Manhunt Underway for Dad of 3 Missing Daughters Found Dead
Originally appeared on E! Online
A tragedy is unfolding in Washington State.
Days after the bodies of Travis Decker's three daughters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were discovered in Chelan County near his truck, police are searching for the 32-year-old.
"A Chelan County deputy located Decker's vehicle near the Rock Island Campground accessed by Icicle Road. The vehicle was unoccupied," Wenatchee police said in a June 3 statement. "Additional law enforcement officers responded and searched the immediate area. During the search, the bodies of the three missing girls were discovered."
"Decker is currently wanted for 3 counts of Murder 1st degree and Kidnapping 1st degree," the statement continued. "Decker is a former Military with extensive training. It is unknown whether Decker is currently armed, but he may pose a significant risk, if approached."
The girls' mother had filed a civil complaint May 30, saying her daughters had not returned after a planned visitation with their father, the Wenatchee Police Department said.
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Days later, on June 2, the girls were found dead, with the Chelan County Coroner stating in a preliminary report, that their likely cause of death is asphyxiation, Fox 13 Seattle reported.
Wenatchee police said in their statement that the Washington State Patrol was contacted the day the girls were reported missing to request an AMBER Alert. "However," the police added, "it did not meet the required criteria."
The department said its detectives contacted WSP again May 31 with additional information and an Endangered Missing Person Alert was issued.
"In a situation where a custodial parent is late returning children to another parent," a Washington State Patrol spokesperson told NBC News, "law enforcement does not automatically have clear indication that the children are in danger."
He said that on May 31, the state patrol issued an endangered missing person alert, meant for people who are unable to "assist in their own recovery" and that it "accomplished much the same public notification/outreach as an AMBER alert would have."
As the search for Decker continues, police are asking for help. "Any member of the public who believes they may have seen Decker since Friday May 30th, and/or know his current whereabouts are asked to call 911 immediately," the authorities emphasized. "Due to safety concerns, do not attempt to contact or approach Decker."
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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