Three young sisters found dead at a Washington campsite are believed to have died from asphyxiation.
Paityn, aged nine, Evelyn, aged eight, and Olivia Decker, aged five, disappeared following a three-hour encounter with their father, Travis Decker. This led to an extensive search until their bodies were discovered on Monday. Travis Decker is currently evading authorities.
Law enforcement officers quickly gathered at Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth, causing traffic diversions after spotting the father’s truck at approximately 3:45 pm on Monday.
The tragic discovery was made when the bodies were found merely 75 to 100 yards away from the truck. Disturbingly, each girl was found with a plastic bag over her head and zip ties securing their wrists, as reported by the Seattle Times.
The tailgate of Decker’s vehicle also had two bloody handprints on the tailgate, and inside were personal items including blankets, food, car seats and a wallet on the center console.
The campground also showed signs of recent activity, with a tent and a cooler located a short distance away, but Decker was nowhere to be found, Fox 13 reports.
A report filed with the Chelan County Superior Court indicates the girls’ likely cause of death was asphyxiation, according to Fox 13.
Decker, 32, is now charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, and police say the veteran could ‘pose a significant risk if approached’ as he has extensive combat training. It is unclear if he is armed.
Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five, were found dead on Monday after police swarmed around Rock Island Campground
Their father, Travis Decker – who they were last seen with – is at large as police continue their hunt
Authorities found Decker’s truck around 3:45pm near Rock Island Campground off Icicle Road. While searching the area, the girls’ bodies were found, but Decker was nowhere to be seen.
He does not have permanent housing and is known to stay at hotels and campgrounds, police said.
His ex-wife, the girls’ mother, had been particularly worried because he has ‘really struggled since he left the military.’
‘His mental health can be hard sometimes,’ the girls’ mother, Whitney, told KIRO 7.
She also told law enforcement officials that Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which she believes he did not take medication for, according to court documents.
The father-of-three was supposed to seek mental health treatments and anger management counseling as part of a parenting plan, but there has been no sign he has followed through with the plan – which he refused to sign, the court documents say.
Still, Whitney told police she did not believe he ex was dangerous and said he loved his daughters.
She said the girls had a ‘good relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him,’ and noted that he had never failed to return the girls before, according to a police affidavit.
But she said when Decker went to pick up the girls for a scheduled three-hour visit on Friday, he was said to be ‘quieter than usual’ which was ‘out of character’ for him.
He had also allegedly been talking about getting rid of his dog due to housing and financial struggles.
Decker is now charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping
Authorities found Decker’s truck around 3:45pm near Rock Island Campground. While searching the area, the girls’ bodies were found
When Decker failed to return with the girls that night, Whitney reported them missing.
Calls to schedule the girls’ return went straight to voicemail, she said.
The Washington State Patrol was also contacted about issuing an AMBER Alert, but none was given as it did not meet criteria, Wenatchee Police Department said.
The Endangered and Missing Persons Alert (EMPA) was issued on Saturday after ‘additional information’ was provided, the police department said.
There were apparently signs that Decker was struggling to care for his three girls.
In a September declaration filed during divorce proceedings, his ex-wife wrote that he had been ‘struggling to maintain stability’ since they were were separated and it was beginning to affect their daughters.
She said that at times he would have the girls sleep at the armory while he was in the National Guard, despite her objections, according to the Seattle Times.
The girls were last seen alive at their mother’s house, where Decker picked them up for a scheduled three-hour visit. His ex-wife had been particularly worried because he has ‘really struggled since he left the military.’ ‘His mental health can be hard sometimes,’ she said
The girls’ mother, Whitney, reported the girls missing at 9:45pm on Friday and police began working to determine where the father and the children were
She also said Decker was prone to ‘outbursts’ and would come in to her house yelling for the girls, whom he would sometimes fail to pick up after promising to do so.
In one instance, Whitney wrote that her youngest daughter, Olivia, called her crying during a visit with Decker and saying she could not find her father – before Evelyn came home with welts between her legs.
‘I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all,’ Whitney wrote in the court filing. ‘To the contrary, I have bent over backwards to facilitate that relationship.
‘But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him, both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.’
The girls’ maternal grandmother similarly wrote that Decker would drop off the girls at inconsistent times and they would sometimes be upset or crying when they returned home.
‘They are all happy, smart, well-adjusted girls with the exception of when Travis brings them back to me after his visitations,’ she wrote, according to the Seattle Times.
Law enforcement is asking the public for help to find the father-of-three, but advised locals not to approach him
On Tuesday, a judge issued a warrant for Decker’s arrest and ordered he be held without bail.
Yet law enforcement is still searching for Decker and asked the public for help – though officials advised locals not to approach him.
Decker is described as 5’8″ and 190 pounds, with black hair worn in a ponytail and brown eyes.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe for the mother-of-three raised over $251,000 by Tuesday night.
‘These girls were true light in this world and and it is a darker place without them. I will miss seeing their sweet little faces,’ the fundraiser read.
‘Send Whitney all of your prayers, love and support. Take some time to today to tell someone you love them.’
