Latest news with #KittitasCounty
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Police expert shares key reason he thinks 'killer dad' Travis Decker is still alive
A law enforcement expert has revealed why he believes alleged killer dad Travis Decker is still alive - despite police considering the possibility he died on the run. The 33-year-old Army veteran has been missing for a month and stands accused of murdering his three young daughters - Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 - before dumping their bodies near Washington's Rock Island Campground. Last week, officials from the Kittitas County Sherriff's Office (KCSO), said the fugitive may be dead, which may be why he has not been found yet. But law enforcement and security analyst Todd McGhee told ABC he believes Decker is still out there because canines have 'not picked up on any type of cadaver or any type of presence of a deceased body.' 'Canines are trained to look for cadavers and sniff for those types of odors, so he's still maybe on the move,' McGhee, a former Massachusetts state trooper, told the outlet. He even speculated that Decker has fled the country - citing the wanted man's Google searches of ' how does a person move to Canada ' and 'how to relocate to Canada ' from before his disappearance. Decker's extensive military background has enabled him to effectively dodge detection, McGhee said, noting the accused-killer's ability to 'navigate with limited resources in the wilderness.' But McGhee said despite Decker's best efforts, he will likely resurface at one point or another. The 33-year-old Army veteran has been missing for a month and stands accused of murdering his three young daughters - Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 (pictured) 'He'll eventually have to surface through seeking shelter, seeking food, nutrition - those types of things will require him to come out of hiding and, to some degree, expose himself to the general public,' he told ABC. 'I'm confident that something should reveal itself as far as a resolution as to where his existence is and hopefully a capture and an arrest.' This expert opinion comes as investigators have admitted that no DNA evidence from the extensive search - now focused in the Teanaway Valley, Liberty, Lauderdale and Blewett Pass areas - has matched Decker. Authorities said some of their search resources have been 'redirected to find and recover' Decker's corpse, with Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison confirming the use of cadaver dogs in these efforts. Tactical teams have scoured the mountains near the city of Leavenworth for weeks, but there has been no evidence of Decker in the area, according to an update from Morrison on Friday. 'We do have some items that have come back from the scene, that have come back to match the DNA that we have for what we believe to be Travis's DNA,' he said, per KIRO7. 'But no other DNA that's come back to show anyone else was on scene. Nothing in the mountains.' Decker has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls back to their mother Whitney after a visit. Decker has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls back to Whitney after a visit Whitney, who is divorced from the veteran, told police that he had picked the girls up around 5pm but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail, court documents said. Detectives said she 'expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues.' She also told law enforcement officials that Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and believes he did not take medication for the condition, according to court documents. He was court-mandated to seek out mental heath and domestic violence anger management counseling, but refused treatment. At the time of his disappearance and his daughters' deaths, Decker was living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup truck, police said. 'He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,' Whitney's lawyer, Arianna Cozart, previously told the Seattle Times. On June 2, a search party led to the chilling discovery of the sisters' dead bodies near Rock Island Campground in Chelan County along with Decker's truck. Deputies found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards from Decker's truck. An autopsy revealed the girls died from suffocation and police reported their wrists were zip-tied and plastic bags were over their heads when they were found, court documents said. Police collected 'a large amount of evidence' from the truck, including male blood and non-human blood. The alleged-killer's dog was found nearby as well and taken to an animal humane society, Fox 8 reported. Chilling audio from just months before the harrowing murders captured the fugitive father begging for more custody time to go camping with his daughters. In the recording from a September 2024 custody hearing, Decker makes an eerie promise that no harm would come to the girls if he's given more time to take them camping in Washington's wilderness. With an extensive combat background, authorities and locals have been concerned about Decker being on the loose. He joined the Army in 2013, serving in Afghanistan before transferring to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, communications director for the Washington Military Department, confirmed to the Daily Mail. He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time. Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison (pictured) announced the deployment of canines to find Decker's body last week Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge. He likely has advanced combat training and was an airborne paratrooper who earned the elite rank of 'Ranger,' indicating he would have excellent wilderness and survival skills, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social media posts. Decker is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Daily Mail
DNA taken from Travis Decker search area fails to match suspected killer as teams scour Washington mountains
Not a single piece of DNA collected during the manhunt for Travis Decker has been a match to the suspected killer, Washington authorities have admitted. Decker, 33, is accused of suffocating his three daughters - Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia, five - at a remote campsite in the Cascades mountains in Washington state on May 30 before vanishing. Tactical teams have scoured the mountains near the city of Leavenworth for weeks, but the searches have found no evidence of Decker in the area, according to an update Friday from Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison. 'We do have some items that have come back from the scene, that have come back to match the DNA that we have for what we believe to be Travis's DNA,' he said, per KIRO7. 'But no other DNA that's come back to show anyone else was on scene. Nothing in the mountains.' It comes days after the Kittitas County Sherriff's Office (KCSO), which is also involved in the search alongside the FBI, raised the possibility that Decker may be dead. 'At this time, there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area,' the sheriff's office announced earlier this week. Officials said that they have modified part of their search into a recovery effort, but warned the public that if Decker is alive, he remains extremely dangerous and may have access to firearms. In a statement from Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers this week, he said investigators have tracked dozens of tips and have received multiple reports of possible sightings of Decker. However, he said there remains no definitive evidence that the suspected family-slayer is alive. 'Deputies have maintained extra patrols in the areas in and around the Teanaway Valley, Blewett Pass, Liberty, and Lauderdale,' the statement read. 'Kittitas County Regional Tactical Response Team members have spent days and nights in remote terrain, working with K9 resources and experienced trackers to identify and follow any credible lead to Decker's location. '(Decker) could be deceased. He could have taken his own life. He could have succumbed to injuries. We recognize that's a possibility.' Sheriff Morrison added that despite the possibility that Decker is already dead, law enforcement will not stop their search until they either find a body or he is brought to justice. 'I respect Sheriff Myers, his agency, they certainly have taken on a huge lift over this last week,' he said. 'His people have come alongside us, so appreciative of their efforts and their resources they put into it. Either way, we haven't found him alive or dead, and the search still continues.' With an extensive combat background, authorities and locals are concerned about Decker still being on the loose. He joined the Army in 2013. He served in Afghanistan before transferring to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, communications director for the Washington Military Department, confirmed to the Daily Mail. He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time. Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge. He likely has advanced combat training and was an airborne paratrooper who earned the elite rank of 'Ranger,' indicating he would have excellent wilderness and survival skills, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social media posts. Decker is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping, but has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls back to their mother, Whitney, after a visit. Whitney, who is divorced from the veteran, told police that he had picked the girls up around 5pm but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail, court documents said. Detectives said she 'expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues.' She also told law enforcement officials that Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and believes he did not take medication for the condition, according to court documents. On June 2, a search party led to the chilling discovery of the sisters' dead bodies near the Chelan County campsite along with Decker's truck. Deputies found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards from Decker's truck. An autopsy revealed the girls died from suffocation and police reported their wrists were zip-tied when they were found, court documents said. Police collected 'a large amount of evidence' from the truck, including male blood and non-human blood. The alleged-killer's dog was found nearby as well and taken to an animal humane society, Fox 8 reported. The discovery of the children's corpses kicked off the massive search for Decker. State and federal authorities believe they may have spotted him hiking in a mountainous area. On June 10, a helicopter crew s aw someone running off a trail near Colchuck Lake. Police speculate it was Decker. The lake is roughly 12 miles from the campground the girls were left near.
News.com.au
24-06-2025
- News.com.au
Cops call in cadaver dogs in search for fugitive dad
Warning: Distressing content Authorities hunting for Travis Decker, the fugitive Washington father accused of murdering his three young daughters, believe he may be dead — with cops now bringing in cadaver dogs in the search effort. Decker, 32, a military veteran, has been on the run since last month after the bodies of his three daughters Evelyn, 8, Olivia, 5, and Paityn, 9, were found with plastic bags over their heads and zip ties around their wrists near their father's abandoned pick-up truck. 'At this time, there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area,' Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Monday night. 'Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching. Still, we can't and won't quit this search; Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker deserve justice. And Decker remains a danger to the public as long as he's at large,' the statement continued, New York Post reported. Authorities are continuing to search for Decker throughout Blewett Pass, Lauderdale, Liberty and Teenaway Valley, the sheriff's office added. Cadaver dogs are now being used by teams in neighbouring Chelan County as the search for Decker enters its fourth week, Sheriff Mike Morrison said on Monday. '(U.S.) Marshals are following up on leads and we continue to conduct joint operations with (nearby) Kittitas County,' Morrison told USA TODAY. 'Additional air operations will take place over the next couple of days, inserting specialised search teams into more inaccessible areas.' A cadaver dog will be deployed this week, Sheriff Morrison added. 'Some search resources are being redirected to find and recover Decker if he died in the rugged wilderness during this intense search,' the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said in its statement, adding that it is 'a possibility that increases every day.' The update comes after the girls' mother, Whitney Decker, spoke publicly about the loss of her children for the first time last week. 'I truly hope that the legacy of the girls' lives on in everyone's heart forever,' she said at a June 20 memorial service, according to Fox 13 Seattle. 'They were incredible.'
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Grim new theory about why 'killer dad' Travis Decker still hasn't been tracked down
Washington police have revealed a chilling new theory about alleged killer dad Travis Decker after three weeks of frantically searching for the fugitive. The 33-year-old veteran accused of suffocating his three daughters - Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 - may be dead, according to a Monday night statement from the Kittitas County Sherriff's Office (KCSO). 'At this time, there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area,' the KCSO announced. 'Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching.' However, the office noted that if Decker is alive, he remains a danger to the public, and police have 'preparing to capture and arrest' him if he emerges. 'Still, we can't and won't quit this search; Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker deserve justice,' the press release reads. Authorities are still focusing their efforts in the Teanaway Valley, Liberty, Lauderdale and Blewett Pass areas. But now that they are considering the possibility that Decker died roaming through the unforgiving wilderness while evading arrest, 'search resources are being redirected to find and recover' the man at the center of the convoluted manhunt. These revised strategies include deploying cadaver dogs, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told USA Today. The KCSO's announcement comes just days after the girls' mother, Whitney, spoke out for the first time since they were found dead. She spoke through tears at a memorial service for her girls on Friday, sharing heartbreaking details about their personalities. Decker has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls back to Whitney after a visit. Whitney, who is divorced from the veteran, told police that he had picked the girls up around 5pm but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail, court documents said. Detectives said she 'expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues.' She also told law enforcement officials that Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and believes he did not take medication for the condition, according to court documents. He was court-mandated to seek out mental heath and domestic violence anger management counseling, but refused treatment. At the time of his disappearance and his daughters' deaths, Decker was living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup truck, police said. 'He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,' Whitney's lawyer, Arianna Cozart, previously told the Seattle Times. Decker has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls back to their mother, Whitney, after a visit (pictured: a wanted poster of Decker) On June 2, a search party led to the chilling discovery of the sisters' dead bodies near Rock Island Campground in Chelan County along with Decker's truck. Deputies found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards from Decker's truck. An autopsy revealed the girls died from suffocation and police reported their wrists were zip-tied and plastic bags were over their heads when they were found, court documents said. Police collected 'a large amount of evidence' from the truck, including male blood and non-human blood. The alleged-killer's dog was found nearby as well and taken to an animal humane society, Fox 8 reported. Chilling audio from just months before the harrowing murders captured the fugitive father begging for more custody time to go camping with his daughters. In the recording from a September 2024 custody hearing, Decker makes an eerie promise that no harm would come to the girls if he's given more time to take them camping in Washington's wilderness. With an extensive combat background, authorities and locals have been concerned about Decker being on the loose. He joined the Army in 2013 and served in Afghanistan before transferring to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, communications director for the Washington Military Department, confirmed to the Daily Mail. He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time. Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge. He likely has advanced combat training and was an airborne paratrooper who earned the elite rank of 'Ranger,' indicating he would have excellent wilderness and survival skills, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social media posts. Decker is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.
Fox News
24-06-2025
- Fox News
Manhunt for father accused of killing 3 daughters takes grim turn in wilderness
The Washington state father wanted for the alleged killings of his three daughters may no longer be alive in the remote wilderness, according to local authorities. Travis Decker, 32, is accused of murdering his three daughters – Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 – after their bodies were found near Decker's abandoned vehicle in a remote campground. In a statement released Monday night, the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office revealed "there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area" but insisted authorities are continuing to search for the father throughout Teenaway Valley, Liberty, Lauderdale and Blewett Pass. "Seemingly, strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching," the department said. "Still, we can't and won't quit this search." Additionally, authorities are set to deploy a cadaver dog this week, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told USA Today. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. "Some search resources are being redirected to find and recover Decker if he died in the rugged wilderness during this intense search," the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said, adding that it is "a possibility that increases every day." The update comes after the girls' mother, Whitney Decker, spoke publicly about the loss of her children for the first time last week. "I truly hope that the legacy of the girls' lives lives on in everyone's heart forever," she said at a June 20 memorial service, according to Fox 13 Seattle. "They were incredible." The search for Decker began over three weeks ago after the girls' mother called the police when he failed to return the girls from a court-mandated visitation on May 30. Three days later, the girls' bodies were discovered with plastic bags over their heads and their hands bound at Rock Island Campground, police said. Decker, a military-trained survivalist, was homeless and alternating between living out of his car and at nearby campsites. Decker also suffered from mental health issues, according to court documents. Last week, authorities shared an updated flyer depicting possible ways Decker may have altered his appearance while on the run, including renderings showing him wearing a baseball cap and without facial hair. Officials previously quashed a TikTok video reportedly circulating showing Morrison announcing Decker's arrest following a long standoff. "To be clear, Mr. Decker is not in custody and CCSO had no part in making the video," the department wrote in a Facebook post. The U.S. Marshals Service has taken on the role of lead agency in the extensive hunt for Decker. The Washington National Guard, Border Patrol, FBI, U.S. Forest Service, Homeland Security Investigations and National Parks have also reportedly joined a swath of local law enforcement agencies as the search continues, according to Fox 13. Authorities warn that Decker should be considered armed and dangerous but insist they have no reason to believe he is a threat to public safety. He is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping. The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for any information leading to Decker's arrest. "We recognize we do have a job to do," Morrison said. "If we fail, the voices of Paityn and Evelyn and Olivia will not be heard, and that's not going to be acceptable."
