The search for Travis Decker, accused of killing his three young daughters in Washington state, has taken a dark turn.
Police believe Decker has been found dead in remote bushland, nearly three months after the heartbreaking tragedy that shocked Leavenworth and surrounding communities.
Disappearance Following a Shocking Crime
Decker, 32, went missing in early June after allegedly suffocating his daughters—Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5—just before a scheduled custody exchange with his ex-wife.
The girls’ bodies were discovered at a campground by a sheriff’s deputy on June 2, three days after he failed to return them to their mother’s home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles east of Seattle.
Discovery in Remote Wilderness
On Thursday night, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced that officers had located human remains in dense, remote woods near Leavenworth, an area that had been the focus of ongoing search efforts.
“While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker,” the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff Mike Morrison added that the clothing appeared consistent with what Decker was last seen wearing.
Authorities are continuing to process the scene with the Washington State Patrol crime scene response team, and DNA testing is planned to confirm the identity.
A Skilled and Elusive Fugitive
Decker, a former Army soldier and member of the Washington National Guard, had extensive wilderness survival training, which complicated the months-long manhunt.
By the time of the alleged killings, he was reportedly homeless and living out of his car.
Search teams were extensive and highly coordinated, involving multiple sheriff’s offices, the US Marshals Service, two police departments, and even Central Washington University’s anthropology department.
They used electronic mapping and expanded their search perimeter to cover as much terrain as possible, demonstrating the seriousness of the investigation.
Family Reflections Amid the Horror
Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney, told police she never believed he was dangerous and described him as loving toward his daughters.
She emphasized that he shared a good relationship with the girls, highlighting the chilling contrast between the tragic outcome and her memories of their family life.
Authorities vowed throughout the investigation to stop at nothing to bring justice for Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia, and the suspected discovery of Decker’s remains may finally bring some closure to a case that has haunted the local community for months.