Ex-soldier's daughters 'suffocated to death on camping trip' as manhunt launched
Ex-soldier Travis Decker is wanted on 3 counts of murder and kidnapping after his three daughters were found dead after a planned camping trip with him - as reports suggest the girls were suffocated
A father, whose three young daughters went missing while on a camping trip with him, is believed to have strangled the girls as their cause of death has been revealed.
A huge search was launched for Travis Decker, 32, after his daughters Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn, 9, were found dead, days after they were reported missing, on Monday. The girls vanished during a planned visitation with their homeless dad, on Friday, May 30, but authorities looking for the young girls found them at the Rock Island Campground, in Leavenworth, Washington. A preliminary report into the shocking deaths said the sisters appeared to have died from asphyxiation.
Authorities searching for the former Army solider said he is wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. Police have also warned the public"do not approach" the ex-solider with "extensive training" if he is seen - instead urging the public to call 911.
Cops also found Decker's vehicle with two bloody handprints, close to where the girls were located. Police also discovered personal items like a wallet, food, car seats, and blankets. The location even showed signs somebody had recently been nearby, before cops showed up, as they found a tent a short walk away.
The alarm was raised on Monday after Decker did not drop his daughters back to their mother. In a Facebook post shared on May 31, Mrs Decker said: "Last night at 8pm Travis was supposed to drop the girls back off with me and never showed.
"The cops have him going north out of Wenatchee at 5:41. If you could please all keep an eye out for him, his phone is off and every hotel in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee have been checked."
Captain Brian Chance, from the local police force, said the mum "expressed concern because Decker reportedly had never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues." He added: "What prompted her to call us was that ... he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary."
Decker and his wife have been divorced for several years but he had been allowed to see his daughters every other weekend during specific hours - the dad had been known to stay at motels and camping sites after he lost his home.
His ex-wife claimed Decker had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and she believed he did not take medication for it, according to court documents.
The dad transferred to the Washington National Guard eight years after joining the army. He was a full-time member of the Guard for two or three years until, in 2024, he went part time.
However, the military confirmed today Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge for him.
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