HURON COUNTY, Ohio — It’s been 27 years since 17-year-old Danny Violette was found dead in a Huron County corn field, and his family is hopeful they are closer to answers.
"I think there's hope now where there wasn't before,” said family friend Danielle Allen.
I first introduced you to the 17-year-old last October, a case from 1998 that remains unsolved but not forgotten. For decades, Danny was known as the kid who was found dead in a cornfield.
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According to his autopsy report, Danny died from asphyxiation; he had post-mortem abrasions indicating his body had been moved. There were also patterns across his chest resembling a tire tread, and ligature marks around his neck. However, Danny’s cause of death was listed as unknown. And while some of his family have found peace, his brother Drew Viollete has not.
“Some of my family have forgiven whatever or whoever did anything, but I haven't,” said Drew Violette.
And over the last few years, Allen and Drew have kept Danny’s name alive through social media, fundraisers and now a national spotlight on the true crime podcast, Culpable
"I’ve just always been intrigued by bizarre cases like this that have tons of unanswered questions and what seems like endless possibilities. But also, I did it because it was a 25-year-old cold case at the time, no one was talking about it, no news outlets, podcasts, nothing. In fact, Danny’s own family knew very little information after all these years and that didn't sit right with me. So, I wanted to see what I could do to help make a difference,” said senior producer Dennis Cooper.
The culpable team spent the last two years researching Danny’s case, visiting the site where his body was found, listening to recordings from the Huron County Sheriff's Office and spending time in the community interviewing family and friends. This helped them create their 8-episode series dedicated to Danny’s case, called the “Kid in the Cornfield.” It brought a new set of people wanting to help, especially from the community.
"A local restaurant in Willard called La Campesina donated 10% of their sales on Oct. 24, which was the 27th anniversary of Danny's disappearance. And we have gotten tips since the podcast has come out. So, that’s helpful, and I think it helped establish a good relationship with the detective on Danny's case,” said Allen.
With the money raised from that fundraiser, the family was able to increase the reward for information on Danny’s death to $11,000.
"I think the podcast put a spotlight on all these questions, evidence and all these avenues that maybe didn't get passed along until 2025. So, it really helped get everybody on the same page and looking at the case differently. For years, people heard this was an accident, but if it was an accident, then how did he die of strangulation? Because it takes three minutes for somebody to die of strangulation,” said Allen.
And with the people's help, they were able to raise the money they needed for advanced DNA testing.
"There are items currently being tested, some initial results are now with Detective Gillum. They've found some new things during testing, that also could continue with more testing as well. So, our goal is to do everything possible that we can,” said Allen.
And they are staying hopeful that someone with answers will come forward.
"There are so many crimes, too, that have passed the statute of limitations. So, even somebody that was present when Danny was killed, they can't get in any trouble for coming forward. They could come forward, they could tell the truth and walk away with $11,000 and never spend a day in jail,” said Allen.
Anyone with information on Danny’s case can reach out to the Huron County Sheriff's office.
