Search for Travis Decker narrows near Washington mountains
Authorities received a tip about a lone hiker near the Colchuck Lake in the Enchantments, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office announced to the public in a post on social media on Tuesday evening, June 10.
The hiker appeared to be unprepared to be on the trail and seemed to avoid others. Upon responding to the tip, trackers spotted a lone hiker off trail who ran out of sight as soon as a helicopter passed, the sheriff's office said.
Trackers later deployed K9s to the area and have tracked the man to the area of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead on U.S. Route 97, the sheriff's office said.
The rugged, mountainous area is roughly 15 miles southwest of the city of Leavenworth, a Bavarian-style village popular among tourists and hikers. It's also about the same distance on foot from Rock Island Campground, where the bodies of Decker's daughters were found slain on June 2.
"As the search continues in the area, we are asking that anyone who may have a cabin, or reside in the area report any suspicious activity, lock your doors and vehicles, and look out for your neighbor's property," the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post. "If you have any cameras, including trail cameras in the area, please check them or submit a tip to the US Marshal's tip line with a location of the camera for law enforcement to check."
Late Monday night, the sheriff's office issued an alert announcing an increased law enforcement presence in a search area including Blewett Pass on Route 97 and the Wenatchee Mountains.
"Please secure your homes and vehicles, stay alert, and report any suspicious activity to 911," the sheriff's office wrote in the alert. "If you see something say something."
Authorities released photos of Decker that Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison says were taken in the county "right around" when the girls disappeared.
Last week, the McCall Police Department in Idaho said it received multiple reports about a "possible sighting" of Decker in the western part of The Gem State, but later determined them to be false. The small resort town of McCall is about 450 miles southwest of where the search for Decker is currently focused.
Morrison told USA TODAY his office and law enforcement in Idaho had deemed the reports to not be credible.
Although Morrison said local, state and federal officials have received more than 500 tips and "well over a dozen" reported sightings, Decker remained missing despite the multi-jurisdictional manhunt.
Although Decker was homeless and staying primarily in his truck, officials said he was living in the Wenatchee region of Chelan County, about 148 miles east of Seattle.
When asked by USA TODAY what he'd say to Decker if he had the opportunity, the sheriff responded, 'Do the right thing and turn yourself in. Take account for you action and bring some closure to your family."
"U.S. Marshals are now aimed on the search effort while we're focused on the homicides,' Morrison said. 'We're certainly hoping he hands himself over."
Decker is wanted on charges of kidnapping, first-degree murder, and custodial interference in the murder and kidnapping case that led law enforcement to the bodies of his daughters Olivia, 5; Evelyn, 8; and Paityn, 9, on June 2.
The girls' wrists were likely zip-tied, according to a probable cause affidavit, and each sister was found with a plastic bag over her head near their father's truck in a campground.
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The girls had been visiting their father when they were last seen May 30, the Wenatchee Police Department reported.
The children's mother, Whitney Decker, reported them missing May 30, police said, after the sisters left their central Washington home for a planned visit with their dad.
Washington State Patrol issued statewide alert for the girls on May 31 and following a search, a sheriff's deputy found their father's white 2017 GMC Sierra truck near Rock Island Campground, about 40 miles northwest of Wenatchee.
No one was inside, but deputies found the girls' bodies with plastic bags over each of their heads and evidence they had been zip-tied, court papers obtained by USA TODAY revealed.
In a June 9 news release, the sheriff's office wrote a medical examiner determined the girls died as a result of suffocation and ruled their deaths a triple homicide.
Blood samples taken from the scene came back as that of a male, officials say, and another sample was not human blood. Investigators were analyzing DNA and fingerprints and had collected "a large amount of evidence, many of the suspect's personal items," from Decker's truck, the office wrote.
Morrison told USA TODAY that Decker's dog, an adult Husky mix, was found by the river near where deputies discovered the victims' bodies.
'We've turned it over to the Human Society," Morrison said. "It's a friendly dog, it came right up to us, so hopefully they find it a good home.'
The sheriff said his office was still handling the case but had turned search efforts over to U.S. Marshals for now so his deputies could rest and focus on the homicides. They were expected to return to the field to aid in the search soon.
Police described Travis Decker as a white man with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5'8'', and weighing 190 pounds.
He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts, and police said he should not be approached.
Anyone who sees the suspect or with information about his whereabouts is asked to call 911. Tipsters can also call the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit your information online at https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/sheriff/forms/submit-a-tip.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Anthony Robledo covers national trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at arobledo@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Travis Decker manhunt: Search narrows to area near Wenatchee Mountains
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