As an extensive manhunt continues for a Washington father accused of killing his three young daughters, investigators have released disturbing new details they say link him to the murders.
Travis Decker, a 32-year-old U.S. Army veteran, has been on the run since May 30, when he vanished along with his daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5.
He is wanted on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping.
The bodies of the three girls were discovered on June 2 near their father’s abandoned pickup at Rock Island Campground in Chelan County. But Decker was nowhere to be found.
A medical examiner previously determined that the girls each died of asphyxiation, and their deaths were ruled homicides.
On Tuesday, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office released grim details about the condition in which they were found.
“Two of the victims each had two separate bags over their heads and the third victim had three separate bags over their head,” the release states. “In addition, several cable ties were located on the ground in the immediate area of the bodies.”
Authorities had previously revealed that a bloody handprint found on the tailgate of Decker’s truck matched his DNA profile, further tying him to the crime scene.
Investigators again stressed on Tuesday that Decker is their only suspect, pointing to new DNA evidence allegedly linking him to all of the plastic bags used to suffocated his daughters and to one of the zip ties recovered at the scene.
“The completion of this DNA analysis provides additional evidence that indicates Travis Decker is the only suspect involved in committing these homicides,” the sheriff’s office said.
The tragic killings occurred after Decker had been granted a court-approved visit with his daughters.
When he failed to return them to their mother Whitney Decker, she reported the girls missing, triggering a frantic search.
Last fall, Decker’s ex-wife had reportedly petitioned a court to modify their parental custody plan, claiming he had mental health issues and often lived out of his truck.
The search for Decker has since stretched across multiple states over the past three months.
Investigators say the Army veteran is trained in wilderness survival, a skill that may have helped him evade capture.
Decker served in the Army from 2013 to 2021. He was deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, and was an automatic rifleman with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington from 2014 to 2016.
A U.S. Marshals Service affidavit also revealed he had allegedly searched “how to relocate to Canada” online before the murders, fueling fears he may have fled across the border.
Possible sightings of Decker have been reported twice – first on June 10 along Highway 97 in Washington and later on July 5 in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest. Both were ultimately ruled out.
“At this time, we do not have any evidence to suggest Travis Decker is either alive or deceased,” the sheriff’s office.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
