Alone with a killer in the Montana wilderness

Late on Sept. 21, 1996, searchers found the body of 15-year-old Danielle "Danni" Houchins in a swampy area along the Gallatin River, a scenic valley just outside Bozeman, Montana. Exactly what had happened to Danni -- and how she had ended up face down in the mud -- would mystify her family, friends and investigators for decades. 

The case, and its stunning conclusion, is investigated by "48 Hours" and correspondent Peter Van Sant in "It's About Danni," airing Saturday, Feb. 8  at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Back in 1996, Rachelle Schrute, now the Hunt & Fish editor at GearJunkie, knew both Danni and her sister Stephanie. She recalled, "They were the most down-to-earth, friendly people."  Stephanie Mollet told Van Sant that there had been a family argument that morning, and Danni drove off to the Cameron Bridge Fishing Access area to get away. When Danni didn't come home that afternoon, their mother set out to find her. She found Danni's truck parked in the lot, her keys and water bottle along a nearby path, but no other signs of Danni. Deputies from the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office were called in to help but stopped searching after dark. That night, family friends who knew the marshy, heavily wooded area well, headed out to also look for Danni. They found her body in the muddy undergrowth, far back from the walking path.