Remains found believed to be fugitive father accused of killing his daughters
Nearly four months after a Washington state man vanished during a weekend custody visit, leaving his three daughters dead, investigators believe they’ve found his remains. Deputies said they discovered human remains in a remote wooded area near Leavenworth, believed to be Travis Decker.
The remains were not far from where Decker was last seen, and personal items found nearby point to him. However, DNA testing is underway to confirm that the remains are Decker’s.
Three daughters killed
Local and federal law enforcement have been looking for Decker since Memorial Day Weekend. They said he had taken his three daughters — 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evelyn and 9-year-old Paityn — on a camping trip that weekend.
When Decker failed to return his daughters home following the planned visit, his ex-wife filed a complaint with the police department, sparking a search for the girls.
On June 2, after a weekend of searching, authorities found the girls dead in a rural embankment. Their bodies were found with plastic bags over their heads, and their wrists were zip-tied, according to ABC. An autopsy revealed they had suffocated, and their deaths were ruled a homicide.
Decker’s disappearance
Decker’s truck was recovered from the scene, where authorities found his daughters, with two bloody handprints found on the tailgate. However, he was nowhere to be found. His disappearance sparked a manhunt across rough terrain.
Authorities believed Decker, an army veteran with survivalist skills, may have been living off the grid in the Cascade wilderness.
However, three weeks into the search for Decker, authorities issued a statement casting doubt on whether Decker was still alive.
Officials said it shifted its resources to focus on finding his remains. They said the likelihood of his death “increases every day.”
Mental health struggles
Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney, described Decker as homeless and said he was experiencing mental health issues. According to NBC, a parenting plan in effect since September 2024 required Decker to seek mental health treatment and domestic violence anger-management counseling.
The affidavit, however, said he had yet to do so. Whitney said her ex-husband had always been communicative about their children and previously returned them when he was supposed to.
Amber alert system
In the days after Decker’s daughters were found dead, Whitney Decker called for reforms to the AMBER Alert system.
NBC reported that local law enforcement sought to have an alert sent out on the Friday before the girls were found. However, the agency that manages the program in Washington State declined to do so.
A spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol said the request did not meet all the criteria for an AMBER Alert. The criteria are set by the U.S. Justice Department. The spokesperson said a different alert sent that Saturday accomplished “much the same public notification/outreach as an AMBER alert would have.”
In late June, Whitney Decker spoke about her daughters publicly for the first time, saying, “They were incredible. I truly hope that the legacy of the girls’ lives lives in everyone’s heart.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
