Reliving History: The Shocking Butte Murders Of 1965 Exposed

In 1965, A Mother And Daughter Were Beaten And Murdered In Butte

From the Billings Gazette and the Montana Standard:

On April 9, 1965, 51 year old Marjorie McQuiston and her 26 year old daughter Nancy went missing in Butte, Montana.

Five days later, the bodies of both women were found close to the top of a hill outside of Butte, Montana called Big Butte.

What Happened To the McQuistons?

Both of the women had been badly beaten and then shot. Daughter, Nancy McQuiston's car was found in a gully near where the women were found. Authorities said the trunk of the car was stained with blood. This lead authorities to believe the women were killed somewhere else, then the killer used Nancy's car to transport the bodies to where he dumped them and left them.

Bullet wounds in both women's bodies are believed to be from Nancy's .22 caliber pistol that was found in the women's home.

Details From The Newspaper In 1965

From The Montana Standard, 1965:

I found this link quite interesting because gritty details are usually lost in time. The newspaper reported that authorities believed the mother, Marjorie, was killed first. The fatal wound was a bullet in her right temple.  The autopsy showed that Marjorie was also shot in the shoulder.

The autopsy also revealed that the daughter, Nancy, was killed by a shot to the back of the head. However, it's not believed that she died right away. The coroner stated that she could have lived long after she was shot. The autopsy also revealed that Nancy had been shot in the hand.

The coroner also believed that both women were severely beaten with the murderer's fists.

As of writing, the murder remains unsolved.