SEATTLE (AP) There is no proof that an ex-soldier who is wanted in connection with the killings of his three young kids is still alive, according to authorities who have been hunting for him in Washington state’s mountains for the past three weeks.
Since a sheriff’s deputy discovered his truck and the deaths of his three daughters—9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker, and 5-year-old Olivia Decker—at a campground north of Leavenworth on June 2, Travis Decker, 32, has been on the wanted list. The finding was made three days after he was supposed to return the girls to their mother’s house in Wenatchee, which is located around 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle.
In a social media post on Monday, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office stated that there is no concrete proof that Decker is still alive or in the region. Over the previous two weeks of searching, seemingly solid early leads were replaced by less compelling evidence. Nevertheless, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker need justice, thus we cannot and will not give up this pursuit. And as long as Decker is free, he continues to pose a threat to the public.
Travis Decker | Sheriff’s Office of Chelan County
According to the post, resources were being reallocated to concentrate on locating Decker’s remains in the event that he perished in the untamed countryside during this exhaustive search—a probability that grows every day. According to Sheriff’s Inspector Chris Whitsett on Tuesday, this involves using canines that have been trained to locate human remains.
Because of the country’s ruggedness, remoteness, and some of the conditions we’ve seen, it’s obvious that the longer he stays out there, the more likely it is that something will happen and that he will probably die, whether he wants it to or not, Whitsett said.
The sheriff’s office stated that additional patrols have been on duty and that the U.S. Marshals Service is working to find Decker if he was able to flee the area. Although the murders took place in nearby Chelan County, the region is connected to Kittitas and the Pacific Crest Trail, which connects Canada and Mexico, via backcountry trails.
The area is littered with caves and ancient mines, as well as abandoned buildings and vacant vacation homes where Decker might find refuge, so it wouldn’t be unusual for him to elude a search for three weeks.
In much of the same area, Jorge Alacantara-Gonzalez, who was wanted for the murder of a turkey hunter, spent 23 days evading capture in 2020. When someone called the police to report spotting someone in a cabin that shouldn’t have been occupied, he was apprehended.
In a similar vein, authorities searching for Decker said they are depending on public tips to locate him. People have been urged to examine their homes for game or surveillance cameras and to exercise caution when in the woods.
Hikers in The Enchantments, a well-known hiking destination in the Cascade Range, reported spotting a lone individual earlier this month who seemed unprepared for the weather and appeared to be avoiding other people. An off-trail hiker was seen close to an alpine lake by a responding chopper crew.
As the chopper flew by, the individual fled, according to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office. K-9 teams followed the individual to the vicinity of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead, south of Leavenworth, before the trail disappeared after authorities discovered a trail.
Our biggest tool, according to the sheriff’s office, is still public awareness and assistance, whether it comes from a cabin owner who notices anything strange, a hiker in the Enchantments who finds evidence that our searches overlooked, or anybody else.
From March 2013 until July 2021, Decker served in the Army as an infantryman. In 2014, he spent four months in Afghanistan. According to authorities, he has received instruction in survival, navigation, and other abilities. He has also lived off the grid in the forests for more than two months.
In a petition to change their parenting plan filed in September, Decker’s ex-wife Whitney Decker claimed that her husband’s mental health problems had gotten worse and that he had grown more unpredictable. She tried to prevent him from spending the night with their girls until he got a place to live, since he was frequently living out of his vehicle.
According to an autopsy, the girl’s cause of death was suffocation. They had been covered with plastic bags and secured with zip ties.
