Travis Decker: Dad hunted over killing of his 3 young daughters 'confirmed' dead
A dad suspected of killing his three daughters is believed to be dead after a months-long manhunt.
Police were hunting for ex-soldier Travis Decker in the mountains of Washington state following the deaths of the three children before the remains were found last week. The 33-year-old has been wanted since June 2, when sheriff’s deputy Mike McLeod found his truck and the bodies of Paityn Decker, nine, Evelyn Decker, eight and Olivia Decker, five, at a campground outside Leavenworth.
Federal prosecutors have now asked a judge to drop the arrest warrant for Decker because the US Marshals Service says the man is dead, but there is confusion as the sheriff’s office said their decision was premature because DNA test results are pending.
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Authorities found remains believed to belong to Decker in a remote wooded area of central Washington, but investigators are still waiting for DNA results to confirm the man’s identity. Still, in a court document filed, US Attorney S. Peter Serrano said the US Marshals Service has advised prosecutors Decker is dead.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office sent out a press release saying it had just learned about the Marshals Service’s filing, and said it is not in a position to make a positive identification or confirmation of Decker’s status.
“We are currently awaiting DNA test results from the state Crime Lab, which are expected to be returned within the next few days,” the release says. “Once the DNA results are confirmed, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office will hold a press conference to share findings and address any questions from the media and public.”
The discovery of the three children at the campsite came three days after he failed to return the girls to their mother’s home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles east of Seattle, following a scheduled visit.
The bodies of the girls were found down an embankment close to Travis’ white pick-up truck in a remote area of Rock Island Campground. An autopsy determined they died from asphyxiation.
His ex-wife a year ago said his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable. In a petition seeking to restrict him from having overnight visits with their daughters until he found housing, she said he was often living out of his truck.
Decker was an infantryman in the US Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014. He had training in navigation, survival and other skills, authorities said, and once spent more than two months living in the backwoods off the grid.