It's About Danni | Post Mortem | Forensic Files

[Music] Welcome to Postmortem. I'm your host Ann Marie Green and today we are discussing
the case of Danny Hins. In September 1996, Danny was found dead near the Gallatin River that's just outside of
Bosezeman, Montana. After an autopsy declared the manner of death undetermined, the sheriff's department
said it could have been an accidental drowning. In the following years though, Danny's family tried to move on, but
always suspected that her death was no accident and almost 28 years later, her killer was found. So, with me now to
discuss this case is 48 hours correspondent Peter Vansent and producer Lauren Clark. Welcome. Hey, good to see
you again, Anie. Thanks for having us, Anie. All right, guys. As usual, remember if you haven't listened to this
episode of 48 Hours, uh, head on over to your podcast feed. You can find the full
episode of this case right underneath this podcast that you're listening to right now. Go listen and then come on
back so we can have this conversation. All right, let's get into this. One of the things that really
stood out to me about this case is the fact that in 1996, the sheriff's department publicly said that there was
actually no indication of foul play here with Danny's death. They withheld details from the coroner's report that
said that Dany had inhaled water and mud, that she had cuts and bruises on her body, and there were signs of a
possible sexual assault. Why did investigators originally not release this information? Well, it all depends
on who you you talked to, and we spoke with a lot of people involved in this investigation, and I have to admit, I
remain baffled to this day. Why not say that this was a murder? The killer knew it was a murder, right? I understand
details of the investigation. You may not want a suspect to know, right? But just the basic fact as to whether or not
it's a murder, that still baffles me to this day. And it baffled people back in the day in 1996 in Montana. Deputy
Farquar could not believe what his sheriff's department was putting out there. He still can't explain. He's
still baffled. And Deputy Farquar, who today is a veterinarian, ended up leaving eventually the sheriff's
department out of frustration in all of this. So, it is one of these things that
is baffling to me, but some of our people ended up speaking to the sheriff back in the day. Yeah. My co-producer,
Chuck, uh, gave a call to Bill Slaughter. He was the Gallatton County Sheriff back in 1996, and he was upfront
with Chuck. He said, "We sometimes withhold information so that we know when someone does come forward that
that's the real information, that we don't have it all out in the press." That this is often common in
investigations. But, he says he never lied to the family. But, you know, for the family that doesn't really help.
They were left with this impression for so many years. And back in 1996, he told
the media that there was no evidence of foul play. And we can say, we know today
that simply was not true. The coroner's report said that her manner of death was
undetermined. So, while Sheriff Slaughter said, you know, we always investigated this as a homicide, there
wasn't that like conclusive evidence that said this was a murder. M but you know this was something that really
bothered a lot of people in the sheriff's office for a long time cuz they knew like Danny's family knew Danny
was an outdoors person. She was comfortable in the mountains. Uh she was wearing a leg brace at the time which is
something I think investigators did take into account. Um, but Deputy Farquar told us that he talked to Danny's doctor
at the time and her doctor said there was no reason for her not to be able, even with the leg brace, to be able to
turn herself over in that mud and still survive if it had been an accidental trip or a fall. I'm glad, Lauren, that
you said that they always investigated it as a homicide. But I also think what opportunities were missed if the public
knew that they were looking for someone. Maybe other people were out there at that time and you know they might have
seen someone else out there talking to her but if you don't know you're looking for another person you're not going to
you know try to help in that manner or just the thought that there was a killer on the loose in their small town. Yeah.
Absolutely. And again this is a first for me. I've never known a law enforcement agency at any level to
withhold from the public that it was a murder. Yeah. Uh to suggest that it was an accident or may have been an accident
as you said everyone downshifts. uh and Marie, right? They're not as concerned. Uh they don't have a threat in the
community. They're not racking their brains. What did I see that day in that area in this public fishing area? And
there could have been opportunity lost there. Mhm. So, you know, a lot of times when people ask me about working for 48
hours and they say, "Isn't it sort of depressing to focus on these topics?" And I always tell them in every story
there are heroes. And there are a few in this story. Danny's sister Stephanie is
definitely one of them. Lauren, you spent a lot of time talking to her. She struggled her entire life to accept
Danny's death as an accident. She couldn't shake the feeling that that her sister had been murdered, but it wasn't
until years later that Stephanie pushed the sheriff's department to reopen the investigation. What prompted her to take
action? Yeah, I think I think Stephanie is really kind of an remarkable woman. She was 12 years old when Danny was
killed. And in her show, she says, you know, I tried to be strong for my parents. Danny was killed on a Saturday.
She went back to school on Monday. And she was just trying to keep it together and be strong for them cuz she
knew that they were going to a lot. But this really really affected her. I mean,
this was her big cool sister. It was like the mid9s. She was like all grunge. She was just everything Stephanie wanted
to be. So then Stephanie growing up and having that void in her life and always having these questions, you know, it was
hard for her. And she told us, you know, every year her mom would send a note or
call the sheriff's office, be like, "Hey, is anything going on?" But it wasn't really a big push. And Stephanie
kind of wanted to to really push and ask questions, but some friends told her like, "Make sure you're in a good place
to take this on because once you take this on, it's going to be a lot." So it took a little while and she got to a
place where she really felt like, "All right, now's the time." And so it wasn't until really 2020 that she was let in to
see the pieces of the investigation, to see the autopsy. She chose to look at the autopsy photos herself. And that's
when she was told that no, they really believed that this was a homicide. And the thing about Stephanie, all these
years, she had always promised her sister in her thoughts that she was not going to let this case die. And it just
reached a point where now was the time, as Lauren said, for her to move forward.
and she is the champion in this and one of the most compelling characters I have
ever interviewed for a 48 hours episode. Right. Another big driving force is uh Sheriff Dan Springer in 2021. He's a
newly appointed sheriff and he tells Stephanie, "I am making a promise that we will find an answer to this case."
Which I thought was quite a hefty promise to make. So, I want to talk about him and just why Springer decided
that this was the cold case that he was going to dig into and he was going to solve. I think everyone touched by this
case was haunted by it all this time. Keep in mind, Sheriff Dan Springer, he'd just been on the job for 5 days with the
Gallatin County Sheriff's Department when Dany's body was found. And if there's one thing that we learned in
this, uh, Sheriff Dan Springer is a man of absolute integrity. And once he became the big dog, you know, the
sheriff in the department, this case that haunted him as well, he wanted to return to it and looked Stephanie in the
eye and said, "We are going to solve this." He played such a crucial role in this. And then there's another hero in
Danny's case. Uh Springer enlists the help of a former investigator, Tom Elmont. Tom Elfont was a former LAPD
captain. He retires and he moves to Bosezeman. How did Spur even find him? Well, meeting this guy, you instantly
love him. I mean, Lauren was there, too. We're just having a brief conversation about how he got involved with this. He
starts talking about Danny, and tears come to his eyes. He tears up. This is a guy who was a tough
LAPD police captain, right? He'd seen everything in Los Angeles County and investigated every kind of crime. But
when law enforcement people retire, they often times get in the private security
business. He has a business, a number of employees, so he kept his network of contacts out there. And eventually,
Sheriff Springer learns of his presence, this wealth of experience and investigative talent, his, you know,
living on the top of a mountain just outside of town. And Springer reached out to him and Elfmon said yes. Which is
of course crucial in this case. Yeah. Yeah, El Elmont's dedication to this really was key to getting this solved. I
mean, we've read his case notes. He did everything. He talked to everyone he could and he had the enthusiasm to think
outside the box a little bit, which ended up being what this case really needed. Welcome back everyone. We are
going to dig into the science here. Tom Elmont's investigation really starts to gain momentum when he pushes the Montana
State Crime Lab to retest the semen that was found on Danny's clothes with their
newest DNA technology. Now, the lab does manage to get a partial DNA profile, but
it didn't match any of the names in their system or in COTUS, which is the FBI's national DNA database. But there
were also four rootless male hairs found on Danny that were preserved. And the private lab was able to extract DNA from
one of those hairs. I didn't realize that that was even a possibility now to tell you the truth. Cuz normally you
need when we say rootless, we're talking about that sort of white bulb that's at
the end of a hair when it gets yanked out. This didn't have that, you know. Well, tell me a little bit more about
this technology and how they were able to do this. Yeah, I mean, it's it's pretty wild, honestly, what they're able
to do. Now, these weren't just rootless hairs. These were like naturally shed arm hairs, they thought. So, they're
they're like little, too. But back in 1996, you know, DNA technology was relatively new. It's not nearly advanced
as where we are now. This is something that is still new in the law enforcement community that this is a possibility
that you know there are these companies out there like this Astrella Labs that Tom Alfmont connected with that they
have like their own proprietary methods and software where they they literally grind down biological samples to get as
much of the DNA as much of the cells in there as they can and then they use computer technology to amplify the DNA
in there. Sounds expensive. So yeah, another thing about, you know, these DNA tests, they are very expensive. It can
get into the thousands of dollars. And something in this case that really stood out to us is Tom Elfman told us he went
to Sheriff Springer and was like, "Hey, can I spend some money here? Can I go to
these outside labs?" And Sheriff Springer told him like, "Do what you got to do. I'm not going to let money get in
the way of this." And that was a really big commitment and something that enabled them to do the testing they
needed to get the break in this case. And think about just like how many cold cases are out there where there's
evidence sitting in like the back of a file cabinet in the basement of the sheriff's office. You know, if something
could be retested now or new eyes put on it. I mean, it's a total game changer. Think about this. It's like a time
machine. They're able to go back generations and then work their way forward to find someone. It's almost
magic. It really is. M which brings me to CC Moore because it's one thing to have a DNA profile but if you can't
match it to a person then it doesn't really matter. So Elfmont Enlist the help of CC Moore an investigative
genetic genealogologist. She's worked for law enforcement to build family trees from
DNA samples and identify killers. So, in 2024, Cece was able to identify several
family members who were related to this DNA profile. Eventually though, she zeros in on Paul Hutchinson because he's
posted on Facebook that he moved to Montana in 1996 and he moved to Boseman. And this is just months before Danny is
murdered. First off, what was the moment like for CC Moore when she realized here
are all the dots and now the lines are like D, I have a picture. Well, remember once they get that DNA readings, they're
able to then get into DNA databases and they found this link to the suspect Hutchinson. So for Cece, who's been
doing this for a while, it's extraordinarily exciting. It's what she lives for, but it's also a very sobering
thing. Now, you can go to that person's social media. She learned that Hutchinson was a big- time hunter. He's
married, has two kids, and she realizes that these people's lives are about to go off a cliff when she brings this
forward. So, it's excitement that is tempered a bit with this sobering reality of what the consequences will
be, but finally, it is the path to justice. So, let's talk a little bit about these public DNA databases because
I think some people they wanted to, you know, see if they were related to the Queen of England or something like that,
so they signed up for ancestry. We're not talking about a database necessarily like that. No. And it's actually there's
two parts to CC's work. She starts with the unknown suspect DNA profile. They get permission to test it against
databases where people have volunteered. Basically, they take the DNA profile that they've gotten from like a 23 andme
or an ancestry, you know, one of those kits you do at home. But then individual users can choose to take that profile
and upload it to different sites that contain these databases. And they do have to opt in for law enforcement to be
able to search their profile in these. In this case, especially because in Montana, there are also a lot of
personal freedom laws. So Tom Elmmont actually needed to get a subpoena from a judge to some of these companies for
them to be able to, you know, basically compare the suspect DNA profile to these
databases. So once they do that, they get a list of people that have similar DNA to the suspect. And that's when CC
gets to work. And then the next stage of her work, she does use ancestry.com. She
uses public records. Like the Mormon church has a giant database of family trees and everything. She goes through
everything and that's where she's piecing in those common connections. Fascinating. So, as Peter pointed out,
the suspect, Paul Hutchinson, he's well respected. He's working for the Bureau of Land Management in Montana. He also
has no criminal record. So, he's definitely managed to stay under the radar for many, many years. I know. I
thought there's no way that this is the only thing this guy has ever done because it it's, you know, it's a murder
and a sexual assault. Is there any thought that there there could be other victims? Yeah. I mean, Tom Elfman is, as
we said, a really experienced investigator. And if we had that first thought, he definitely had that first
thought of, are there more victims out there? And he told us, you know, it's not unlikely, especially for a sexual
assault like this, for someone to have done it again. Um, as of this day, we don't know, but they are actively
investigating because Hutchinson was a big turkey hunter, and there's this thing in the turkey hunting community
called the US Super Slam, where you kill a turkey in every state except Alaska. So, he was working towards this kind of
certificate, traveling all over the country in these remote backwoods areas. Elfmont told us, you know, it'd be very
easy for him to get in and out of somewhere no one even knew he was there. Who knows what the possibilities are all
over the country? And also the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, they uh sent out a bulletin to other law enforcement
agencies in the state of Montana to see if they have any cold cases linked to Hutchinson. And that's the big question
is will they find other cases in this? And Stephanie herself, she ends up saying in our hour, "I think that anyone
who was 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." Wow. Um, so turning back to this investigation, once Hutchinson is identified as the suspect, Elfmont
and another detective confront him. They make up an excuse to speak to him, but they do say, you know, we're
investigating crimes along the rivers in Southwest Montana and we want to talk to
you. But they start to focus in on Danny's murder and Hutchinson becomes visibly nervous. I want to play an
extended clip here of that interview. Do you remember hearing about this murder or anything about about that?
I I don't I mean I I might have it was a big case just because she was so young and obviously for Boseman that's that's
that's big news you know especially in Montana this it wasn't common obviously back in the day I mean I know I'm giving
you different people but u you know for Boseman Belgrade area that's that was big news. Do you remember this movie
or hearing her name? I don't I've never seen anybody quite melt down like that. It was like the wicked witch
in the Wizard of Oz melting down at the end. That's what I saw. He went from being uh calm and collected to sweating.
He was very nervous. They pointed out that he leaned back in the chair to get as far away from them as he possibly
could. Psychologically, he wanted out of that room. Yeah. And Hutchinson by the end there was allowed to leave. They
weren't able to arrest him right then, but Elfmont was pretty sure Hutchinson knew that his time as a free man was
running out. Indeed, just hours after that interview, Hutchinson drives to a remote area and he shoots himself. When
Hutchinson's DNA is ultimately checked against evidence from Danny's body, it is a
match, but unfortunately, he is now dead. And so, there will be no trial. I just wonder what it was like for um
Danny's family. Yeah. Yeah, I mean Stephanie told us about Tom Elfont calling her that morning. It was in the
early hours of the morning uh that news kind of spread and I mean she she was shocked. She had been preparing herself
to be there every day through court hearings for trial. She was mentally and emotionally preparing herself and then
it was just oh okay but now and again all these questions they have the why, the how, the what actually happened. I
mean, it's just gone now for them. And it's heartbreaking. It really is. The hour ends in a really beautiful moment
that um Stephanie allows 48 hours to be there for. Uh she spreads some of her sister's ashes in the Gallatin River.
What was that moment like? Yeah. I mean, that was definitely not part of our original plan. and we had filmed with
Stephanie the day before by the fishing access area where Danny's body had been found and they avoided that area for a
long time. Um, her mom actually moved away. She had just recently moved back and I guess told Stephanie that she had
some of the ashes with her. So it really was incredibly profound that Stephanie trusted us to be able to do it on
camera, of course with crew, kept their distance, made sure she had the time on her own, but it was really just, yeah,
this reclaiming of this scary place with where this horrible thing happened to her sister that now she can go back
there and think of Danny, think of the beautiful area around her and have it be a good memory. I thought one thing that
was profound that I just wanted to read as almost kind of a final thought from Stephanie. This was at the press
conference. She said, "I celebrate that a violent predator is no longer able to victimize other women and girls. I
celebrate that my fight for my sister is over. Celebration for me is short-lived.
It's quickly replaced with a tangled mess of frustration, disbelief, and anger." Of course, that is part of the
profound nature of murder, isn't it? It just never quite goes away inside any of
these these victims. But in this case, I think Stephanie really accomplished this
extraordinary feat in her life and gave honor to her sister's memory. Really, really well put, Peter Lauren. Thank you
so much. Thanks, Denmarie. Thank you. If you like the series Postmortem, please rate and review 48 hours on Apple
Podcast and follow 48 hours wherever you get your podcast. You can also listen adree with the 48 hours plus
subscription on Apple podcast. Thanks again for listening.

Watch "It's About Danni" and then catch up with "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant and producer Lauren Clark as they discuss the case of Danni Houchins, who was found dead in Montana near the Gallatin River in 1996. The team discusses why the sheriff's department told the public Danni accidentally drowned, the decades-long fight for justice from her family, and DNA evidence that eventually led investigators to the killer.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "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

Danny Hins was found dead in 1996; her killer was identified nearly 28 years later after a renewed investigation.

Key points

The Mysterious Death of Danny Hins. Danny Hins was found dead in 1996, with initial reports suggesting accidental drowning. Years later, her family suspected foul play.
Sheriff's Department's Controversial Decision. In 1996, the sheriff's department claimed no foul play in Danny's death, leading to public confusion.
A Sister's Determination. Danny's sister, Stephanie, pushed for a reopened investigation years later, believing her sister was murdered.
The Role of DNA Technology. Advancements in DNA testing lead to a breakthrough in Danny's case, revealing crucial evidence.
The Tragic End of a Suspect. After being identified as a suspect, Paul Hutchinson took his own life before facing trial.
Stephanie's Profound Reflection. At a press conference, Stephanie shares her mixed emotions about her sister's case.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Why not say that this was a murder?

Discussion about the investigation's initial handling of Danny's death.

1:47WatchJun 8, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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