Marshals search Idaho Sawtooths for Washington man suspected of killing 3 daughters
The U.S. Marshals Service is searching the Sawtooth National Forest for Travis Decker, a Wenatchee, Washington, man whom officials have sought for more than a month after his daughters, ages 5, 8 and 9, did not return from a visitation trip with him in late May. The children were later found dead near a Washington campground.
Officials warned the public not to approach or interact with Decker. They noted Decker has a history of hitchhiking and urged travelers against picking up hitchhikers in the area.
In a news release Sunday night, the Marshals Service's Idaho District said it had received a tip from a family recreating in the Bear Creek area of the Sawtooth National Forest on Saturday who saw a man fitting Decker's description. The family described a white man between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 inches tall with a long ponytail and overgrown beard and mustache, officials said. Decker is 5-foot-8 and weighs 190 pounds, according to a Marshals description.
The family told officials that the man they saw was wearing a black mesh cap, cream-colored T-shirt, black shorts and either Converse or Vans low-top shoes. He also had a black Garmin-style watch and black gauged earrings, and he carried a black JanSport backpack.
The Marshals Service asked anyone who was recreating in the Bear Creek area within 24 hours of the sighting to reach out to the agency with information at 1-800-336-0102, or online at usmarshals.gov/tips.
The agency said it began searching for Decker Monday morning with help from the U.S. Forest Service and Camas County Sheriff's Office. Officials asked visitors to avoid flying drones in the search area, as they could interfere with additional search efforts by airplane.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
30 minutes ago
- CNN
Why fake AI calls impersonating US officials are ‘the new normal'
Two of the most senior figures in the US government — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the White House chief of staff — have been impersonated in recent weeks using artificial intelligence — a tactic that harnesses a rapidly developing technology that cybersecurity experts say is becoming the 'new normal' in terms of cheap and easy scams targeting senior US officials. 'It's now easy and quick to clone someone's voice using AI tools, which now require less than 15 seconds of someone's voice to create a believable voice clone,' said Rachel Tobac, chief executive of SocialProof Security, a firm that trains people to defend against such attacks. 'Just six months ago, I needed a clear one-to-two-minute sample of someone's voice without background noise or music to create a believable voice clone — not so anymore.' 'Voice-cloning is the new normal (in terms of) impersonation social-engineering attempts,' she said. Rubio told CNN on Thursday that he expects more AI-based efforts to impersonate him. 'It won't be the last time you see me or others, for that matter. Maybe some of you will be impersonated,' Rubio said on a trip to Malaysia. 'Within days of becoming Secretary of State, I had foreign ministers calling the State Department asking if I had just texted them,' said Rubio, who is also the national security adviser. 'This is just the reality of the 21st Century, AI and fake stuff that's going on.' In Rubio's case, an imposter called at least five people, including three foreign ministers, a governor and a senator. The unknown attacker set up an account on the Signal messaging platform in mid-June using the display name ' according to a State Department cable last week on the incident viewed by CNN. 'The actor left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals, and in one instance, sent a text message inviting the individual to communicate on Signal,' the cable said. An AI-based robocall last year that mimicked the voice of then-President Joe Biden and tried to dissuade voters from voting in a primary was a wake-up call for senior US officials over the risks that AI could pose to the electoral process. For public figures whose voices are everywhere online, the cloning process is even simpler, said Steve Grobman, chief technology officer at cybersecurity firm McAfee. 'What's most concerning is that with AI-powered clones, seeing – or hearing – is no longer believing, and even trained professionals can be fooled, especially when a familiar voice makes an urgent request,' Grobman told CNN. 'It's also why we need smarter tools to help people tell what's real and what's not. We can't rely on our own instincts anymore.' However, Rubio and others who heard audio of the call imitating him said it didn't quite sound like him, meaning whoever was behind it didn't go to great lengths to match his voice. The audacity of the ruse is what has some US officials alarmed. A month before the fake Rubio calls began, the FBI warned in May that unidentified 'malicious actors' were impersonating senior US officials to target their contacts in government. The aim was to build a rapport with the target to then access their online accounts. The ultimate goal of the scheme — whether to steal information or money — was unclear. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, a trusted confidant of President Donald Trump, was one of the government officials being impersonated, CNN and other news outlets reported. Early into the FBI investigation of the Wiles impersonation, officials suspected the impersonator was a criminal rather than state actor, multiple sources familiar with the matter said. But investigators also examined if there was any connection to Iran — given that Tehran-linked hackers were believed to have previously hacked Wiles' phone. CNN has requested comment from the FBI on the status of the investigation. Rubio said he referred the matter to the FBI and the State Department's diplomatic security when he found out about it last week. Even before news of the Rubio and Wiles imposters broke, employees across the federal bureaucracy were trying to tighten up their phone communications in response to an entirely different and more sophisticated threat. Chinese government-backed hackers broke into America's biggest telecom providers as part of an effort to spy on senior US officials, Washington alleges, in activity that was revealed last year. In the wake of that hack, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security urged government employees to use encrypted messaging platforms so the hackers could not snoop on their texts. There is no way to prevent people from setting up fake accounts and using any of a dozen free pieces of software online to clone someone's voice. So the FBI and the State Department have been publicly and privately warning US officials to take extra care in their communications, and to tell their circle of contacts about the impersonation schemes. Government agencies 'must now focus on defense and catching attackers using deepfakes in action,' Tobac, the cybersecurity executive, told CNN. 'One way to do that is to use another method of communication to verify identity before taking action on a sensitive request.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Niagara County Sheriff's Office, with Falls Police, grow Explorer's program county-wide
At a time when many local law enforcement agencies are struggling to recruit the next generation of law enforcement officers, the Niagara County Sheriff's Office and Niagara Falls Police are hoping NCSO Explorers Post 2911 holds the key. 'We've held the Explorers program for years,' Sheriff Michael Filicetti said, 'but it was always out at our headquarters, which is kind of in the middle of nowhere.' Then five years ago, the Falls police decided to join in a partnership with the sheriff's office to offer the program for communities on the western side of the county. That program is run out of the Packard Court Community Center. 'We wanted to try to reach another part of the county,' Filicetti said. 'We united to reach the people in the communities on the west end of the county, who we don't always see. And it's been so successful, the Falls police now join us on our program (in Lockport).' With 15 recent graduates of the Falls-based program, Filicetti said the combination and outreach efforts has spurred new growth and energy in the Explorers. The program is designed for 16- to 20-year-olds with an interest in a career in law enforcement. Filicetti calls it an opportunity to prepare for the future. 'They're getting a front row seat to observe and learn about law enforcement,' the sheriff said. The program sessions are led by sheriff's deputies and corrections officers, along with Falls police officers and dispatchers. Explorers get to experience some of the hands-on training that takes place at the county law enforcement academy. The Explorers met every Monday evening for 14 weeks during the school year. In addition to experiencing real-world law enforcement training, they also have the opportunity to work directly with law enforcement officers by assisting at community events. 'It makes me proud when I'm at work and I'm walking around and I see graduates of the Explorer program at work in our department as deputies and corrections officers and supervisors,' Filicetti said. The sheriff said he believes other law enforcement agencies will also adopt the Explorer program model as a way to meet recruiting challenges. 'I think some (agencies) are already doing their own versions of it,' Filicetti said. 'I think it's a piece of the puzzle in terms of recruiting.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
SLED confirms investigation into former Spartanburg County sheriff: What to know
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright on allegations of misconduct. SLED spokesperson Renee Wunderlich confirmed that agents began investigating Wright's conduct in September 2024. More information will be forthcoming, she said. Attorney General Alan Wilson shared a letter he wrote on June 12 to the Seventh Circuit Solicitor's Office saying Wright could soon be charged with misconduct of a public officer; use of official position for financial gain; obtaining certain drugs, devices, preparations, or compounds by fraud or deceit; and breach of trust with fraudulent intent. More: Interim sheriff says 'Operation Rolling Thunder' to be phased out; Wright's son resigns More: Decision to slash sheriff's salary assailed by county council critics, 'lack of foresight' Former Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office Chaplain Amos Durham could be facing a charge of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, according to the letter. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been investigating the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. Wright took a leave of absence on April 1 and resigned May 23 amid controversy, including allegations of improper use of a county credit card, as well as an ethics investigation involving Wright hiring his son. Durham stepped down from his role as chaplain on May 5. Wright was the sheriff for more than 21 years. He was first elected sheriff in November 2004. This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: SLED confirms investigation into former Spartanburg Sheriff Chuck Wright
