Latest news with #PaitynEvelynOlivia
Daily Mail
27-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Killer dad Travis Decker's ex-wife issues blistering statement after standing by him: 'Wanted dead or alive'
The ex-wife of alleged killer dad Travis Decker hopes he'll be found 'dead or alive', after a three week hunt for the fugitive accused of slaughtering his daughters. Decker, 33, is accused of suffocating his three daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, who were found at a campsite on June 2 in Leavenworth, Washington. Decker failed to return the girls home to their heartbroken mom Whitney after a short custody visit. He is suspected of killing the three and has not been seen since, with speculation growing that he may have taken his own life in a remote location. Speaking with Ashley Banfield on NewsNation, Whitney Decker's attorney Arianna Cozart said she was praying for a conclusion to the search for her ex-husband. She said: 'She's just trying to cherish the memories of her babies and do what she can to advocate for change.' When asked what a resolution looks like for Whitney, Cozart added: 'That he is found, dead or alive. 'That's a huge thing that she wants, that's very important to her. So she can have peace. 'She knows that if he is found alive, he'll never be able to answer the questions that she might have to a point where it would give her any peace.' Decker, seen here, is suspected of murdering his three daughters and is on the run Speaking at a memorial service for her girls last week, Whitney said: 'I know that Evie would have loved to ooh and ah over all of your outfits. 'She would have been amazed by all the color out there and just thought you guys look fantastic,' Whitney told the crowd who had gathered for the emotional service. 'Paityn would have sought each and every one of you out to try to find something to give you a compliment for.' 'Thank you everyone for being here tonight and the outpouring of love that you have shown me and my family over the past few weeks,' she said. 'I truly hope that the legacy of the girls lives in everyone's heart forever. They were incredible.' On Monday night, the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office released a statement saying there was no evidence that he remains in the area or that he is alive at all. A statement said: '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.' Authorities are still focusing their efforts in the Teanaway Valley, Liberty, Lauderdale and Blewett Pass areas. The U.S. Marshals Service is working to track down Decker if he managed to escape the region, the sheriff's office said, and extra patrols have been on duty. The killings occurred in neighboring Chelan County, but backcountry trails link the area to Kittitas and to the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Canada to Mexico. It would not be unprecedented for Decker to evade a search in the rugged, remote region for three weeks. He has survival skills - although searchers have conceded he may have committed suicide in a remote area of wilderness that has not yet been searched. The area is dotted with abandoned buildings as well as unoccupied vacation homes in which he might find shelter, as well as caves and former mines. At the time of his disappearance and his daughters' deaths, Decker was living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup truck, police said. 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. 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.
CBS News
25-06-2025
- CBS News
Travis Decker, fugitive dad accused of killing 3 daughters, may have died while evading police, authorities say
Authorities who have spent the past three weeks searching in the mountains of Washington state for an ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters say there is no evidence that he remains in the area or that he is alive at all. Travis Decker, 32, has been wanted since June 2, when a sheriff's deputy found his truck and the bodies of his three daughters - 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker - at a campground outside Leavenworth. The discovery came three days after he failed to return the girls to their mother's home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle, following a scheduled visit. "There is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area," the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post Monday. "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 post said resources were being shifted to focus on finding Decker's remains "if he died in the rugged wilderness during this intense search - a possibility that increases every day." Sheriff's Inspector Chris Whitsett said Tuesday that includes the use of dogs trained to find human remains. "Because of the ruggedness, the remoteness of the of that country, and some of the conditions that we've observed, it's clear that the longer he stays out there - the longer anybody stays out there - the greater the chance that something's gonna happen, and whether he intends it or not, that he's gonna die," Whitsett said. The U.S. Marshals Service is working to track down Decker if he managed to escape the region, the sheriff's office said, and extra patrols have been on duty. The killings occurred in neighboring Chelan County, but backcountry trails link the area to Kittitas and to the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Canada to Mexico. It would not be unprecedented for Decker to evade a search in the rugged, remote region for three weeks; the area is dotted with abandoned buildings as well as unoccupied vacation homes in which he might find shelter, as well as caves and former mines. In 2020, Jorge Alacantara-Gonzalez, who was wanted in the killing of a turkey hunter, spent 23 days on the run in much of the same terrain. He was finally caught when someone called police to report seeing someone in a cabin that should have been unoccupied. Authorities looking for Decker say they are similarly relying on tips from the public to help find him. They have asked people to be alert in the backcountry and to check surveillance or game cameras on their properties. Earlier this month, hikers in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments reported seeing a lone person who appeared to be ill-prepared for the conditions and seemed to be avoiding others. A helicopter crew responded and spotted an off-trail hiker near an alpine lake. The person ran from sight as the helicopter passed, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities later found a trail, and K-9 teams tracked the person to the area of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead, south of Leavenworth, before the trail went cold. "We still believe public awareness and help is our best tool - whether it comes from a cabin owner who finds something out of place, a hiker in the Enchantments who discovers evidence our searches missed, or anyone else," the sheriff's office said. Last week, authorities released new images that they say may show what Decker looks like after several weeks on the run. Photos from the Chelan County Sheriff's Office showing how Travis Decker may have changed his appearance. Chelan County Sheriff's Office Previously released photos and Ring camera footage taken in the days before his disappearance show Decker with facial hair, long dark hair gathered into a ponytail and tattoos. He is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing 190 pounds. Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014. He has training in navigation, survival and other skills, authorities have said, and he once spent more than two months living in the backwoods off the grid. Last September, Decker's ex-wife, Whitney Decker, wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable. He was often living out of his truck, and she sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with their daughters until he found housing. An autopsy determined the girls' cause of death to be suffocation. They had been bound with zip ties and had plastic bags placed over their heads. At a memorial on Friday evening, Whitney Decker spoke for three minutes about what it meant to her that the community had gathered to pay their respects, CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reported. "It really gave me an inside look into their day. I believe this allowed them to come into the world with open hearts and kindness," she said. A tipline was set up for people to call in any possible sightings or information about Travis Decker's whereabouts. People can call 509-667-6845 or submit information here. A $20,000 reward is being offered for a tip that leads to Decker's arrest.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
Mom of 3 Young Sisters Allegedly Killed by Their Dad, Travis Decker, Tearfully Breaks Her Silence: 'They Were Incredible'
Whitney Decker spoke out for the first time since the death of her three daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 Whitney's three daughters were allegedly suffocated by her ex-husband, their father, Travis Decker "I truly hope that the legacy of the girls' lives lives on in everyone's heart forever. They were incredible," Whitney tearfully told the crowd in Wenatchee, WashingtonWhitney Decker, the mother of three daughters allegedly killed by their father, Travis Decker, in Washington, is speaking out on their deaths. At a memorial service for Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, held on June 20, Whitney addressed the crowd, saying, "You all look beautiful," in a video published by NBC affiliate King 5 Seattle. "I know Evelyn would have loved to ooh and aah over all your outfits," she tearfully added, noting that Paityn liked to give compliments to others, whether it was at the grocery store, at school or with me. She was always telling me, 'You look beautiful, Mom.' " After revealing that her daughters were all in therapy and learning to discuss their feelings openly amid their parents' divorce, she broke down sobbing. "I'm so thankful for that time I had with the girls," she said. She then added that the family's conversations about their feelings allowed them to "connect" to one another. "When the world slowed down, it gave me an inside look at their day," she revealed of discussing their feelings during the girls' bedtime routine. "I believe doing this with them allowed them to come into the world with open hearts and kindness," Whitney also said. She concluded by thanking mourners for their "outpouring of love." "I truly hope that the legacy of the girls' lives lives on in everyone's heart forever. They were incredible." Whitney recalled that her daughters' "warm and open hearts" helped her through her divorce from Travis. In a statement shared with PEOPLE via email on June 13, attorney Arianna Cozart, who represents Whitney, revealed the couple split in 2022 as a result of "his alleged mental health struggles, including his feelings of isolation, paranoia, and Borderline Personality Disorder." Cozart noted that Travis, who was an Army veteran, was seeking mental health care but was unable to obtain it. The Decker sisters were last seen on Friday, May 30, after leaving their Washington home for a "planned visitation" with their father. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. According to Wenatchee Police Department's statement, the "visitation was part of a parenting plan," noting that he had "gone outside the parameters of it, which is not normal and cause for alarm." Their mother reported them missing on May 30 around 9:45 p.m., per The New York Times. Travis was supposed to drop them off back home by 8 p.m. that night, but they never returned. In a press release, the Wenatchee Police Department shared that authorities located their father's car near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, and found Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia dead at 3:45 p.m. on June 2. Travis, however, was not located at the scene. Their cause of death was subsequently confirmed to be suffocation. After the girls' death was announced on June 3, police said in a press conference that Travis had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping, on top of the custodial interference charges he was already facing — and the search for him continued. In Cozart's emailed statement to PEOPLE, the attorney said she thinks Travis likely died by suicide. '[Travis] probably killed himself up there somewhere," she said. On the evening of June 8, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office transferred the search efforts for Travis to federal authorities, while noting that they would continue to lead the criminal investigation. "We have reached a point where we need to rest our local resources," the CCSO wrote in a statement shared to their Facebook page. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Yahoo
Court Audio Captures Travis Decker Saying His Daughters Were Safe with Him. Now He's Accused of Killing All 3
Travis Decker, the man accused by police of killing his three daughters, is heard in newly released court audio fighting for overnight visitation Decker has not been seen since May 30 when he did not return from a court-ordered visitation with Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5. The sisters were found dead at a remote campground in Chelan County, Wash., on June 2Newly released court audio this week captures Travis Decker fighting to keep his three daughters for overnight visits and swearing he's never done anything to put them at risk. Decker, 32, has been the subject of an ongoing manhunt after authorities charged him with murder and kidnapping in connection with the deaths of Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5. The sisters were found dead near Decker's abandoned pickup truck at a remote campground in Chelan County, Wash., on June 2, PEOPLE previously reported, citing authorities. Decker hasn't been seen since May 30 when he picked up his daughters for a court-ordered visitation and never returned. The sisters' mother and Decker's ex-wife, Whitney Decker, reported the girls missing to Wenatchee police shortly after, telling investigators that while he struggled with mental health issues, he had never not brought the girls back or stopped answering his phone, per a probable cause affidavit previously obtained by PEOPLE. Now, in court audio obtained by News Nation and dated Sept. 27, 2024, it was revealed that Decker lost overnight custody and often took his daughters to populated, paid campsites. "We've never done anything that was unsafe or anything that I would not want to put myself in," Decker says. When the Washington State Patrol put out a missing/endangered person alert for the girls, police described Decker as someone who was 'homeless and living in his vehicle or at various hotels/motels or at campgrounds in the area.' Decker added, "I understand that my current position when I'm by myself isn't ideal, but my daughters aren't a part of that. I only get to see them over the weekends and camping is something that the four of us have done since the three of them were in diapers." He further notes that he's "never done anything" that "puts them in any sort of a risk," adding that the campsites he took the girls to were "almost completely booked out or sold out." In a September 2024 parenting plan filed in Chelan County Superior Court and viewed by PEOPLE, Whitney sought to limit Decker's time with their daughters. In a separate filing, also viewed by PEOPLE, Whitney claimed that Travis had "neglected his parental duties towards a child" and "has a long-term emotional or physical problem that gets in the way of his ability to parent." Ultimately, Decker was granted visitation with his daughters for three hours on Fridays and eight hours every other weekend, as long as he stayed in Wenatchee Valley, per the parenting plan. In the filing, Whitney also requested that Travis undergo an anger management and domestic violence evaluation, as well as a comprehensive psychiatric assessment by a licensed psychiatrist to determine any potential diagnoses. The filing stated that if Decker didn't follow through with these things, the "mother will have the choice to further limit visitation." The search for Decker continues, though on June 10, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said they had tracked a subject believed to be Decker to the Blewett Pass area near Highway 97 in Washington state. Authorities are asking anyone who has seen Decker to call 911 immediately. People can also call the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit information to the tip line online. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People
Fox News
16-06-2025
- Fox News
Fugitive dad Travis Decker heard in new audio before allegedly murdering 3 daughters
New audio from a family court hearing shows Travis Decker pleading with a judge to let him spend more time with his three daughters, who he's accused of killing. The bodies of Decker's three daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were found in a wooded area approximately 30 miles from Rock Island Campground in Washington, according to the Chelan County Sheriff's Office in a statement. Federal authorities took over the search on June 8 after local officials said they needed assistance. Decker is a former Army soldier with "extensive" training. "We had reached a point where we need to rest our local resources," the statement said. "However, CCSO leadership remains closely involved in search coordination and continues their lead with the criminal investigation." According to Fox 13, Decker's visitation time with the three girls had been reduced in recent years. Whitney, Decker's ex-wife, and her lawyer cited alleged endangerment of the three children, declining mental health and lack of communication in their request to decrease Travis' visitation time. During a family court hearing in September 2024, a family court judge allowed Whitney to take near-full custody of the girls, alleging neglect and emotional distress. Travis was allowed to visit the children every other weekend for a set number of hours. Decker expressed frustration with the parenting plan and told the family court judge he'd like to see his daughters more. "I already only get a day and a half, two days, with my daughters, and it's two nights. It's a Friday night, Saturday night, and because of my current job and the current location, I'm in Idaho working. I am in the U.S. [Carpenter's Union], so where I go, where the work is, is where I come, and through the new parenting plan, it takes away basically all my opportunities to be around the girls when I'm not at work. If I have the opportunity to be there for my daughters, I feel like I should be able to be there for them and not have to find my way to be around my daughters," Decker said. Decker's children were allegedly heard crying over the phone with their mother during an overnight trip with their father at the Wenatchee armory, according to court records. The incident was cited with others as reasons why Decker shouldn't be allowed to keep the kids overnight. "I don't believe that my weekends should be completely taken away since I have been gone. Every time I've had the girls, we have been in campsites, in national forests and paid campsites that have campers. We've never done anything that was unsafe or anything I wouldn't want to put myself in," Decker told the judge. After the judge signed off on the parenting plan that reduced the time Decker would spend with his daughters, he continued to ask for a different outcome. "And then nothing can change that? Nothing, my signature doesn't matter anyway, right? So if I don't sign it, then ..." Decker said. When Decker didn't drop the girls off by the 8 p.m. curfew on May 30, Whitney tried calling him, but he didn't pick up, according to an affidavit. According to the court document, Decker had never missed a curfew to return the children. The court documents indicated Decker had mental health issues and borderline personality disorder, adding he is homeless and lives in campgrounds and motels. Decker was charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping.
