Latest news with #ChelanCountySheriff'sOffice
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Where is Travis Decker? Massive manhunt underway for man accused of killing his 3 minor daughters in Washington
A massive manhunt is underway for a father after three young sisters in Washington were found dead. Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were found murdered after being last seen leaving to be with their father, Travis Decker, on a "planned visitation," police said. Officials are now searching for Decker, 32, who is homeless. He has been living in his vehicle or at various motels or campgrounds in the area, officials said, according to ABC News. He is wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree kidnapping. According to cops, Decker is a former member of the military with "extensive training' and may pose a "significant risk.' Authorities have been searching for Decker in various areas, including the area of Ingalls Creek and Valley High. Residents have been asked to take safety precautions by securing their homes and vehicles, remaining vigilant, and reporting any suspicious activity to 911 immediately. 'Law enforcement is searching for suspect Travis Decker in the area of Ingalls Creek and Valley High as he is believed to potentially be in this area,' the Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) said in a statement. 'Please secure your homes and vehicles, stay alert, and report any suspicious activity to 911.' 'You will see an increased law enforcement presence tonight,' the sheriff's office said. 'Your safety remains our top priority.' Officials have not specified what made them focus on the Ingalls Creek region. 'If you see something, say something,' the sheriff's office stressed. Meanwhile, an autopsy completed last week found the three girls' cause of death to be suffocation and the manner of death to be homicide, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said. Each girl was found with plastic bags over their heads and their wrists zip-tied, according to court documents obtained by ABC News. Decker's truck was recovered at the scene where his daughters were found, and according to the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, it has "collected a large amount of evidence, many of the suspect's personal items," from the truck. According to a US Marshals Service affidavit obtained by Fox 13 Seattle, the Independent and NBC Right Now, Decker made some chilling online searches days before the murders, including "how to relocate to Canada" and "how does a person move to Canada.' He also searched a Canadian job site. Decker has been described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes. Police said he was last seen wearing a light shirt and dark shorts.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police Release New Images of Travis Decker, Dad Accused of Killing His 3 Daughters, as He Remains on the Run
Police have released new images of Travis Decker, the 32-year-old Washington man accused of killing his three young daughters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were last seen during "planned visitation" with their father on May 30, before their bodies were discovered days later The new images of Decker, shared by the Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), give the public a closer look at his tattoos and clothing around the time of his disappearanceAuthorities in Washington are continuing their search for Travis Decker, the man accused of murdering his three young daughters, and have released new images as they ask for the public's assistance as he remains on the run. On Saturday, June 7, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) released a wanted poster on Facebook that features multiple new photos, and a few previously released images, of the murder suspect, including some that highlight his tattoos and wardrobe. In the photos, Decker — who has been charged with one count of kidnapping and three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his daughters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — can be seen with his hair pulled back and tattoos on his arm and ankles. The poster states that Decker, 32, was last seen wearing a tan or green T-shirt, which he was previously photographed in, with dark shorts. He is 5'8 with black hair and brown eyes, and the CCSO described him as "dangerous" and said he "may be armed." In the office's June 7 update, the CCSO wrote that hundreds of law enforcement personnel are searching "dozens of structures and the forests" in the area. "We continue these search efforts, acting upon gathered information and tips from the public, and leads developed through even more search warrants," the organization's statement continued, adding that a local road was reopened after authorities found "no credible threat." "However, we ask the public remain vigilant as they venture back out to the recreation areas of Chelan County. We have notified the USFS that they can reopen the recreation areas as well," the CCSO said. Authorities are encouraging locals to check their doorbell cameras, to contact authorities if they see something helpful to the search and to "not attempt or contact or approach" Decker if they see the suspect. Per a U.S. Marshals Service affidavit obtained by Fox 13 Seattle, the Independent and NBC Right Now, authorities said they were worried that Decker was attempting to flee the United States after allegedly looking up phrases including "how to relocate to Canada" and "how does a person move to Canada" on May 26. He also reportedly searched for information tied to a Canadian job site, the outlets said, citing the affidavit. Decker's daughters were last seen during "planned visitation" with their father on May 30. The Wenatchee Police Department (WPD) then issued an endangered missing persons alert the next day. On June 2, authorities canceled the alert and revealed they had discovered the three girls' remains. Fox 13 Seattle reported that Decker's pickup truck was found near the Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth, Wash., where the bodies were located. A preliminary report seen by the outlet lists their believed cause of death as "asphyxiation." Fox 13 also reported that investigators found a blanket, a wallet, food and car seats for the girls inside Decker's vehicle, which had two bloody handprints on it. The suspect "drove to and left the same campground a day prior to the kidnapping," court documents obtained by the outlet said. Police are now offering a $20,000 reward for any information leading to Decker's arrest, according to ABC News. Arianna Cozart, an attorney who represents the girls' mother, Whitney Decker, told PEOPLE on June 6 that "everybody cares that Travis is found for peace of mind if nothing else." Authorities are asking anyone who has seen Decker to call 911 immediately, or call the CCSO at 509-667-6845. A form can also be submitted to a tip line. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
3 Girls Were Suffocated During Visit With Dad, Police Say, Detailing New Evidence
Authorities in Washington state revealed new details on Monday about the killing of three young girls who were found dead after going to visit their father in late May. According to an autopsy completed Friday, Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, died from suffocation. The manner of death is homicide, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said. The girls' father, Travis Decker, 32, remained wanted Monday on three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. The girls were found dead on June 2 with plastic bags over their heads and their hands zip-tied together. Their bodies were located near their father's truck, which had been abandoned at a campground in the North Cascades. Authorities recovered 'a large amount of evidence' from Decker's vehicle, including blood samples and 'many of the suspect's personal items.' Decker's dog was also found and taken to the Humane Society for care, the sheriff's office said in a statement Monday. 'Blood samples taken from the scene have come back positive for belonging to a male, and another was not human blood. Further DNA and fingerprint analyses are still being conducted,' authorities said, while acknowledging that the new information 'creates more questions and information for investigators to continue to pursue.' Federal authorities took over the investigation on Sunday to give local teams 'time off to rest and recuperate and be ready to rejoin the search for, and capture of, the suspect,' the sheriff's office said. On Saturday, the sheriff's office released new photos of Decker showing him standing at various angles and with tattoos on his left ankle, right calf and arms. It's not clear when the photos, which appear to have been captured by surveillance cameras, were taken. A sheriff's spokesperson did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment Monday. Decker was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts. Anyone who sees him should call 911 or submit information to the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845 or Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. 'Those Children Might Still Be Alive': Mother Of Girls Allegedly Killed By Father Urges Amber Alert Reforms 3 Missing Sisters Found Dead At Campground After 'Planned Visitation' With Father: Police
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
3 Girls Were Suffocated During Visit With Dad, Police Say, Detailing New Evidence
Authorities in Washington state revealed new details on Monday about the killing of three young girls who were found dead after going to visit their father in late May. According to an autopsy completed Friday, Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, died from suffocation. The manner of death is homicide, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said. The girls' father, Travis Decker, 32, remained wanted Monday on three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. The girls were found dead on June 2 with plastic bags over their heads and their hands zip-tied together. Their bodies were located near their father's truck, which had been abandoned at a campground in the North Cascades. Authorities recovered 'a large amount of evidence' from Decker's vehicle, including blood samples and 'many of the suspect's personal items.' Decker's dog was also found and taken to the Humane Society for care, the sheriff's office said in a statement Monday. 'Blood samples taken from the scene have come back positive for belonging to a male, and another was not human blood. Further DNA and fingerprint analyses are still being conducted,' authorities said, while acknowledging that the new information 'creates more questions and information for investigators to continue to pursue.' Federal authorities took over the investigation on Sunday to give local teams 'time off to rest and recuperate and be ready to rejoin the search for, and capture of, the suspect,' the sheriff's office said. On Saturday, the sheriff's office released new photos of Decker showing him standing at various angles and with tattoos on his left ankle, right calf and arms. It's not clear when the photos, which appear to have been captured by surveillance cameras, were taken. A sheriff's spokesperson did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment Monday. Decker was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts. Anyone who sees him should call 911 or submit information to the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845 or Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. 'Those Children Might Still Be Alive': Mother Of Girls Allegedly Killed By Father Urges Amber Alert Reforms 3 Missing Sisters Found Dead At Campground After 'Planned Visitation' With Father: Police
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Feds take over manhunt for Washington father accused of killing 3 young daughters
After law enforcement officers spent days scouring a remote section of Washington state for a man accused of killing his three young daughters, the sheriff leading the manhunt turned the search over to federal authorities, officials said Monday. Since last week, the search for Travis Decker, 32, has covered hundreds of square miles by air, land and water, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a news release, and the department has reached the point 'where we need to rest our local resources.' 'Our command staff continues to be engaged with the search command while we give our teams time off to rest and recuperate and be ready to rejoin the search for, and capture of, the suspect,' the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's office remains the lead agency in the criminal investigation into the deaths of Decker's three daughters, Evelyn, 8, Paityn, 9, and Olivia Decker, 5, the department said. The girls were found dead June 2 near a campground east of Seattle after Decker failed to return them from a visitation three days before. An arrest warrant accuses him of first-degree murder and kidnapping. An autopsy completed Friday attributed the girls' deaths to suffocation, according to Monday's release. A detective previously wrote in an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant that they had bags over their heads and had been zip-tied. Two bloody handprints were found on Decker's white pickup, which was found near the girls, and one of the blood samples recovered from the scene was that of a man, the department said. Another blood sample was nonhuman. The sheriff's office said additional DNA and fingerprint analyses are being conducted. Authorities said they have collected a large amount of evidence from the scene, along with Decker's dog, which was turned over to a local animal rescue. Authorities have described Decker, a military veteran and active member of the Washington State National Guard, as a longtime outdoorsman known to go 'off-grid' for months. The sheriff has warned people with cabins in the area to lock their doors and leave their lights on at night. The affidavit shows that Decker's ex-wife, Whitney Decker, described her relationship with her ex-husband as cordial and said he'd never previously failed to return their children. A parenting plan imposed by a court last year required him to seek mental health treatment and domestic violence-anger management counseling, but he hadn't done so, and he refused to sign the plan, according to the affidavit. Since the girls were found dead, Whitney Decker has called for reforms to the Amber Alert system, which sends out text messages to all cellphones in the area of missing children but wasn't used after she told authorities that her ex-husband had violated their parenting plan. A spokesman for the agency that manages the system, the Washington State Patrol, has said a request for an alert from local authorities didn't meet strict criteria required by the federal program. This article was originally published on
