'I'm still angry': Deputy recalls finding Travis Decker's truck as manhunt nears 1 month

USA Today

8 hours ago

As the sun rose beyond the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in central Washington, Mike McLeod awoke and turned his thoughts to the frustrating hunt.
"I'm still angry. He still hasn't been found," the deputy with the Chelan County Sheriff's Office told USA TODAY on Monday, June 30, as he prepared to revisit the remote area where he found 33-year-old fugitive Travis Decker's vehicle exactly one month earlier.
A single email on June 2 led McLeod to the white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup on a small sliver of land within the national forest, an alpine terrain with wilderness areas, lakes, camping and hiking trails.
"At that point it was still a missing persons case," said McLeod, who found the pickup truck along Icicle Road at Rock Island Campground while searching the thick wooded area on a dirt bike.
'Once I read the email I knew right where they would be," McLeod said.But things went south fast.
After McLeod alerted dispatch to the vehicle, Sgt. Brian Lewis arrived and found Decker's three daughters dead, about 50 yards from the truck.
Decker was no where to be found.
'There was nothing we could do for them," McLeod recalled. "I was angry... Where is he?"
After four weeks of searching for the girls' killer, law enforcement officials at the local, state and federal levels continue to hunt Decker, a former U.S. Army member wanted on kidnapping and murder charges in the brutal killings of Olivia Decker, 5; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Paityn Decker, 9.
At the time they died, the sisters lived with their mother in Wenatchee, a city in Chelan County about 150 miles east of Seattle. Whitney Decker reported her children missing May 30 after the siblings left their home for a planned custody visit with their father, the Wenatchee Police Department reported. The girls were found dead three days later.
Four weeks after the tragic discovery, USA TODAY spoke with McLeod about what led him to find the girls' bodies, as well as the latest in the search for their father, who is wanted on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and custodial interference.
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The camp crime scene
McLeod was on his way to work when he got the email. The missing girls' family had told law enforcement that Decker was likely headed up Icicle Road to go camping, the deputy recalled.
McLeod, 48, called his office and said he had a good idea where to find the father and his three missing children.
"There is no one more familiar with Chelan County and the forest more than (McLeod)," Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told USA TODAY. 'He's been our lead coordinator for the search and rescue team and is also a helicopter pilot for the agency."
Wenatchee police pinged Decker's phone and tracked it to an area near Leavenworth, McLeod said, about 20 miles northwest of where the girls lived.
'I hopped on my dirt bike in plain clothes (to blend in)," said McLeod who has worked for the sheriff's office for two decades and spent the last nine years as a full-time forest deputy.
About 3 p.m. on June 2, he spotted the truck on the dirt road and alerted dispatch.
Inside it, McLeod recalled finding Decker's wallet −the "only thing" left behind in the vehicle.
The missing girls' bodies were found about 50 yards away from the vehicle. McLeod said an investigation found they'd been dead for about 2½ days.
'Oddly enough there wasn't anyone at any other campsites," he recalled of the warm sunny day. "No people. No vehicles. Normally it's super busy."
About 15 miles from where the girls' bodies were found, McLeod said, officers found an abandoned orange tent.
"It looked like a homeless person tent. Floor was ripped, haphazardly put up, not an expensive tent. However, the cooler was placed neatly next to it, squared up to the tent."
McLeod said the scene led him to believe the tent was Decker's, a suspicion that has not yet been confirmed by investigators.
Harsh terrain and conditions present challenges in the search
Morrison, the sheriff, told USA TODAY that law enforcement has faced environmental challenges while hunting the fugitive.
He highlighted not only rugged terrain, but harsh conditions that SWAT and U.S. Marshals teams have battled. In some areas, snow was still on the ground.
"We can't 'get into the river yet because of spring runoff," Morrison said of Icicle River, which flows along Rock Island Campground.
McLeod said officials are waiting for the water to recede.
"That won't happen until next month," the deputy said.
A decline in tips
Morrison said Decker was last seen alive with the children on May 30.
"Our agency got involved on June 2 when we found the scene," he said.
Since then, officials have deployed cadaver dogs and a mountaineer team in the hunt. Agencies from at least seven counties surrounding Chelan County have joined the chase.
The sheriff's office, which covers 2,900 square miles, has covered hundreds of square miles across multiple states, including Oregon. Officials have also checked tips internationally in Canada, Morrison said.
In addition to environmental challenges, Morrison said a recent decline in tips in the case has hindered finding Decker.
Initially, some were hot.
"We had some break-ins and some items missing from campsite," he said. "Nothing came of them, but we're still following any leads that come in."
None confirmed a find.
"Tips have slowed but the U.S. Marshals are still on the ground with us," Morrison said. "Oregon units have come in to help and check caves and mine shafts
"The more frustrating part is we are not getting what we are looking for," Morrison said. "A lot of our leads are starting to dry up"
"Clearly it's looking more like the probability he's deceased," Morrison said. "Does he have the potential of surviving out there? Yes. But with the amount of people out there with no signs whatsoever – it's not likely. It's possible, but for now we're presuming he is still alive."
"But you have to be responsible with your financial resources − which means you have to ask whether you are tracking active leads," the sheriff said. "Typically, people who disappear want to live in more populated areas where they have access to supplies.'
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How did the Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker die?
A preliminary report from a medical examiner found the children died as a result of homicide from suffocation.
Their bodies were found lifeless with plastic bags over their heads and evidence that their hands had been zip-tied near their father's truck.
Before disappearing, their father was homeless and staying primarily in his truck in the Wenatchee area.Investigators said the man exhibited mental health issues before the girls' killings, court filings obtained by USA TODAY show.
A motive in the killings remained under investigation, as of June 30.
What does Travis Decker look like?
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.
Authorities said Decker "may pose a significant risk, if approached."
Anyone who sees Decker 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 information at https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/sheriff/forms/submit-a-tip. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [e-mail] and follow her on X @nataliealund.