Military-trained dad accused of killing daughters believed to be alive, evading capture: police
Authorities believe the Washington father accused of killing his three young daughters is still alive and actively evading authorities as federal and state law enforcement officials continue to comb through the dense wilderness in search of the military-trained survivalist.
Travis Decker has managed to avoid capture for three weeks and is wanted for allegedly killing his three daughters – Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5 – after their bodies were found near a Washington campsite earlier this month.
"We'll eventually get to find him," Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told KING 5. "It may be in a week, it may be in a couple of years, but we're not going to go away."
The revelation comes after officials announced earlier this week they are combing through the Teanaway Valley and Blewett Pass areas, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office.
"If you have trail cameras or doorbell cameras, please check them for suspicious activity," the department said in a statement. "If you have residences in these areas, check them for anything missing – no matter how small or seemingly insignificant."
The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Authorities began searching for Decker on the evening of May 30 after his ex-wife notified police that he had not returned the couple's three children from a court-mandated visitation, according to court documents. Three days later, the girls were discovered near Decker's abandoned vehicle with plastic bags over their heads and their hands bound, police said.
The update comes one week after the Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) announced a group of hikers reported seeing a lone individual who appeared unprepared for the wilderness near Colchuck Lake.
When authorities responded to the tip, they "spotted a lone, off-trail hiker from a helicopter," adding the individual "ran from sight as the helicopter passed," CCSO previously said in a press release.
The lake is located approximately 40 miles from Blewett Pass and 60 miles from Teanaway Valley by car.
A new flyer depicting renderings of ways Decker may have changed his physical appearance was released by authorities on Tuesday. The updated poster includes photos of Decker with and without facial hair and wearing a baseball hat.
Officials also quashed a TikTok video reportedly showing CCSO Sheriff Mike Morrison announcing Decker's arrest after a long standoff.
"To be clear, Mr. Decker is not in custody and CCSO had no part in making the video," the department wrote in a Facebook post.
The U.S. Marshals Service has taken on the role of lead agency in the hunt for Decker, who is a former member of the military with extensive experience in wilderness survival. The Washington National Guard is also assisting local law enforcement with aerial search efforts and surveillance.
Officials warn that Decker is considered armed and dangerous but do not have reason to believe he is a threat to public safety.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker's arrest. He is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
"Starved Rock Killer" Chester Weger dies at 86, attorney confirms
Chester Weger, most infamously known as the "Starved Rock Killer," has died at age 86. His longtime attorney Andy Hale confirmed his death, saying he died peacefully Sunday, surrounded by family. Weger became notorious after he was convicted in the murder of a woman in the Starved Rock State Park in 1960. He confessed to killing three women there when he was 21 years old, while he was a dishwasher at the lodge. The bodies of Lillian Oetting, Mildred Lindquist and Frances Murphy were found partially nude and beaten to death in St. Louis Canyon in the state park. Eight months after, Weger told police he murdered three women from the Chicago suburbs. Weger was tried for Oetting's murder and convicted; the murders of Murphy and Lindquist did not go to trial. He later claimed he had been coerced into confessing, telling CBS News Chicago in 2010 that he had been threatened by the sheriff. Weger was sentenced to life in prison for Oetting's death. He first applied for parole in 1972. Twenty-four of his parole requests were denied until 2019; he was released from prison in 2020. Since his release, Weger had attempted to get a new trial for Oetting's murder, sticking to his claims of innocence. His request for a new trial was denied last week. Please note: The above story is from a previous report
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Hunt for Travis Decker looks at whether he left Washington mountains — or died evading police
SEATTLE — Authorities who have spent the past three weeks searching in the mountains of Washington state for an ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters say there is no evidence that he remains in the area or that he is alive at all. Travis Decker, 32, has been wanted since June 2, when a sheriff's deputy found his truck and the bodies of his three daughters — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — at a campground outside Leavenworth. The discovery came three days after he failed to return the girls to their mother's home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle, following a scheduled visit. 'There is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area,' the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post late Monday. 'Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching. Still, we can't and won't quit this search; Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker deserve justice. And Decker remains a danger to the public as long as he's at large.' The post said resources were being shifted to focus on finding Decker's remains 'if he died in the rugged wilderness during this intense search — a possibility that increases every day.' The U.S. Marshals Service is working to track down Decker if he managed to escape the region, the sheriff's office said, and extra patrols have been on duty. It would not be unprecedented for Decker to evade a search in the rugged, remote region for three weeks; the area is dotted with abandoned buildings as well as unoccupied vacation homes in which he might find shelter. In 2020, Jorge Alacantara-Gonzalez, who was wanted in the killing of a turkey hunter, spent 23 days on the run in much of the same terrain. He was finally caught when someone called police to report seeing someone in a cabin that should have been unoccupied. Authorities looking for Decker say they are similarly relying on tips from the public to help find him. They have asked people to be alert in the backcountry and to check surveillance or game cameras on their properties. Earlier this month, hikers in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments reported seeing a lone person who appeared to be ill-prepared for the conditions and seemed to be avoiding others. A helicopter crew responded and spotted an off-trail hiker near an alpine lake. The person ran from sight as the helicopter passed, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities later found a trail, and K-9 teams tracked the person to the area of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead, south of Leavenworth, before the trail went cold. 'We still believe public awareness and help is our best tool — whether it comes from a cabin owner who finds something out of place, a hiker in the Enchantments who discovers evidence our searches missed, or anyone else,' the sheriff's office said. Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014. He has training in navigation, survival and other skills, authorities have said, and he once spent more than two months living in the backwoods off the grid. Last September, Decker's ex-wife, Whitney Decker, wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable. He was often living out of his truck, and she sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with their daughters until he found housing. An autopsy determined the girls' cause of death to be suffocation, the sheriff's office said. They had been bound with zip ties and had plastic bags placed over their heads.
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
Hunt for Travis Decker looks at whether he left Washington mountains — or died evading police
SEATTLE (AP) — Authorities who have spent the past three weeks searching in the mountains of Washington state for an ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters say there is no evidence that he remains in the area or that he is alive at all. Travis Decker, 32, has been wanted since June 2, when a sheriff's deputy found his truck and the bodies of his three daughters — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — at a campground outside Leavenworth. The discovery came three days after he failed to return the girls to their mother's home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle, following a scheduled visit. 'There is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area,' the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post late Monday. 'Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching. Still, we can't and won't quit this search; Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker deserve justice. And Decker remains a danger to the public as long as he's at large.' The post said resources were being shifted to focus on finding Decker's remains 'if he died in the rugged wilderness during this intense search — a possibility that increases every day.' The U.S. Marshals Service is working to track down Decker if he managed to escape the region, the sheriff's office said, and extra patrols have been on duty. It would not be unprecedented for Decker to evade a search in the rugged, remote region for three weeks; the area is dotted with abandoned buildings as well as unoccupied vacation homes in which he might find shelter. In 2020, Jorge Alacantara-Gonzalez, who was wanted in the killing of a turkey hunter, spent 23 days on the run in much of the same terrain. He was finally caught when someone called police to report seeing someone in a cabin that should have been unoccupied. Authorities looking for Decker say they are similarly relying on tips from the public to help find him. They have asked people to be alert in the backcountry and to check surveillance or game cameras on their properties. Earlier this month, hikers in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments reported seeing a lone person who appeared to be ill-prepared for the conditions and seemed to be avoiding others. A helicopter crew responded and spotted an off-trail hiker near an alpine lake. The person ran from sight as the helicopter passed, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities later found a trail, and K-9 teams tracked the person to the area of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead, south of Leavenworth, before the trail went cold. 'We still believe public awareness and help is our best tool — whether it comes from a cabin owner who finds something out of place, a hiker in the Enchantments who discovers evidence our searches missed, or anyone else,' the sheriff's office said. Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014. He has training in navigation, survival and other skills, authorities have said, and he once spent more than two months living in the backwoods off the grid. Last September, Decker's ex-wife, Whitney Decker, wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable. He was often living out of his truck, and she sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with their daughters until he found housing. An autopsy determined the girls' cause of death to be suffocation, the sheriff's office said. They had been bound with zip ties and had plastic bags placed over their heads.
