Paul Hutchinson, a 55-year-old Montana Fish Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologist who had lived a seemingly blameless life, killed himself last month hours after investigators showed him a photo of a 15-year-old girl who was raped and murdered 28 years ago. The Gatlin County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that DNA testing and forensic genealogy identified Hutchinson as the killer of Danielle Houchins, whose body was found face down in marshy water by the Gallatin River near the town of Belgrade on Sept. 21, 1996, CBS News reports.
- Solving the case: In a statement, the sheriff's office said a private investigator hired to take a fresh look at the case worked with a California police sergeant who specializes solving cold cases with DNA evidence. Four hairs found on the murdered teen's body were used to build a partial DNA profile, which a lab in Virginia used to identify Hutchinson.
- The interview: The sheriff's office said that when Hutchinson was brought in for his first interview, on July 23, he "displayed extreme nervousness. 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."
- Suicide: "Upon release, his behavior was observed to be erratic," the sheriff's office said. At around 4am the next morning, he "called Beaverhead County Sheriff's Office, informing them he needed assistance before hanging up. Deputies found him shortly thereafter on the side of the road, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
- No criminal history: Numerous suspects were interviewed after the murder but Hutchinson was never identified as a suspect. Hutchinson became a student at Montana State University the same month that Houchins was murdered, KBZK reports. He worked for the state for 22 years and was honored earlier this year for his work protecting Montana's state fish, the westslope cutthroat trout. "He had no criminal or traffic history and was married with two adult children," the sheriff's office said.
- The murder: Danielle's family called police after she didn't return home. Her mother found her unlocked truck at a fishing access point and saw her keys a few feet away. Family friends found the girl's body hours later, KBZK reports. An autopsy found evidence of sexual assault. "Investigators have determined that Hutchinson and Houchins had no prior connection," the sheriff's office said. "Describing it as a crime of opportunity, they believe Hutchinson and Houchins randomly encountered each other at the river, where Hutchinson raped then suffocated her in shallow water."
- He 'couldn't face my family:' "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," said Danielle's younger sister, Stephanie Mollet, per CBS. "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."
(A suspect in another cold-case murder
killed himself last month after police took a DNA swab.)
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