Authorities have located the remains of a man who had been wanted in connection with the deaths of his three daughters in Washington state. The man, Travis Decker, an ex-soldier, was suspected of killing his daughters in June and had been on the run ever since. The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the discovery of the remains, which are believed to belong to Decker, in the mountains of Washington. The site is being processed by investigators with the assistance of the Washington State Patrol crime scene response team. DNA testing will be used to confirm the identity of the remains.
Decker, 32, was last seen in June when he failed to return his daughters to their mother after a scheduled visit. Days later, a sheriff’s deputy discovered Decker’s truck and the bodies of the three girls — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — at a campground near Leavenworth. The investigation revealed that the girls had died from suffocation. Their bodies had been bound with zip ties, and plastic bags had been placed over their heads. The discovery shocked the local community and led to a large-scale search for Decker, who had military training and had lived off the grid for extended periods in the past.
Authorities from various state and federal agencies coordinated an extensive search that covered hundreds of miles, including mountainous and remote areas. Despite the thorough search, Decker managed to evade capture for several months. The U.S. Marshals Service offered a reward of up to $20,000 for any information that could lead to his arrest.
In the months leading up to the tragedy, Decker’s ex-wife had expressed concerns about his deteriorating mental health. She filed a petition to modify their parenting plan, citing his worsening instability and the fact that he was often living out of his truck. She sought to prevent him from having overnight visits with the girls until he found stable housing. The tragic deaths of his daughters have raised serious questions about how his mental health issues were handled in the custody arrangement.
As authorities continue to process the crime scene, they await DNA analysis to confirm the identity of the remains found in the mountains. This investigation has drawn significant attention, given the brutal nature of the crime and the prolonged search for Decker.
