Sheriff's Office orders new forensic testing in 1986 Emineth double homicide

The Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office ordered new forensic testing Feb 24, 2026 in the decades-old double homicide of Carol and Richard Emineth at the Mini Basket restaurant near East Helena, the office confirmed in an update released through local news coverage and the sheriff's office.

Carol and Richard Emineth were killed in 1986 at the Mini Basket, a location just outside East Helena where the double homicide occurred. The Feb 24, 2026 update is the first public confirmation from county law enforcement that fresh forensic work will be undertaken on evidence connected to that case.

The announcement made Feb 24, 2026 was distributed by the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office and carried by local media outlets in Helena and East Helena. The update listed the ordering of new forensic testing but did not specify types of testing, laboratory assignments, or a projected timetable for completion in the public statement released that day.

The Emineth killings date to 1986, making the new testing a development arriving 40 years after the crime. County officials positioned the step as part of a renewed effort to examine physical evidence from the Mini Basket scene; the Sheriff's Office acknowledged the case remains in its investigative files and that the ordered testing represents active case work as of Feb 24, 2026.

As of Feb 26, 2026 the Sheriff's Office had not provided further details about what evidence would be reexamined or whether the testing could lead to arrests or charges. The Feb 24, 2026 update did not include a timetable for results, details on whether outside forensic labs will be used, or information about notifications to surviving family members of Carol and Richard Emineth.

Investigators in Lewis and Clark County say they will release additional information through the Sheriff's Office as the new forensic testing progresses. The Feb 24, 2026 order places the Emineth double homicide back into active procedural steps after four decades, keeping the case under current investigative authority in Lewis and Clark County.