WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:11.560 In nineteen ninety six, fifteen year old Danielle Houchins left 2 00:00:11.560 --> 00:00:14.160 her Montana home for a quick solo trip to a 3 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:19.719 local fishing spot, but she never came back. What began 4 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:23.480 as a missing person search quickly unraveled into a decade's 5 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:28.280 long mystery, one that haunted her family and the community. Then, 6 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:32.039 nearly twenty eight years later, thanks to breakthroughs in new 7 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:37.280 forensic science and one sister's unshakable resolve, the truth behind 8 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:42.359 Danny's tragic death was finally uncovered. This is the story 9 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:46.039 of a cold case turned solved. This is the story 10 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:48.039 of Danielle Houchin's. 11 00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:53.079 My name's Ben, I'm Nicole, and you're listening to Wicked 12 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:56.359 and Grim, a true crime podcasting. 13 00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:04.560 The following body intended more Maure audience listener. 14 00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:30.159 Happy Friday, Happy Friday, welcome back. We uh we got 15 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:32.280 all festive up in our tiny home this week. 16 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:35.359 We did. We got wreaths on the door, we got 17 00:01:35.400 --> 00:01:39.159 some Christmas decorations up, and even are many tiny Christmas trees. 18 00:01:39.159 --> 00:01:42.159 We went even smaller than usual. We did probably like 19 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:44.560 half the size of what we usually do. Yeah, so 20 00:01:44.599 --> 00:01:45.560 it's teeny tiny. 21 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:47.159 We went from like a foot and a half to 22 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:51.959 like a foot. It's really teeny tiny, but we had 23 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:53.680 some from an eggnong with it when we were decorating 24 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:54.200 and everything. 25 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:56.280 Yeah, it was good, Yeah, it was. It's been a 26 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.120 good week. I hope that you guys have all had 27 00:01:58.120 --> 00:01:58.799 a good week too. 28 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:03.359 I hope so. And remember like, don't don't let consumerism 29 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:06.719 overtake your Christmas. That's not what it's about, right, It's 30 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:09.879 about just enjoying the time and being with those people 31 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:13.159 around you, even if that's hey, your dogs, get dogs. 32 00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:15.039 That's what we got sitting next to us, and we're 33 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:16.759 going to be enjoying that time with our dogs come 34 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:19.319 Christmas morning, and of course there's going to be the 35 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:21.199 festivities like Christmas Morning. 36 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:26.400 The moss. It was also Spotify rap this week. It 37 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:28.800 was so that was That's always. I don't know, I 38 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:31.639 love that week. It's so cool having so many people 39 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:34.520 share just I don't know that they're in the one 40 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:38.159 percent or the ten percent or whatever. I love seeing it. 41 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:41.120 And this year is I think the first year we 42 00:02:41.560 --> 00:02:45.800 are unable to actually share everyone who shared their Spotify raps. 43 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:48.400 There's just so many of you that are tagging us, 44 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:51.840 messaging us like showcasing the Spotify raps. We got so 45 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:54.800 far behind, we just we can't share them all. But 46 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:56.560 in the coming weeks we are going to be trying 47 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:58.479 to make sure that we sort through and go and 48 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:00.879 check out everyone who has message just and everything. So 49 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:03.599 shout out to you, thank you and sorry if we 50 00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:06.520 were unable to share yours, but we seriously appreciate you 51 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:07.120 just the same. 52 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:10.319 M hm. Yeah, it was a huge year of growth 53 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:13.360 for us, which I didn't even realize, I guess to 54 00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:17.159 that point. So it was really cool. It was would 55 00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:17.560 you say it was. 56 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:22.479 Humbling, humbling, sobering. Yeah, yeah, it was nice. Yeah, made 57 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.240 my little grinch heart swell three sizes. 58 00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:27.719 Oh my god, a little grinch, my. 59 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:28.759 Little grinch heart. 60 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:29.719 Oh boy. 61 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:32.560 Well, do you want to get on with today's case 62 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:33.960 or do you have anything else you want to want 63 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:34.960 to discuss first? 64 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:39.039 No, I think I'm excited for this case because I 65 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:42.560 love it when you know it like, it's awesome when 66 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:46.039 it gets solved right away, but that's not always the case. 67 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:49.240 But if it eventually gets solved, that's also good. 68 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:52.639 Yeah, this one was nearly thirty years but they eventually 69 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:56.759 they figured it out, and I'm so glad this is 70 00:03:56.800 --> 00:03:59.479 a smaller, smaller case, not super well known, so I'm 71 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:02.280 happy to stories like that as well, especially when it 72 00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:05.520 comes to those victims and families who who deserve to 73 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:07.879 be heard. So this is one of those stories. I 74 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:12.199 have done a couple more. You know, Perpetrator highlighted stories recently, 75 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:14.919 so it's nice to get back to telling those stories 76 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:18.680 that need to be need to be out there more. Yes, Okay, 77 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:22.680 let's get going. It was Saturday, September twenty first, nineteen 78 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:27.120 ninety six. Fifteen year old Danielle or Danny Houchins asked 79 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:29.399 her mom for permission to drive out to a nearby 80 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:32.959 Cameron Bridge fishing access site. Now it's a popular spot 81 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:36.639 along the Gallatin River just a few miles from her home. 82 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:40.920 Danny was a sophomore. She was an honor student who 83 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:44.399 had a big dream of becoming a biological engineer one 84 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:47.959 day now. She was also very outdoorsy adventurous. She was 85 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:51.480 a teen who loved hiking, rock climbing, river rafting, skiing, 86 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:55.439 and listening to grunge music. She even had a playful streak, 87 00:04:55.480 --> 00:04:59.000 known for pulling some pranks on friends and family. In 88 00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:02.600 many ways, Dan he was a typical nineteen nineties teenager 89 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.800 with her whole life still ahead of her. But on 90 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:09.360 this day, Danny reportedly wanted to blow off some steam 91 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:12.160 after a little argument at home, and a little solo 92 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.399 trip to the river was how she chose to try 93 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:17.480 and cool down. Her mother, Cheryl agreed and even lent 94 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:20.079 Danny her watch so she could keep track of time 95 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:23.240 and be back by mid afternoon. The family was expecting 96 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:25.959 company around two PM, and Danny had promised to return 97 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:29.360 by then. Now. She left home at around eleven am 98 00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:32.879 that morning, driving her pickup truck towards that Cameron Bridge. 99 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:35.680 She was dressed in blue denim jeans and a gray 100 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:38.360 sweatshirt and wore a knee brace on her left knee. 101 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:40.800 Now that brace was due to a minor injury she'd 102 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:43.439 gotten horsing around on a street dance with a few 103 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:45.759 friends weeks earlier, but it didn't slower down much and 104 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:50.879 it wasn't anything like extremely serious. At fifteen, Danny was 105 00:05:50.920 --> 00:05:53.040 an active and athletic girl who spent a lot of 106 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:55.920 time outdoors, so a quick trip to a little scenic 107 00:05:55.959 --> 00:05:58.399 fishing spot by a bridge wasn't out of the ordinary 108 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:01.959 for her or anything. She strapped on the gold elastic 109 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:04.680 band watch that her mom lent her and cheerfully promised 110 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:07.319 to be back in a couple hours, and with that 111 00:06:07.480 --> 00:06:09.680 she headed off in her truck, leaving the small town 112 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:12.959 of Belgrade, Montana, in Gatlin County for the short drive 113 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:17.879 to Cameron Bridge. It was just another Saturday adventure. As 114 00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:21.519 the clock ticked away and ticked past two pm. With 115 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.519 guests arriving at the houch and home, Danny was nowhere 116 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:28.240 to be seen. At first, her family wasn't exactly panic though. 117 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:30.800 Danny was in fact of a very responsible teen and 118 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:33.240 it wasn't like her to be terribly late, so perhaps 119 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:35.720 she just lost track of time or whatever, and she'd be, 120 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:37.600 you know, coming through the front door at any moment. 121 00:06:38.360 --> 00:06:42.000 But by three pm, worry began to set in, so 122 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:44.879 her mother, Cheryl, decided to go to Cameron Bridge herself 123 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.639 to check in on Danny. She brought along one of 124 00:06:47.639 --> 00:06:50.000 the family friends and together they drove the route that 125 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:52.759 Danny would have taken, hoping to you know, maybe pass 126 00:06:52.839 --> 00:06:55.439 her on the way there or find her. When they arrived, 127 00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:58.360 still relaxing the river, not realizing what time it was, 128 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:03.360 when hold into the dirt parking area at the Cameron Bridge, 129 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:07.319 Cheryl immediately spotted Danny's truck. It was parked where visitors 130 00:07:07.319 --> 00:07:10.720 often leave their vehicles, but something was off. When they 131 00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:14.160 approached the truck, the doors were unlocked and Danny was 132 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:18.600 nowhere in sight. Cheryl also saw Danny's belongings inside a 133 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:21.639 stack of her CDs and even her father's laptop. The 134 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:24.040 fact that the truck was left unlocked with these valuables 135 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:27.879 inside it was very unlike her, and a prickling sense 136 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:31.879 of dread began to form in Cheryl's stomach. Now it 137 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:35.199 was nearby. As the search began. That on a little 138 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:37.720 trail leading from the parking area towards the river, Cheryl 139 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:41.519 and her friend made an alarming discovery. They found Danny's 140 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:46.120 water bottle and her keys laying on the ground. Now 141 00:07:46.199 --> 00:07:49.000 Cheryl knew that her daughter wouldn't just abandon her keys 142 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:51.639 in water like that and wander off the trail. Something 143 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:55.639 seemed to clearly be wrong. They continued searching the area, 144 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:59.639 calling out Danny's name, hoping for a response. For an 145 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:03.800 exp of what's going on now. The Cameron Bridge site 146 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:07.079 spans a mix of open fields brush patches of wood 147 00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:10.399 near the river, and there's footpaths, boat launches, and river 148 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:13.120 banks all over, plenty of ground to cover, and as 149 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.839 minutes ticked by with no trace of Danny, their search 150 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:22.079 became increasingly frantic. For two hours, they scoured the vicinity 151 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:26.600 with growing desperation as they went, and by five PM, 152 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:29.439 with daylight starting to wane and an ominous feeling that 153 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:31.480 you know, they might not be able to find her 154 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:34.240 on their own, Cheryl made the decision to call the 155 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:39.440 authorities for help. Once she contacted the Gatland County Sheriff's office, 156 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:43.799 search efforts ramped up quickly. Sheriff deputies arrived at the 157 00:08:43.799 --> 00:08:46.679 Cameron Bridge site, and soon Gatland County Search and Rescue 158 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:51.879 teams and local volunteers joined the hunt. The community mobilized fast. 159 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:54.960 This was a small Montana town and a missing local 160 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.480 teenager prompted immediate concern. Volunteers who knew the train came 161 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:03.399 to help, and sheriff personnel coordinated the whole search in 162 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:06.080 the wooded area, the marshy area, around the river, all 163 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:08.320 of it. They're doing their best to try and find 164 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:13.000 this missing teenager. As the following afternoon turned to evening, 165 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:17.279 searchers spread out along the river's edge, through stands of 166 00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:20.039 trees and into the tall grasses of the marshland. But 167 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:25.039 as the sun dipped low, the conditions grew challenging. The 168 00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:29.679 bridges area also includes swampy overgrown sections. It's all along 169 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:32.360 the river's edge, and losing daylight might be dangerous to 170 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:35.440 continue trudging through that difficult terrain, and after hours of 171 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:39.080 fruitless searching, the organized effort was reluctantly called off for 172 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:42.399 the night once darkness fell, with plans to resume at 173 00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:43.000 first light. 174 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:46.679 It does seem like it's a pretty tough area to search, Hey, 175 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:47.240 it is. 176 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:50.200 Once you get you know, along river's edge, you get 177 00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:52.879 you know, cut banks, you get drop offs, you get water, 178 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:56.559 you get swampy areas, you get trees, it's all of this. 179 00:09:57.000 --> 00:09:59.919 So if you don't have light, don't have footing, someone 180 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:02.000 could even fall in the river. And yeah, I don't 181 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:04.039 know how fast this river is flowing or how deep 182 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:06.919 or anything, but potentially it could mean you know, another 183 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:08.120 person being taken. 184 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:10.679 Off another search outretch. 185 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:15.639 Yeah, So regardless, it's just a massive safety concern. So 186 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:18.399 first light is when they decided to officially conduct the 187 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:23.200 search once again. However, Danny's loved ones were not about 188 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:25.799 to give up. Even as searchers left for the night, 189 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:30.159 a few determined individuals kept looking. Amongst them were two 190 00:10:30.200 --> 00:10:34.279 brothers who lived nearby and knew the landscape well. One 191 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:36.360 of the brothers had a son who was good friends 192 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:39.720 with Danny's sister, Stephanie, which made the situation even more 193 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:43.440 personal for that family. At the urging of that sun, 194 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:47.080 the brothers decided to continue the search on their own 195 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:51.200 that night. So armed with flashlights and an intimate knowledge 196 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:54.240 of that local train, the brothers navigated the shadows and 197 00:10:54.360 --> 00:10:58.480 muck along the river. It was around nine thirty PM, 198 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:01.600 roughly forty five minutes after they began their private search, 199 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:06.759 when one of the brothers made a heartbreaking discovery. They're 200 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:09.720 only about two hundred feet from where Danny's truck was parked. 201 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:13.840 They spotted a figure in a very swampy, marshy patch 202 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:17.879 of ground near the river's edge. The flashlight illuminated the 203 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:23.480 devastating site. There was Danny Houchin's lifeless body lying face 204 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:26.000 down in a shallow pool of water. 205 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:27.840 The last thing you'd want to find. 206 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:31.039 Real ly, the worst fear was basically concerned, Yeah confirmed 207 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:34.120 in that moment. Everyone hoped to find her safe, of course, right, 208 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:37.519 like you know, maybe injuries are lost, even scared for sure, 209 00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:39.639 but like at the very least alive. 210 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:40.519 Yeah. 211 00:11:40.559 --> 00:11:44.000 And instead, you know, you have this vibrant fifteen year 212 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:44.759 old who's. 213 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:46.960 Now just found lifeless. 214 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:50.360 She's gone, yeah, but in this case specifically, she's half 215 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:53.080 submerged and barely a foot or two of swampy water. 216 00:11:53.320 --> 00:11:55.840 There's mud, there's rocks and weeds all over, and she's 217 00:11:55.960 --> 00:12:00.480 just face down. The scene was eerie, something straight out 218 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:04.240 of a nightmare. And now Danny was still fully clothed 219 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.399 in the same jeans and sweatshirt that she'd worn that day, 220 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:08.840 but something was very wrong with how she was positioned. 221 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:11.399 It looked as if she might have been dragged into 222 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:15.039 this spot. One of her shoes, which was reportedly a sandal, 223 00:12:15.080 --> 00:12:16.919 was missing from her foot, but it was later found 224 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:19.039 not far away, as it had fallen off from a 225 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:22.759 potential struggle. The watch that Danny had borrowed from her 226 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:25.320 mother will. It had been pulled up part way off 227 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.039 of her hand, as though someone might have been yanking 228 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:30.720 on her arm, and the watch could have possibly slidden 229 00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:34.679 off part way. The brothers who found her ran right 230 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:38.159 away to get help, and one of them on his 231 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:42.639 way out while he coincidentally encountered Danny's father, who was 232 00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:47.600 also out searching that evening too, Rex Houchins, he was, 233 00:12:47.799 --> 00:12:51.120 you know, out there for a last last search attempt 234 00:12:51.159 --> 00:12:53.879 of his own, and in an agonizing exchange from one 235 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:58.279 father to another, the man delivered the news no parents 236 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:03.360 should ever hear was found and she was clearly dead. 237 00:13:04.679 --> 00:13:07.679 Detectives secured the scene in the darkness and began collecting 238 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:11.679 whatever evidence they could find around Danny's body. Investigators recovered 239 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:14.960 at least four strands of hair from Danny's body, hairs 240 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:17.519 that did not appear to belong to her. 241 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:18.559 Now. 242 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:21.480 These foreign hairs were collected as evidence, preserved in hopes 243 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:24.480 that they might one day help identify who had been 244 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:27.399 at the scene that night with Danny. Now, there's also 245 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:30.320 other critical evidence that was gathered as well. There was 246 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:33.919 indication that Danny had in fact been sexually assaulted, and 247 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:36.919 the exact position and state of her clothing suggested a 248 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:40.840 violent struggle. For instance, Danny's bra was found pushed up 249 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:44.360 from under her shirt and her underwear was a little 250 00:13:44.360 --> 00:13:48.080 bit disturbed as well. It was obvious something terrible had 251 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:52.399 been done to her. The entire Houchin family was devastated 252 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:55.799 to learn these things. A memorial service for Danny was 253 00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:58.480 held only a few days later, on September twenty fifth, 254 00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:02.279 nineteen ninety six, drawing over four hundred mourners who came 255 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:05.159 to pay their respects to a young life cut way 256 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:10.399 too short. Everyone assumed this was obviously a murder, a 257 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:13.600 heinous sexual assault and killing of a teenage girl in 258 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:18.240 what should have been a safe outdoor haven. However, shockingly, 259 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:22.440 the early official handling of this case did not reflect 260 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:26.480 the urgency and focused you would expect in a homicide investigation. 261 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:30.519 In fact, within days of the body being discovered, Gatlin 262 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:33.480 County authorities seemed to portray that they were not entirely 263 00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:36.279 sure what had even happened to Danny, even entertaining the 264 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:41.600 possibility that this might be an accident instead. Now, an 265 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:45.000 autopsy was performed on September twenty third, nineteen ninety six, 266 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:48.799 by the Montana State Crime Lab. The medical examiner's findings, well, 267 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:52.159 they were quite perplexing, and to Danny's family they were 268 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:56.600 infuriating because, on one hand, the autopsy revealed clear signs 269 00:14:56.639 --> 00:15:00.519 of assault. Because there was muddy material quote on quote 270 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:03.840 found in Danny's stomach as well as in her airway, 271 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:08.000 suggesting she had inhaled an even swallowed mud and water 272 00:15:08.200 --> 00:15:11.279 while she was still alive. Now, this is not something 273 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:15.679 that happens in a simple accidental slip and fall drowning scenario. 274 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:19.120 It indicated that her face had been forced down into 275 00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:22.120 the marsh repeatedly or for a prolonged amount of time. 276 00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:26.480 And in addition, the autopsy had also noted a recent 277 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:32.639 vaginal laceration, which was evidence of sexual trauma. All of 278 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:37.279 these details screamed homicide to anyone who looked at them, 279 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:42.120 and yet the officials well. Their conclusion from state medical 280 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:45.799 examiner Gary Dale, was that danny Her cause of death 281 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:48.879 was drowning, with the manner of the death being unlisted 282 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:53.480 as undetermined. In other words, the forensic report did not 283 00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:57.279 label it a homicide nor definitively an accident. As well, 284 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:01.240 it left the case open to interpretation despite the tailtale 285 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:03.960 signs clearly a violence. 286 00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:08.440 What the hell I feel like that's someone not wanting 287 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:11.799 to go the extra not even an extra mile, really 288 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:15.080 like put any effort into figuring out what the hell happened? 289 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:19.159 Yeah, definitely. There's a lot around this case with scrutiny 290 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:23.639 towards the investigation team and officials in regards to how 291 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:26.120 they handled it, because it seems like they didn't even try. 292 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:29.039 Yeah, that doesn't make any sense though, Why wouldn't you, 293 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:30.960 Like this is a fifteen year old girl, You think 294 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:33.799 that would give you all the gusto to try to 295 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:34.559 get this solved. 296 00:16:34.679 --> 00:16:36.559 No, kidding, well, and not only that, but it's like 297 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:40.519 there's there's clear signs that there's something else happening here. Yeah, okay, 298 00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:42.759 sure you might have say, might say she tripped and 299 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:46.360 fell and face first into water, whatever, Right, but why 300 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:48.399 are her keys and water bottle left on the trail? 301 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:51.639 Would she trip and fall and then like go several 302 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:54.600 meters off into this bush into the swampy area, like 303 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:58.639 stumbling like all this way? That doesn't make any sense now. 304 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.480 The very next day after the autotopsy, Gatlin County Sheriff 305 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:04.960 Bill Slaughter spoke to the press and downplayed the likelihood 306 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:08.960 of murder, citing the fact that Danny's body supposedly didn't 307 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:12.440 have any obvious cuts or bruises, saying, quote, I think 308 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:14.319 we've got to be prepared for the fact that this 309 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:18.279 may have been an accidental drowning. Now he even speculated 310 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:21.160 that perhaps Danny, who had the knee brace on, might 311 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:24.759 have slipped, been unable to get up, and drowned in 312 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:29.799 only a few inches of water. Just as your face shows, 313 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:32.319 you're a little bit shocked. Danny's family. While they were 314 00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:35.839 shocked to at any suggestion that her death was accidental, 315 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:39.279 the evidence of a sexual assault alone should have put 316 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:42.079 the accident theory to rest. But to make things worse, 317 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:45.960 Danny's parents were initially told by investigators that their daughter 318 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:50.480 quote died a virgin, which was a blatant lie given 319 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:53.079 the autopsy findings of vaginal injuries. 320 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:57.160 What the heck? So okay, I can't imagine how frustrating 321 00:17:57.200 --> 00:18:01.200 or heartbreaking this is. They know something is wrong here, yeah, 322 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:04.440 and no one is taking it seriously exactly. 323 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:07.119 And it's not only the family who knows, because like 324 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:09.359 they're close to the case, it's their daughter. The entire 325 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:10.480 community is just like. 326 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:15.079 What, yeah, okay, how can that person even stand up 327 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:17.559 there and just say this sort of thing without feeling 328 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:18.680 like a complete idiot. 329 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:22.119 It almost seems like some officials, like in nineteen ninety six, 330 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:26.039 were actively withholding information, or at the very least misleading 331 00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:28.599 the family. Maybe I don't know, Maybe they're trying to 332 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:33.240 avoid like having fear strike into the community. I don't know. 333 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:35.200 They maybe they didn't want to admit that a murderer 334 00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:38.000 was loose. I don't know. But regardless, it was either 335 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:41.839 complete lack of due diligence showing nothing but ignorance, or 336 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:45.240 severely in moral ways to investigate. It's one of the two. 337 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:48.559 Yeah, I mean, what they're doing doesn't seem quite right, 338 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:51.160 because people do. I mean, I get they have to 339 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:54.640 withhold some information and stuff, but if it's like a 340 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:57.920 murder versus not, that's something people probably should know. 341 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:03.319 Now, the family knew this was complete nonsense. The whole 342 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:06.559 idea of an accidental death simply because she wore knee 343 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:10.880 brace well, it's absurd, and as Danny's sister Stephanie would 344 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:14.559 say years later, quote anyone who saw the details could 345 00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:21.279 confidently say this was a homicide. It's always been a homicide. Now. 346 00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:24.480 Frustration with the investigation only grew as time passed. No 347 00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:28.039 suspect was immediately identified in nineteen ninety six, and given 348 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:31.960 the initial undetermined ruling, it seemed the case lacked the 349 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:36.319 urgency of any sort of murder hunt, Sheriff Slaughter and 350 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:40.640 his administration, according to later critiques, just didn't pursue with vigor. 351 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:45.279 One of the first deputies on scene, Keith Farquhar, recalled 352 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:48.680 feeling that his department's leadership was too quick to dismiss 353 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:51.799 the death as an accident or hint at the possibility 354 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:54.400 of suicide, and that it never felt like they were 355 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:56.839 treating it as a full on homicide investigation. 356 00:19:57.279 --> 00:19:57.759 Quote. 357 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:02.200 His attitude from every thing I saw was we just 358 00:20:02.279 --> 00:20:04.680 want this over with end quote. 359 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:07.880 M that Okay, I just feel like there's something else 360 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:11.319 going on here, because I feel like a young girl 361 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:16.559 getting hurt is enough motivation to do almost anything if 362 00:20:16.599 --> 00:20:19.480 you're in that position of power. So I just feel like, 363 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:22.440 what are they hiding or what's going on here? It 364 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:23.799 seems like there's just more to this. 365 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.880 But there's so many people in the world who just, 366 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:28.359 you know, they just do the bare minimum to get 367 00:20:28.359 --> 00:20:29.720 away with their job, right. 368 00:20:29.960 --> 00:20:32.400 I guess. But when when it's like a this is 369 00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:34.720 like a life death kind of thing, you think you 370 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:35.759 wouldn't be doing the. 371 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:37.599 Bare minimum, but people still do. 372 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:40.680 Yeah, they get complacent or whatever. I guess right. 373 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:42.880 Complacent's a good word, and I think that's what's happening 374 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:46.200 here now. This whole sentiment was also echoed by other 375 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:50.599 deputies and detectives too. It wasn't just him. Cindy Botek, 376 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.680 a Gatlin County Sheriff's detective who joined the force just 377 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:58.160 days before Danny's death, later said, quote, it never appeared 378 00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:01.599 to be a priority. Now, that's basically for the original 379 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:03.920 investigators to chase down leads on a murder case sort 380 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:07.799 of thing, right. But despite these internal doubts, though official officially, 381 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.759 the case well, it just sat stale and with no 382 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:14.480 arrests and no public naming of even a person of interest, 383 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:19.000 Danny's murder simply became a cold case. But that didn't 384 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:23.799 mean it was forgotten, not entirely anyways. Over the years, 385 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:27.960 some investigators, like Detective Bodick would circle back to the case. 386 00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:28.880 Now. 387 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:31.920 Bodeck herself ended up picking up the file around two 388 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:34.400 thousand and six when she joined the detective unit and 389 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:38.000 tried to find new leads, And when she did, she 390 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:40.880 found that she was stonewalled by some of the very 391 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:45.319 officers who had worked the original investigation, the implication being 392 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:48.279 that they didn't appreciate scrutiny on what might have been 393 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:50.799 something that was mishandled, so they didn't want to be 394 00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:52.519 proven wrong or anything like that. 395 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:55.519 Oh my gosh, EGO should not be brought into this. 396 00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:58.799 Shouldn't be But that's exactly what she was finding. So 397 00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:00.759 it was very much so an op pill battle. But 398 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:04.400 she made an attempt regardless though now. She eventually retired 399 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:08.519 in twenty sixteen without seeing Danny's case solved, and all 400 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:11.680 through that time, through the late nineties and even through 401 00:22:11.720 --> 00:22:14.920