'Keep the pressure on': Sheriff searches for Travis Decker with SWAT
In a mountainous area in the central part of Washington, some of the ground still peppered with snow, the manhunt continued for Decker, a 32-year-old U.S. Army veteran wanted in connection to the brutal slayings of the sisters found dead after vanishing on May 30.
"We're going to keep the pressure on," Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told USA TODAY the afternoon of June 12 as he prepared to board a helicopter to help in the search.
The children's mother, Whitney Decker, reported the girls missing on May 30 after the siblings left their central Washington home for a planned visit for their father, the Wenatchee Police Department reported. Wenatchee is in Chelan County, about 148 miles east of Seattle.
Officials found the bodies of Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8 and Olivia Decker, 5, on June 2, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, the lead agency on the triple murder case, reported. Court papers show a deputy found the sisters with plastic bags over their head and evidence their hands had been zip tied.
A medical examiner, officials reported on June 9, ruled all three deaths a homicide.
Their father was homeless and living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup at the time they vanished, according to police. Police said he is a former military member with extensive training who "may pose a significant risk, if approached."
Court filings obtained by USA TODAY show Travis Decker reportedly exhibited mental health issues prior to the girls' deaths.
On Tuesday, June 10, the sheriff's office announced the hunt for Decker had narrowed after officials received a tip about a lone hiker near the Colchuck Lake in the Enchantments.
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 agency said.Officials deployed police dogs to the area and said they tracked the man to the area of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead on U.S. Route 97.
As of Thursday, June 12, the sheriff confirmed, he remains on the run.
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.
Last week in Idaho, the McCall Police Department reported it received reports about a possible sighting of Decker in the western part of the Gem State. 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.
Decker update: Search for Travis Decker narrows near Washington mountains
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.
Police could not say whether he was armed while on the run.
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.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Travis Decker manhunt continues in Washington
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