happened a small to Montana if you haven't heard
a rumor by 10:00 in the morning you're going to start one the rumor started flying of maybe it was a murder and then
we're all like what and if it was a murder who would want to end this young girl's life and
was there a killer on the loose it just was like this strange roller coaster of did someone should we
be worried as a community I think the rumor mill around Belgrade high school was ruthless there was so
much other speculation I remember thinking man what if what if just caused fear I tried to be
strong um Danny died on a Saturday and I tried to go back to school on Monday I thought
if um I thought that if I was strong then it'd be easier for my parents but within days the family's
grief would turn to heartbreaking shock when they heard the Sheriff's Department's jaw-dropping announcement
about how Dany died we just couldn't believe what they told us and didn't make any
sense just two days after the discovery of dany's body with the people of Belgrade Montana fearful and demanding
answers authorities released the partial findings of Danny's autopsy they did not say Danny was murdered her
manner of death was undetermined her family was dumbfounded they told us that she drowned and they
told us that it really could have been an accident the sheriff told the media that there were no Cuts or bruises on
dany's body and no indications of Foul Play she could have just tripped and fell we don't really know tripped and
fell uhhuh and as Avid experienced Outdoors people even at 12 you thought that was absurd
absurd what the family didn't know at the time was the coroner said Dany had inhaled both water and mud into her
Airways the family also didn't know that there were bruises and cuts on dany's body and signs of possible sexual
assault the sheriff back then Bill Slaughter told told us it is often common for investigators to withhold key
details to protect their investigations as they looked into potential suspects including people who
were close to Dany common sense says this girl was not an accidental death caught in the middle of this controversy
was Deputy Keith farquar then a young patrolman he was assigned to work with detectives on the case Keith spoke with
Danny's doctor he said there's nothing about her physical condition that would have prevented that girl from being able
to roll over in a few inches of water and mud to breathe if she had just Fallen if
this was an accident but when farquar tried to report the doctor's opinion to other
investigators I was pretty much ridiculed by the sheriff what did he say he said what
does a doctor know and that that statement sticks in my mind to this day the former Sheriff Bill Slaughter
denies farquar's allegations he says farquar was a disgruntled employee and that his Department never ignored any
evidence Fed Up and disillusioned just 3 months after Danny's death farquar resigned from the sheriff's
office as years passed Danny's Family tried to accept that her might have been an accident as all that
time weeks to months to years go by and you have no answers what was that like traumatizing it was uh having a big
wound in your life and this big gap that was unexplainable and you somehow had to
find a way to heal without answers to live without resolution um to hope with no reason to
Hope until 24 years after Danny's death Matt boxme was the detective Sergeant with Gallatin County he took an
interest in Danny howchin and her family I found out that they really hadn't been
given much information back in 1996 regarding the investigation which is not uncommon with investigations you know
you don't openly talk about them with the family usually they had been told that she had fallen down and and drowned
it was marked as accidental boxmeer also found out that there had been several efforts over the years to get evidence
analyzed by the Montana State Crime Lab but after each attempt nothing no usable
DNA profile ever came back so he was starting from scratch meantime Stephanie decided to turn up the
pressure I had been calling the sheriff's department trying to get someone to talk to me about Danny's case
finally box Meyer and his bosses made a decision they deserved some answers they
told the family that Danny's death was no accident I shared with them that I believe that it was a homicide
homicide Stephanie then demanded to read the autopsy and look at the crime scene
photos [Music] I was so angry at the people who lied to my family and let my sister's murder
go unsolved but uninvestigated for all of these years I learned that rather than drowning on just
water Danny's head had been held down in the mud she had mud all the way down into her lungs and into her stomach
there was subcutaneous bruising on the back of her neck someone had held her head down forcefully there was vaginal
injuries there was seen in her underwear she had fought and scratched this is like a a nuclear bomb going off
emotionally I would think for this family and for you I remember asking them so you mean to tell me that in fact
my sister was raped and they said yes we believe she was raped I remember not being able to
breathe I remember feeling like I need to to puke in 2021 with dany's family now
knowing the explosive truth solving Danny's Mur would become a top priority for newly appointed Sheriff Dan Springer
you were rookie Deputy when this crime came down right yes 5 days after I started is when we found Danny's body
when you become the boss you get to decide to do things the way you want to do things I felt like well this is our
time let's go get some answers Sheriff Springer reached out to Stephanie and I told her I am making a promise that we
will find an answer to this case now determined to set things right Springer reached outside the department to a most
unusual investigator Tom elfmont I'm very persistent I have a bulldog personality I just don't give up on
something I just don't do it he'd spent a lifetime in tough jobs from a soldier in Vietnam to a cop working the streets
of LA I wanted to put bad people in jail and after a conversation with Sheriff Springer he was also drawn to Danny's
case she was a great kid and the way she died I get choked up about this a little
bit really to this day bothers me and so when they said would you like to work the case I said yes um I want to work
the case I of course internet stalked him immediately and uh came to find out that
he's like the man that never retires I told Stephanie I will solve this case Stephanie and she said okay I'm going to
trust you and with elfmont leading the way he soon found a suspect why do I know that
name like that sounds so familiar but it took a little bit of time for it to go oh no oh no oh my gosh no way
did you ever think coming out here in the mountains outside Boseman Montana that you'd be going back to work as a
homicide investigator here never no I never thought so by mid 2023 retired LAPD captain elfmont was back to working
full-time committed to finding Danny hen's killer the only reason I stayed in it was
Dany for Danny's sister Stephanie elfm Mon's refreshing dedication professionalism and enthusiasm was what
the case had always needed what does Tom do Tom got to work Tom worked on Danny's
case every day he went through and reexamined all of the evidence elfmont had access to
everything including a list of potential suspects from the old case File and that
previously tested clothing that Dany had been wearing when she was found he most
importantly made sure that DNA got tested elfmont asked the Montana State Crime Lab to use their newest technology
to retest the seen on Danny's under whereare at last a breakthrough a partial DNA profile but there were no
matches to names in the case File and when elfmont compared it to cotus the vast Federal digital repository of DNA
samples from convicted felons we didn't get any hits but elfmont was undeterred and decided to go a less conventional
route he turned to genetic genealogy an investigative genealogist CC Moore since
I started working with law enforcement in 2018 I've been able to help solve over
325 cases Moore is an expert at building out family trees from DNA samples using
information from popular genealogy websites bringing cold cases back to life but to solve this case Moore needed
a special type of DNA profile file problem was they didn't have enough DNA from that seamen we have to start from
scratch which means there has to be remaining biological evidence for us to go back and retest using more advanced
technology elfmont did have more evidence for retesting four male hairs that had been found on Dany which had
been perfectly preserved for 27 years they had never yielded any usable DNA because they were rootless hairs without
any skin cells but elfmont asked around and connected with Austria forensics a state-of-the-art private lab that's at
the Forefront of extracting DNA from previously unattainable genetic matter as if there wasn't enough drama
in this case the first two hairs AA tested produced nothing usable so the last two hairs are examined are they
able to get a profile yes in the last hair oh I was so excited it was a critical breakthrough elfmont
got permission from a judge to compare this enhanced DNA profile to samples in popular genealogy databases where people
voluntarily submit their DNA profiles by Spring 2024 CeCe had what she needed to
get to work I'm looking for patterns commonalities overlaps eventually common ancestors Moore was able to identify the
great grandparents on both sides of the suspect's family tree she then found one
marriage that proved decisive the couple that I finally zeroed in on they had a lot of children including Three Sons
Moore felt like she had to be close but there was a problem what was really confounding was that everybody lived in
New Hampshire yet the mystery was what was the link to Montana Mo scoured through the birth indexes marriage
certificates and even social media of those Sons when I finally got to the youngest son's Facebook page he had
posted that he moved to Boseman Montana on July 1st 1996 remember Dany had been murdered in
September 1996 finally all the pieces fell into place on May 1st 2024 I called up the detectives to let
them know that I believed I had identified Danny's killer finally after nearly 28 years it was now time for
elfmont to call Stephanie and give her the momentous news we've found Danny's killer and he is
alive and we are going to make a case against him the suspect was Paul Hutchinson a married father of two who
elfmont soon Learned was widely known and respected in local hunting and fishing circles we learned that he's
been working for the Bureau of Land Management in Dylan Montana for 22 years as a Fisheries biologist he was a big
Outdoorsman bow hunter rifle hunter fisherman Trapper and Incredibly it turned turned
out Stephanie's childhood friend relle shut knew Paul Hutchinson he was a trusted Mentor who she had first met in
the early 2000s Paul came across as just an under the radar person that was always so kind of calm and quiet he was
just so utterly unremarkable [Music] Stephanie Mallette had spent years dreaming of the day someone would be
held responsible for her sister's murder that day that dream seemed to be finally
coming true it was the moment at which I knew that everything I had put into my fight for my sister had been worth
it back in September 1996 suspect Paul Hutchinson was 27 years old he had served in the Marine
Corps then moved to Boseman to study at Montana State University just 13 miles from where dany's body was
discovered when he was at Montana State he had a work study he worked for the fish and wildlife service which would
have put him on the waterways around Belgrade where on September 21st 1996 Dany ended up on a hike that's
correct do you think your sister Dany knew Paul Hutchinson no Paul Hutchinson was a stranger to Dany there's no way
that she would have known him but many people in the area did know Hutchinson through his passion for
hunting and fishing and high-profile government job he just was like this respected source of information in in
the hunting and fishing space rashelle knew Hutchinson for years she's an expert Hunter and former Yellowstone
Park guide and is now the hunt and fish editor for gearjunkie.com I think I would have considered him a a friend you
know if we were doing some sort of hunt camp I would have not even thought twice
about inviting him relle says she never once questioned Hutchinson's Integrity even when she
went on fishing trips with him just the two of them out in the middle of nowhere
I've always trusted my gut instinct when it comes to PE especially men I never had any feeling that he was unsafe
though she hadn't seen Hutchinson in years relle kept up with him online he would often post on message boards about
hunting trips he had taken across the country Paul was super active in The Hunting Community it seemed like he was
constantly hunting always sharing where he was headed or where he just got back from Hutchinson had no criminal record
by all accounts he had been leading a quiet existence since 1996 and what did you know about his family life well we
knew that he had a wife and a daughter and a son and he lived just a few hours away and Dylan Montana how far is that
from Boseman 140 mil elfmont knew he couldn't make an arrest until he got Hutchinson's DNA which he was working
out how to get in the meantime Montana law did allow elfmont to talk to Hutchinson with some conditions it just
basically has to be in a public area where he can walk away anytime he wants to so on July 2 3rd 2024 elfmont and
another detective drove down to Hutchinson's office at the Bureau of Land Management in Dylan Montana with a
body camera rolling we saw Paul come in and get out of his pickup and then we started walking up and I got up about 10
ft from Paul and I said hey Paul how you doing good good my name's Tom Elon I'm with the gallington County Sheriff's
Office uhhuh hey they came ready with a clever excuse for why they wanted to speak with Hutchinson hoping it wouldn't
raise his suspicions we wanted to talk to you we've been talking to some Fisheries people about some things that
have been going on here at the rivers in southwest Montana okay I explained to him that we're investigating some cases
up and down the rivers and so we want to talk to people that are experts right at the start they caught a
break thanks to an unusually scorching hot day it was 98 that day and Dylan he said let's go inside you guys want to
come inside and talk that'd be great man if if he invites Us in we don't have to
give him Miranda so we go inside he takes us in a small conference room while they didn't
ask about Danny howchin right away elfmont says he could tell Hutchinson was nervous appreciate you sitting down
with us what's up and he breaks into a sweat is just his head starts sweating and he
asks can I can I leave um can you give me a second absolutely Hutchinson said he had to go help a coworker when he
returned they asked him about the other cases so I had pictures of four women that died one in the river in
Idaho two over on the ellone and then Danny elfm Mon's partner Court dewick took over the conversation okay this is
uh Daniel hin she was killed in September of 96 okay um and she was found off the
Gallatin River did you ever fish up there I uh I trapped on the Gallatin have you
ever heard of the Cameron Bridge access mhm have you been there before probably um Jack Rabbit Lane yeah
exactly Hutchinson had confirmed he had not only been to the remote area where Dany was attacked he remembered the
street that led there elfmont says it was a revealing exchange shaking he's all distressed now he was sitting back
in the chair like this as far as he could get from the table and the pictures I knew we had him you remember
seeing her there or a similar face I honestly don't know I I mean I probably I've been to
bunch of fishing access sites for one reason or another Hutchinson denied knowing anything about Danny's death
even when they told him they had the suspect's DNA is there a possibility that you were there when she was
murdered no you weren't trapping or anything during that time not September I would have
been are you asking me I mean I was asking if you remember anything during that time no no did you ever directly
say did you kill Danny hin no why didn't need to cuz he knows that you know that's right and you know that he knows
that you know correct as they wrapped up the interview Hutchinson had a question for them
anything else you want to ask me while I'm here no we're good we're good now to elfmont it seemed like Hutchinson
couldn't believe they didn't arrest himk but the investigation was far from over
so we walk out of the building and we had surveillance people to follow him he started driving like a
maniac high speed doing urns he takes off [Music] with the possibility of an arrest of her
sister's killer Stephanie began imagining what Justice would look like for Paul Hutchinson I Was preparing myself for
the next 3 to 5 years of a court battle to staring him down to being present every day in that courtroom but what
Stephanie could never prepare herself for was the startling phone call she got from Tom elfmont just 12 hours after he
had interviewed Hutchinson so I called Stephanie and I said Stephanie he's dead he killed
himself it's a big pause and she said you know I don't know how I feel about that I said I get it I
understand police say Paul Hutchinson drove to a remote area and called the Sheriff's dispatch line
saying an officer needed help when cops arrived they found Hutchinson's body dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound
he was 55 give me a sense of that moment for you shock I I didn't expect that to
happen when Hutchinson's DNA was checked against evidence from dany's body including the seen on her underwear
there was a match the ratio 10.7 trillion to 1 so he was the guy this case is solved
100% Stephanie's friend relle who had considered Hutchinson a mentor learned what happened as she watched the
sheriff's news conference I am got it I've known him most of my life like it makes me mad to know him him how dare
you at the news conference Stephanie thanked the current Sheriff's team I'd like to express my family's gratitude to
Tom elfmont for overcoming every roadblock to Dan Springer thank you for being a
man of your word and then she did what no one there expected she Unleashed years of pent up anger the sheriff lied
to my parents boldface lied and betrayed the trust of shocked and grieving parents those institutions failed my
sister failed my family and failed this community I asked Sheriff Springer about
Stephanie's allegations that the sheriff's department for years had lied to her family if what they say is true
were they lied to I don't I I don't know what they said to be honest what the parents said is that they were told that
their daughter did not have any injuries if what they are saying is true were they lied to of course I mean I think
the the reports speak for themselves there were marks on her body and if that's what they were told then that's
not the truth we reached out to the man who was sheriff in office back in 1996 Bill
Slaughter now retired Slaughter admits withholding some information from Danny's family but claims he never lied
to them despite the fact he told the local newspaper in 1996 that there was no indication of
Foul Play weeks after the news conference Stephanie went back to the scene of the
crime when I finally saw the exact spot where her body was found and I sat there and imagined
that about her last moments and how it went from peaceful rustling of leaves and you know the sounds of squirrels
running through the forest and the birds chirping to suddenly turning to this awful and violating and terrifying
experience and then that realization that she must have had when he was holding her face down in the mud
that she was going to die right there and I am so sorry for her that she had to experience that
moment for you what is this case about Danny it's about Danny I would wake up at
night and I would say middle of the night 3:00 in the morning and I'd say Danny I got
you it's about Danny in the aftermath of Hutcherson's death there were so many questions
unanswered perhaps the most troubling says elfmont were there other victims oh I think there's a good possibility yeah
I think that anyone who is able to rape and murder a young girl and then get away with it for almost 28 years had
plenty of chances to do it again Stephanie is now trying to make changes in how Montana funds and
supervises law enforcement so that cases like Danny's Don't Fall by the wayside on the table I have what was in
Danny's pocket when she died and then her driver's license which she was really really proud of
[Music] having years ago Danny's Family spread some of her ashes on a nearby Mountaintop we spread half of Danny's
ashes on top of the tallest mountain on the Bridger range sakaja Peak and now almost 30 years later
Stephanie was back here on the banks of the Gallatin River where Dany died to spread read the last of her ashes and to
tell her sister that she'd made a difference love you Danny I think the biggest thing has
been after so many years of begging and pleading for people to pay attention to my sister for people to believe that she
mattered I'm feeling so often like I was screaming into an echo chamber now suddenly she matters to everyone all
over [Music] again CBS next Saturday a young teenager is strangled and buried alive absolutely
coldblooded 20 years later her family battles to keep her Killers behind bars we're fighting for her that's why we're
here she doesn't have a voice so we her voice 48 hours is all new CBS next Saturday 109 Central and streaming on
Paramount Plus us [Music]

When 15-year-old Danni Houchins is found dead in a swamp, her family says they were led to believe she drowned. 24 years later, Danni’s sister learns the terrible truth. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV. {This episode aired on Feb. 8, 2025)

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

The episode details the 1996 murder of Dany Hin and the decades-long fight for justice by her sister Stephanie Mallette.

Key points

The Disappearance of Dany. Dany disappeared on a September night in 1996, leading to a frantic search.
The Shocking Discovery. The family learns of Dany's death, leading to disbelief and heartbreak.
A Decades-Long Fight for Justice. Stephanie dedicates herself to solving her sister's case, promising to find answers.
Breakthrough in the Investigation. Detectives finally identify Dany's killer after nearly 28 years.
Hutchinson's Death. Just 12 hours after the interview, Hutchinson is found dead by suicide.
DNA Match Confirms Guilt. Hutchinson's DNA matches evidence from Danny's body, solving the case.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I told Stephanie I will solve this case.

3:43WatchFeb 13, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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