Cold Case Suspect Accused Of Killing Teen In 1996 Dies By Suicide After Police Interview

LOADING ERROR LOADING A Montana man accused of killing a 15-year-old girl in 1996 died by suicide last month, a day after police questioned him about the teen’s cold case, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday. Paul Hutchinson, 55, was questioned by authorities July 23, after DNA evidence collected in Danielle “Danni” Houchins’ death made him a suspect. Danielle “Danni” Houchins, who died under suspicious circumstances in 1996, is shown in a photo, via the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office. Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Two brothers who lived nearby searched the area, and one of them eventually spotted Houchins’ body, the Montana Free Press reported. “She had been raped, suffocated and left alone face down in shallow water,” Sheriff Dan Springer told reporters Thursday. Advertisement Houchins’ case went cold after years of investigation, which involved interviews with a number of suspects and collection of DNA evidence. Stephanie Mollet, Houchins’ younger sister, told reporters Thursday that she has no doubt that Hutchinson “forcefully and violently sexually assaulted” her sibling. Since the killing, Hutchinson had married, with two children, the sheriff’s office said. Advertisement When Hutchinson was questioned, investigators saw that “he sweated profusely, scratched his face, and chewed on his hand,” the sheriff’s office stated, adding that the interview lasted nearly two hours. “When shown a photo of Houchins, Hutchinson slumped in his chair and exhibited signs of being uncomfortable.” The sheriff’s office also noted that “Upon release, his behavior was observed to be erratic.” Hutchinson called the nearby Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office the following day at 4:17 a.m., saying he needed assistance before hanging up, according to the sheriff’s office. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cold-case-suspect-accused-killing-teen-dies_n_66b77c95e4b084249ca18e75