4 days ago
While authorities search for Travis Decker, family and friends deal with daughters' deaths
Regardless of how the manhunt for Pewaukee native Travis Decker and the related murder investigation turn out, one thing is certain: three young girls have died, leaving their mother reeling with grief and more.
The "more" includes financial stress that starts with a trio of sudden funeral costs and similar incidentals, including lost income, something which a friend of Whitney Decker — the mother of Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5 — is well aware.
It's the basis for a GoFundMe fundraiser Amy Edwards organized June 3, as news of their deaths spread.
The girls' bodies were found June 2 near Chelan County campground in Washington state, with Travis Decker a suspect in their deaths and kidnapping. For Edwards, a family friend in Wenatchee, Washington, the unresolved tragedy begins with helping Whitney Decker in her time of crisis.
More: What we know about Travis Decker, the Pewaukee native accused of killing his daughters in Washington
Edwards said the pain Whitney Decker has experienced extends to those who knew the girls. "Their light touched so many, and the pain of this loss is immeasurable," Edwards wrote in the summary for the fundraiser, which had reached 84% of its initial $610,000 goal within a day of its creation and then surpassed it, standing at nearly $1 million June 5.
Not surprisingly, the pain also extends back to Travis Decker's family and friends in Lake Country and elsewhere.
In a Facebook posting on the private group Lake Country 411, Jessica Schreck, Travis Decker's cousin, acknowledged his alleged role in the girls' deaths, but she focused on the fundraiser as a way for people to show their empathy for Whitney Decker.
"Please show this mother, going through an unimaginable loss that Wisconsin is wrapping their arms around her," Schreck posted. "That we are here for her and we support her."
Schreck, who declined to comment directly to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, admitted the tragedy "is a lot to process," adding that she is "praying hard for Whitney during this unimaginable time."
Others on Lake Country 411 acknowledged Schreck's post, with many admitting they sense the overwhelming pain Whitney Decker must be feeling.
"I've seen so many amazing pictures of her adorable girls in things she made for them over the years," said Niki Sokn, who was a member of the same Facebook sewing group as Whitney. "Watching this unfold was truly heart wrenching."
Travis's father, Troy Decker, and mother, Jean Decker, who both no longer live in the Lake Country area, did not reply to separate text messages seeking an interview or comments.
The search for Travis Hunter entered its seventh day June 5, as authorities from various agencies try to follow leads on his whereabouts. In court documents obtained by USA Today, police said the girls' bodies were found with plastic bags over each of their heads and signs they had been zip-tied.
Other than new photos released by authorities, there were no additional details about the investigation.
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grief over death of Travis Decker's daughters evident on social media
