Final message ‘killer' dad Travis Decker sent ex-wife before ‘murdering 3 girls' as she insists ‘something broke' in him
THE final message a fugitive gave to his ex-wife just before he allegedly murdered their three daughters has been revealed.
The manhunt for Travis Decker, 32, has entered its fourth day as his ex-wife confessed "something broke" inside of him after they were last together with their children on Friday.
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Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead at a campground on Monday after they left for a planned custody visit with Decker three days earlier.
Cops found the girls down an embankment at Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, with their dad's truck abandoned nearby.
But Decker was nowhere to be found, sparking a forest manhunt for the suspect as cops warn mountain residents to lock their doors and not approach the former soldier, who has extensive military skills and can survive in the wilderness.
Whitney reported her daughters missing on Friday after Decker didn't return them from the planned three-hour custody visit.
She said he picked them up at 5 pm and the former couple spoke for about 20 minutes before he left, making her believe nothing was out of the ordinary with his final message.
"He said, 'Hey, I will see you at 8' and he left, and he never came back," Arianna Cozart, Whitney's attorney who she has allowed to speak on her behalf, told ABC News.
The mom said through her lawyer that there were never any visitation issues before Friday.
"Something came out of this man and he broke, that's it," Cozart said.
"When that man picked up those girls, his babies, he did not have a plan to kill them; there's nothing that indicates that he did."
Decker hasn't been seen since he picked his daughters up on Friday.
Three missing children found dead after vanishing on visit with homeless dad as cops slammed for not issuing Amber Alert
Cops have released multiple recent pictures and a home surveillance video of Decker in hopes that members of the public will keep an eye out for him.
The new pictures of the alleged killer show multiple tattoos on his arms, while the video showed he recently wore his hair in a ponytail.
On Thursday, officials said Decker may be traveling along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Cops urged residents to keep their windows and doors locked and to leave lights on at night, the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office said.
Timeline of the missing Decker girls
Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead at a campground after they were last seen on a custody visit to their dad.
Below is a timeline of events:
Friday, May 30
5 pm - Travis Decker picks the three girls up from their mom, Whitney Decker.
8 pm - Travis Decker is supposed to return the girls but doesn't. Whitney Decker calls him and it goes to voicemail.
9:45 pm - Whitney Decker calls the Wenatchee Police Department to report her daughters missing.
Travis Decker's truck is seen driving westbound on Highway 2.
Washington State Patrol is contacted for an Amber Alert but said the situation didn't match their criteria.
Saturday, May 31
WPD issues an Endangered Missing Persons Alert.
Monday, June 2
3:45 pm - Travis Decker's truck is found empty at Rock Island Campground with two bloody handprints and items inside.
5 pm - Cops search the area and find the bodies of the three girls.
Tuesday, June 3
9:30 am - Cops notify the public that they are still searching for Decker.
2 pm - WPD tells the public that the three girls were found dead and that Travis Decker is still on the loose.
Wednesday, June 4
Cops release recent video and images of Travis Decker and tell the public that he has extensive survival skills and could survive in the wilderness for weeks.
Hiking trails and parks have been closed as the search continues.
Cops warned that Decker is dangerous and potentially armed.
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Cozart told ABC News that Whitney believes Decker's PTSD from his years in the Army and Washington National Guard caused him to snap.
She said the trauma from his service was something he "always carried with him" throughout their marriage before they divorced in 2022.
Throughout their marriage, Cozart said Decker would wake up screaming in the middle of the night and rarely sleep.
Decker began to "spiral" when he got out of the active reserves in 2023, Cozart said.
He became homeless and started to struggle financially.
'SOMETHING BROKE'
His instability led to Whitney filing for a new parental plan in September 2024.
She asked the court to not allow the girls to stay overnight with Decker because they would stay on mattresses at an armory during their visits with him.
"Travis just keeps getting more and more unstable," Whitney wrote in the filing.
"He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much but he has got to get better for our girls. I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all."
An audio recording from court obtained by reporter Dominick Bonny revealed Decker refusing to sign the updated parenting plan, but Whitney's wishes were still put into place.
Whitney insisted through her lawyer on Thursday that Decker was an active dad who loved his daughters and that he had never been violent before the killings.
"He was a loving man, but something broke and whatever monster came out of him, it's something that he was trained to do in the military," Cozart said.
A GoFundMe for Whitney in the aftermath of the tragedy has raised over $1 million as of Friday morning.
Officials have asked anyone with information on Decker or his whereabouts to call 911 immediately.
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