The search for a father-of-three accused of killing his daughters has narrowed in on a remote mountain trail after hikers tipped off police.
Travis Decker, 32, is being charged with the murder of his daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five. Their lifeless bodies were discovered at a campsite in Leavenworth after Decker neglected to bring them back to their mother in Wenatchee following a planned three-hour visit.
Following a lead from hikers regarding a lone individual who seemed unprepared for the elements, law enforcement now has renewed optimism about finding Decker alive.
On Tuesday, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office revealed that search teams promptly acted on the information provided and an aerial unit identified an off-trail hiker solo near Colchuck Lake, situated in a well-liked backpacking region of the Cascade Range known as The Enchantments.
As authorities search for Decker, who is believed to be mentally unstable, locals have been warned that he could be dangerous due to his military background.
Late Monday night an alert was issued to residents in the Ingalls Creek and the Valleyhi community to lock homes and vehicles and to be on the lookout for Decker.
‘Residents and visitors are urged to secure homes and vehicles, remain vigilant, and report any suspicious activity to 911,’ an alert said.
‘A heightened law enforcement presence will persist as a precautionary measure.’
Travis Decker, 32, is accused of killing his daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five, after he failed to return them back to their mother following a scheduled three-hour visit in Washington on Friday
Chelan County Sheriff’s Office deputies found the girls’ bodies about 75 to 100 yards from Decker’s truck at a campsite. Police believe the girls died from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents said
The vast land surrounding Colchuck Lake is now an area of interest to authorities
Decker joined the Army in 2013. He served in Afghanistan before transferring to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, communications director for the Washington Military Department, confirmed to the Daily Mail.
He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time.
Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge.
He likely has advanced combat training and was an airborne paratrooper who earned the elite rank of ‘Ranger,’ indicating he would have excellent wilderness and survival skills, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social media posts.
It is unknown if the veteran is currently armed, but local law enforcement cautioned people from approaching him.
Authorities swarmed the Rock Island Campground on Monday evening after finding Decker’s truck.
Chelan County Sheriff’s Office deputies found the girls’ bodies about 75 to 100 yards from the truck. Police believe the girls died from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents said.
Decker’s truck 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.
Decker attempted to repair the broken marriage with his ex-wife Whitney (pictured with daughters) just a week before he allegedly suffocated and killed their three young daughters in Washington State
The sisters’ lifeless bodies were discovered at a campsite in Leavenworth last week, about 20 miles from their home
The girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, who is divorced from the veteran, told police that he had picked the girls up around 5pm but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail, court documents said.
Detectives said she ‘expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues.’
She also told law enforcement officials that Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and believes he did not take medication for the condition, according to court documents.
The father-of-three was supposed to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of a parenting plan, but there was no sign he had followed through with the plan – which he refused to sign, the court documents show.
Still, Whitney told police she did not believe her 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.
Whitney added that when Decker went to pick up the girls for the visit on Friday, he was ‘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.
When Decker failed to return with the girls that night, Whitney reported them missing.
‘What prompted her to call us was that… he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary,’ Captain Brian Chance said.
A helicopter crew spotted a rogue hiker off-trail near Colchuck Lake (pictured) in the popular Cascade Range backpacking area named The Enchantments
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Special Operations, in coordination with the Snohomish County Region 1 SWAT team and Air Support Unit, have come together in a unified effort to support the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office
Her attorney, Arianna Cozart, said in a statement on her behalf to the Seattle Times that ‘something broke inside’ her daughters’ father.
‘He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,’ the statement read.
The statement added that Whitney believed an Amber Alert should’ve been issued after the girls disappeared due to Decker’s complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder.
Washington State Patrol was contacted to request an Amber Alert, but it did not meet the required criteria, Wenatchee Police said.
The lacking criteria were suspected abduction and imminent peril of death or serious injury, said Chris Loftis, director of public affairs for the state patrol.
‘In this case, it was a parent with custodial privileges, and the children had not been returned home on time. But that’s a rather common occurrence and not something where you just automatically assume abduction,’ he said.
He added that there was no indication Decker would harm them.
‘We’re people too, you know, so the loss of a child, the loss of two children, the loss of three children is… devastating,’ Loftis said. ‘Everybody always looks to how we can improve.’
Wenatchee detectives contacted the patrol with additional information that led to the issuance of an Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA).
State police later dropped the EMPA without releasing a public reason. The following day, the Wenatchee Police Department announced the girls’ deaths.
Whitney also stated in September divorce proceedings that he had been ‘struggling to maintain stability’ since they separated and it was beginning to affect their daughters.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office warned that Decker could be armed and not to approach him
The search for 32-year-old Decker intensified this week, as more than 100 Chelan County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) officers scoured hundreds of square miles of the Rock Island Campground in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in the Cascade Mountains
She said that at times he would have the girls sleep at an armory while he was in the National Guard, despite her objections, according to the Seattle Times.
She also said Decker was prone to ‘outbursts’ and would come into 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 said 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.
On Tuesday last week, a judge issued a warrant for Decker’s arrest and ordered that he be held without bail.
Decker faces three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with his daughter’s deaths
A GoFundMe was launched for Whitney as she grapples with the tragic deaths of her daughters
Decker is described as 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, with black hair worn in a ponytail and brown eyes.
He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe set up for Whitney had raised over $1 million as of Tuesday evening.
‘These girls were true light in this world and it is a darker place without them. I will miss seeing their sweet little faces,’ a note on the fundraising page read.
‘Send Whitney all of your prayers, love and support. Take some time to today to tell someone you love them.’
