Harrowing cause of death of three sisters found at campsite bound with zip ties

Daily Mirror

4 days ago

Travis Decker, 32, is on the run after he was charged with kidnapping and killing his daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia, five, who were found bound with zip ties
The harrowing cause of death of three young sisters has been revealed after they were found dumped at a campsite restrained with zip ties.
Dad Travis Decker, 32, is on the run after he was charged with kidnapping and killing his daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia, five.
Police discovered his bloody truck near their remains on June 2, three days after their devastated mum reported them missing. Decker was supposed to drop the children off after a scheduled custody visit, but never turned up.
In police interviews, ex-wife Whitney Decker told police the dad was "quieter than usual" during the exchange, which was "out of character." She also revealed he had been considering getting rid of his dog due to financial struggles. It comes as a British man was charged after 'trying to drown his daughter-in-law on dream family holiday.'
The children were found in June near the Rock Island Campground in Washington state. Their wrists had been zip-tied, and they were likely to have died of asphyxiation, police said. They had been wearing the same clothes they had on when they left their mum's home.
Investigators also found the car was abandoned with two bloody adult-sized handprints on the tailgate. However, it is unclear who left them. There was also a tent and a cooler at the campsite, which suggested Decker had been using the area.
Decker, a former soldier in the US Army and Washington National Guard, had been divorced since 2022 and had agreed to share custody of their three children.
Whitney told local media the pair never had any problems before, but he had been "struggling" since he left the military.
"Travis has really struggled since he left the military and his mental health can be hard sometimes," Whitney told Seattle CBS KIRO on Monday before the girls' bodies were found.
"I think this is an effect of that, and I don't personally think that he's dangerous." Investigators said Decker had been homeless and living out of his car.
The hunt for Decker has been scaled back after nearly two months. Officials said Friday it will do so with a "reduced footprint while the criminal investigation remains ongoing." They described the search efforts around the wilderness and initial crime scene as "exhaustive."
"As of today, Mr. Decker has still not been located, and there is insufficient information to suggest that he is alive, nor if he is deceased," the sheriff's office said.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told ABC News earlier this month that this hunt could be a "long haul."
"We could be in a fight for five years, 10 years, 20 years. I certainly hope we're looking at a couple weeks and it closes out, but it could be a long time and we are committed to staying with it," Morrison said.
A GoFundMe for Whitney has raised a staggering £1.1million to help cover costs following the tragic loss of her three daughters.