Left: Travis Decker (Chelan County Sheriff”s Office). Right: (from left to right) Evelyn, Paityn, and Olivia Decker (Facebook).
Authorities in Washington state are on the lookout for a former military man suspected of killing his three young daughters. There are concerns that the man, identified as 33-year-old Travis Decker, may already be deceased.
The search for Decker, who is accused of murdering his daughters aged 9, 8, and 5, took a new turn when the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office mentioned in a Facebook post that there is uncertainty about his current status. The hunt for Decker now extends across two counties, with various state and federal agencies involved, including the U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison revealed to USA Today that, alongside “additional air operations” and “specialized search teams,” cadaver dogs will also be used in the search effort for Decker.
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According to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office, “Some search resources are being redirected to find and recover Decker if he died in the rugged wilderness during this intense search—a possibility that increases every day.” Decker has been described as a survivalist who has gone off the grid for more than two months at a time.
The three girls were found dead on June 2, days after their father picked them up for a scheduled visitation and never returned them to their mother. All three girls died of suffocation and were found with plastic bags over their heads, their wrists zip-tied.
Authorities raised the possibility that Decker may be heading for the U.S.-Canadian border. An affidavit from a U.S. Marshals Service agent stated that Decker had reportedly conducted internet searches for “how does a person move to canada,” “how to relocate to canada,” and “jobs canada” in the days before he allegedly murdered his daughters.
Whitney Decker, the mother of the three girls and Travis Decker’s ex-wife, broke her silence on June 20 during a public memorial service for her daughters in Wenatchee, Washington. Local NBC affiliate KING was present for the unplanned remarks by the grieving mother, who told the crowd, “I truly hope that the legacy of the girls’ lives lives in everyone’s heart.” She added that Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia were “incredible.”
Travis Decker has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of kidnapping in connection with the deaths of his daughters.
Police have warned the public that if they see Travis Decker, they should call 911 immediately and “do not attempt to contact or approach him.” Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or USMS Tips.
