Montana
DNA testing led to a new suspect in a Montana girl’s 1996 murder. He was found dead hours after being questioned.
Nearly three decades after 15-year-old Danielle “Danni” Houchins was found dead near a fishing access site in Montana, authorities say DNA has finally led them to her killer — a married father of two who died by suicide just hours after he was interviewed by investigators about the cold case.
The Gatlin County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy recently led authorities to identify Houchins’ killer as 55-year-old Paul Hutchinson.
On September 21, 1996 at about 11:00 a.m., Houchins left her home in Belgrade, Montana and when she never returned, her family called the police. Her mother found Houchins’ truck at a popular fishing access site on the Gallatin River, and later that night, Houchins’ body was found face down in shallow water, the sheriff’s office said.
DNA evidence was collected at the scene and numerous suspects were interviewed over the years, but no arrests were made and the case went cold.
Finally, authorities renewed efforts to solve the case, and in 2021, when Dan Springer became Gallatin County’s sheriff, he brought in two outside experts from California to assist — private investigator Tom Elfmont, a retired Los Angeles Police Department officer, and Sergeant Court Depweg, who specializes in using DNA technology to solve homicides.
Four hairs that were collected from Houchins’ body at the crime scene were used to create a partial DNA profile, the sheriff’s office said. That profile was ultimately sent to a lab in Virginia, where genealogists used DNA databases to identify Hutchinson as a possible suspect.
On July 23, 2024, Elfmont and Depweg interviewed Hutchinson, who lived about 100 miles away from the crime, in Dillon, Montana.
“During the nearly two-hour interview, Hutchinson, who had lived in Bozeman at the time of Houchins’ death, displayed extreme nervousness,” the sheriff’s office said. “Investigators noted he sweated profusely, scratched his face, and chewed on his hand. When shown a photo of Houchins, Hutchinson slumped in his chair and exhibited signs of being uncomfortable. Upon release, his behavior was observed to be erratic. “
Early the next morning, officials say, Hutchinson called the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office, saying he needed assistance before hanging up. He was found on the side of the road, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators have determined that Houchins and Hutchinson didn’t know each other, describing the murder as a “crime of opportunity.” They believed Hutchinson, who at the time was a student at Montana State University, randomly encountered Houchins before raping her and suffocating her in shallow water.
Authorities say Hutchinson graduated with a degree in fisheries wildlife biology and then worked for the Montana Bureau of Land Management for 22 years. He had no criminal history and was married with two adult children.
“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,” Sheriff Springer said. “The investigation remained open because we knew Danni was murdered and someday, we were going to have the tools available to solve this case.”
Houchins’ younger sister, Stephanie Mollet, spoke alongside the sheriff at a news conference Thursday.
“Even though this man will not face a jury of his peers, I have no doubt he was the one who forcefully and violently sexually assaulted my sister, then held her head down in a marsh until she choked to death on mud,” Mollet said. “When the time came to face up and account for his violence, he instead chose to end his life. He knew of his guilt and couldn’t face my family or his family and the pain he caused.”
The announcement by officials in Montana comes just days after a cold case murder in Hawaii was finally cracked with DNA testing. That suspect also died by suicide before he could be arrested.
WASHINGTON — Montana voters will select nominees in Tuesday’s state primary to replace departing Republican incumbents in the U.S. Senate and House, but one major contender won’t be on the ballot. Meanwhile, several state legislative primaries will highlight divisions within Montana’s dominant Republican Party.
Republicans hold slim majorities in both chambers of Congress. Montana has not been at the top of the list of seats Democrats hope to flip to regain control of either body, but the retirements do creak open the door for a candidate to possibly take advantage of the state’s independent streak.
Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is not seeking a third term. He has endorsed former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme to replace him. Daines’ late withdrawal from the race in March and the launch of Alme’s candidacy, both timed to occur just before the filing deadline, appeared to be carefully choreographed. President Donald Trump seemed to confirm as much in his endorsement of Alme.
“In fact, if Kurt didn’t have the highest level of aptitude and talent, Steve would have remained exactly where he is….” Trump said in a social media post.
Alme also has endorsements from the state’s other top Republicans, U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy and Gov. Greg Gianforte. He faces Republicans Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child for the nomination.
The Democratic field includes former state Rep. Reilly Neill, whose fundraising is five times the combined haul of her four primary rivals.
The winners of both primaries will face former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar, who is running as an independent. As of mid-May, Bodnar had outraised the entire field of candidates, regardless of party. Bodnar is one of a handful of independent candidates who have opted to bypass the party primary process and could complicate the general election for some Republican incumbents.
In the 1st Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke is not seeking a fourth full term, citing health concerns. He, Trump, Sheehy and Gianforte have endorsed talk radio host and former Zinke congressional staffer Aaron Flint over Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, former state Sen. Al Olszewski and former high school government teacher Ray Curtis. The Democratic field includes former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse and union organizer Sam Forstag.
In the state Legislature, several primaries expose an ongoing rift within the ranks of Montana Republicans.
At the start of the 2025 legislative session, nine Republican state senators bucked the party on a variety of key floor measures, essentially handing control of the chamber to Democrats.
State Sen. Shelley Vance of District 34 is the only one of the maverick lawmakers, dubbed the “Nasty Nine” by the Montana GOP, up for reelection in 2026. Two others, state Sens. Jason Ellsworth and Bruce Gillespie, opted instead to run for the state House in Districts 34 and 18, respectively. The other six are either term-limited, retiring or not up this cycle.
In response to the revolt within the Republican caucus, the Montana Republican Party released a list of state legislative candidates it supports, including some who are challenging Republican incumbents in the state House. But some of the state party’s picks put the committee at odds with Gianforte, who has released a series of social media videos appearing with four state House incumbents targeted by the party.
The governor offered words of support for state House Speaker Brandon Ler and state Reps. Valerie Moore and Ken Walsh, who are all running for reelection, and for state Rep. Eric Albus, who is running in state Senate District 14. Gianforte does not explicitly endorse the lawmakers in the videos, but he called one a “great partner” and said he was “proud of the work” he’d done with another.
Half of the state’s 50 state Senate seats and all 100 state House seats are up for election in 2026.
Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:
When do polls close?
Polls close at 8 p.m. MT, which is 10 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Public Service Commission, state Senate and state House.
Who gets to vote?
Any eligible voter may participate in any party’s primary.
How many voters are there?
As of May 25, there were about 791,000 registered voters in Montana. Voters do not register by party.
How many people actually vote?
About 190,000 Republican primary votes and about 108,000 Democratic primary votes were cast in the 2024 U.S. Senate primaries.
How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?
About 68% of the 2024 primary vote was cast before primary day.
As of Friday, about 166,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.
When are early and absentee votes released?
Counties vary in how they release votes. In previous elections, results from absentee voting mostly were released along with in-person Election Day voting throughout the night. About two-thirds of Montana’s 56 counties tend to release all or almost all of their mail and in-person early voting results in the first vote update of the night, often along with results from in-person Election Day voting. About half the counties tend to release all or almost all their in-person Election Day results in the first vote report.
How long does vote-counting usually take?
In the 2024 U.S. Senate primary, the AP first reported results at 10:26 p.m. ET, or 26 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 4:06 a.m. ET with about 84% of total votes counted.
When will the AP declare a winner?
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
How do recounts work?
Montana requires an automatic recount only in the event of a tie vote. A candidate may request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5% of the total vote, but the state will only pay for it if the margin is 0.25% or less. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 154 days until the 2026 midterm elections.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 31, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 31 drawing
06-19-26-31, Bonus: 03
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 31 drawing
03-11-26-45-56, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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