Manhunt for killer dad takes grave new turn as police reveal where they think he's hiding

Daily Mail​

a day ago

The manhunt for suspected triple murderer Travis Decker has intensified as police reveal they think he's hiding in the woods along the Canadian border.
Investigators are now actively searching the Pacific Crest Trail in Okanogan County, Washington for Decker - who is accused of killing his three daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five.
The Chelan County Sheriff's Office executed search warrants on properties and electronic devices believed to be linked to him, which 'resulted in new leads and critical information'.
Officers urged locals, specifically those in remote areas of Okanogan County, to lock all doors and windows while the 32-year-old remains at large.
Decker, a former Army paratrooper, is considered dangerous, given his extensive military training and propensity for violence.
He has not been seen since Friday when he picked his daughters up from their mother's home in Wenatchee, roughly 112 miles away from Okanogan County.
Their bodies were found at a campsite in Leavenworth, 20 miles from their home, on Monday. Their wrists had been bound with zip ties and each of them had been suffocated with a plastic bag.
Investigators, so far, have found no traces of Decker other than his abandoned truck which was found about 100 yards away from where his daughter's bodies.
Okanogan County Sheriff Paul Budrow says law enforcement is patrolling the area around the clock to protect residents.
Budrow urged the community - specifically those on the west side of Okanogan County - to 'remain vigilant'.
'Decker is still considered dangerous and potentially armed,' he warned, adding that if anyone spots the suspect they should 'not approach or attempt to make contact'.
Decker's case has fascinated true crime obsessed amateur sleuths who are on a mission to locate the suspected killer.
Social media trolls are conducting their own deep dives into Decker and have baselessly suggested that a photograph he shared to Facebook in April could be a clue to his whereabouts.
Decker's online presence is borderline nonexistent, with the exception of his profile picture, some pictures of a deer skull, and his cover photo which features Bull River Campground in western Montana.
'Maybe they should check the Bull River in Montana while searching for Travis Decker,' one sleuth urged in an X post that has now been viewed more then 17,000 times. 'One of the only things posted on his FB.'
The popular wildlife beauty spot is located near the Idaho-Montana border and is roughly 300 miles away from Wenatchee.
There is no official evidence to suggest that he is in Montana at this time. Authorities in McCall, Idaho did receive reports of a possible Decker sighting earlier this week, but it was ultimately determined not to be him.
Decker joined the US Army in 2012 and served a tour in Afghanistan two years later. But by 2017, he had been removed from the elite Ranger Regiment after he failed to complete Ranger School.
By the time he joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade - which is known for conducting specialized airborne operations, including parachute jumps and air assault - he was quiet and a bit of an outcast.
Decker never returned to Special Forces, and in 2021 he transferred to the Washington Army National Guard - where he rose to the rank of sergeant.
He was listed as a full-time member of the Army National Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time.
But he stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard is in the process of a disciplinary discharge.
Those who were close with Decker have since said he has suffered from complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder after leaving active military service.
His ex-wife Whitney says she knew her daughters were in 'substantial danger' when Decker failed to return them after his visitation on Friday.
Whitney, speaking through her lawyer Arianna Cozart on Thursday, said that she begged police to issue an Amber Alert but was told the case did not meet the requirements.
But she has now alleged this 'was a tragedy that could've been completely' avoided had officials intervened.
She believes 'something broke inside' of Decker and that he 'would not have done what he did if he was himself', Cozart revealed.
'He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,' Cozart told the Seattle Times.
'We may never know if it could've meant the difference between life and death for those girls … but it could've made a huge difference,' Cozart told the newspaper.
The father-of-three was supposed to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of a parenting plan, but there was no sign he had followed through, according to court documents.
Whitney stated in September divorce proceedings that he had been 'struggling to maintain stability' since they separated and it was beginning to affect their daughters.
She said that at times he would have the girls sleep at an armory while he was in the National Guard, despite her objections, according to the Seattle Times.
She also said Decker - was prone to 'outbursts' and would come into her house yelling for the girls - would sometimes fail to pick up after promising to do so.
In one instance, Whitney wrote that her youngest daughter, Olivia, called her crying during a visit with Decker and said she could not find her father - before Evelyn came home with welts between her legs.
'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all,' Whitney wrote in the court filing. 'To the contrary, I have bent over backwards to facilitate that relationship.
'But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him, both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.'
But still Whitney reiterated to authorities how she did not believe her ex was dangerous and said he loved his daughters.
She said the girls had a, 'good relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him,' and noted that he had never failed to return the girls before, according to a police affidavit.
She said when Decker went to pick up the girls Friday, he was 'quieter than usual' which was 'out of character' for him. He had also allegedly been talking about getting rid of his dog due to housing and financial struggles.
On Tuesday, a judge issued a warrant for Decker's arrest and ordered he be held without bail.
Authorities swarmed the Rock Island Campground on Monday evening after finding Decker's truck.
Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputies found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards from the truck. Police believe the girls died from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents state.
Decker's truck had two bloody handprints on the tailgate, and inside were personal items including blankets, food, car seats and a wallet on the center console, police said.
The campground also showed signs of recent activity, with a tent and a cooler located a short distance away, but Decker was nowhere to be found.