Latest news with #WashingtonMilitaryDepartment
Daily Record
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Cops issue 'do not approach' warning in manhunt for ex-soldier after kids found dead
Travis Decker, 32, is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping after he disappeared with his three daughters; Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and five-year-old Olivia after an arranged visit. Police have issued a "do not approach" warning as they launched a manhunt for an ex-army soldier with "extensive training" after his three missing young daughters were found dead. Travis Decker, 32, is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping after he disappeared with his three daughters; Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and five-year-old Olivia after an arranged visit. However, he failed to return the girls' back home to their mother on Friday sparking a major search. As the Mirror reports, the girls were tragically discovered dead today, after police scoured a campsite west of the US city of Leavenworth, Washington. Travis is understood to be living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup and officers say he may be armed. An urgent appeal was launched for anyone who knows is current whereabouts to contact 911. Police added: "Due to safety concerns do not attempt to contact or approach Decker." Karina Shagren, Washington Military Department spokesperson, said: "This is an absolute tragedy. We are mourning along with the community." 'I've covered Madeleine McCann for 18 years - I pray new search solves the case' Authorities looked for the children and their father over the weekend. Decker's unoccupied truck was found Monday near the campsite in Leavenworth and the girls' bodies were discovered amid a search in the area. Their school, Lincoln Elementary, which is in nearby Wenatchee, is offering pupils and staff counselling services. The district asked people to respect the privacy of students, staff members and families and come to the campus only for regular school business. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The girls' mother told police Decker picked the girls up around 5pm on Friday but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail. Captain Brian Chance, from the police force, said the mum "expressed concern because Decker reportedly had never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues." He added: "What prompted her to call us was that ... he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary." Four missing persons investigations were swiftly launched and, upon the gruesome discovery of the bodies, police have now identified Decker as a wanted man in the murder and kidnap probe. This remains ongoing, police said in a press briefing today, during which they also confirmed Decker and the girls ' mother are divorced. The dad transferred to the Washington National Guard eight years after joining the army. He was a full-time member of the Guard for two or three years until, in 2024, he went part time. However, the military confirmed today Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge for him.
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Public told 'do not approach' former soldier after his daughters are found dead
Police are warning the public "do not approach" a former Army soldier with "extensive training" after his three young daughters were reported missing and then found dead. Travis Decker, 32, is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping. He is believed to be living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup and may be armed, police say. It is understood he had had a planned visit with his three daughters; Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and five-year-old Olivia but did not return them to their mother on Friday. A search was carried out and the girls were discovered dead today during a search close to a campsite west of the city of Leavenworth, Washington. Anyone who may have seen Decker, who joined the Army in 2013 aged 20, since Friday or knows his current location was asked to call 911. Police added: "Due to safety concerns do not attempt to contact or approach Decker." Karina Shagren, Washington Military Department spokesperson, said: "This is an absolute tragedy. We are mourning along with the community." Authorities looked for the children and their father over the weekend. Decker's unoccupied truck was found Monday near the campsite in Leavenworth and the girls' bodies were discovered amid a search in the area. Their school, Lincoln Elementary, which is in nearby Wenatchee, is offering pupils and staff counselling services. The district asked people to respect the privacy of students, staff members and families and come to the campus only for regular school business. The girls' mother told police Decker picked the girls up around 5pm on Friday but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail. Captain Brian Chance, from the police force, said the mum "expressed concern because Decker reportedly had never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues." He added: "What prompted her to call us was that ... he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary." Four missing persons investigations were swiftly launched and, upon the gruesome discovery of the bodies, police have now identified Decker as a wanted man in the murder and kidnap probe. This remains ongoing, police said in a press briefing today, during which they also confirmed Decker and the girls' mother are divorced. The dad transferred to the Washington National Guard eight years after joining the army. He was a full-time member of the Guard for two or three years until, in 2024, he went part time. However, the military confirmed today Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge for him.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WA officials considered offering National Guard help to Trump at Canadian border
(Photo by) Top aides in Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson's office debated plans earlier this year to send 200 National Guard troops to the Canadian border to assist with the Trump administration's attempts to stop drug trafficking. Ferguson ultimately decided not to pursue the plan. But Washington military officials went so far as to draft a letter on the governor's behalf pitching the idea and commending President Donald Trump for his 'continued efforts to combat the flow of illegal narcotics through the northern border.' While the letter was never sent, the episode offers a window into how the new governor's administration was trying to strike a balance working with a president whom Ferguson himself has sparred with repeatedly and who is deeply unpopular in much of Washington state. The Standard obtained the letter — addressed to Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — through a public records request. Ferguson's communications director, Brionna Aho, said this week that Ferguson did not request the letter and did not write it himself, even though it was drafted as though it were from him. She said the letter was rooted in discussions between the governor's office and the Washington Military Department about the potential for Trump to federalize the state's National Guard. State Adjutant General Gent Welsh raised this possibility based on conversations with federal officials and media reports, Aho said. As adjutant general, Welsh commands the state's National Guard, directs the Washington Military Department and serves as the governor's homeland security advisor. In early February, Welsh reached out to Ferguson's chief operations officer, Shane Esquibel, to raise the issue. To avoid federal activation, the governor could deploy the state's National Guard 'for a defined mission that is consistent with Washington's values,' Aho said. On Feb. 7, Ferguson's top advisors met with officials from the Military Department, which drafted the letter ahead of the meeting to discuss. Esquibel, now the governor's interim chief of staff, briefed Ferguson on the proposal, but the governor decided against it, according to Aho. 'As you can imagine, many ideas are presented to the governor,' Aho said in an email. 'The governor does not take action on all of them. This is one example.' The draft letter says 'Washington is fully committed to partnering with the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense to confront' traffickers moving fentanyl and other illegal drugs. The National Guard troops would have been ordered to 'help with communications center support, analysis, transportation and construction, or any other mission deemed appropriate for DoD support,' so border patrol agents could focus on enforcement. Ferguson would have deployed the troops under Title 32 502(f) orders, meaning they would be under the governor's control while the federal government foots the bill. Such orders are rare in Washington. The last Title 32 502(f) order was during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Karina Shagren, a spokesperson for the Washington Military Department. And the last time Washington's National Guard troops were sent specifically to the state's northern border was in the early 2000s, Shagren said. In that case, the president federalized the troops under Title 10, meaning the federal government controls their orders. The letter also notes Washington stands 'ready to support the Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force,' a new partnership that aims to combat transnational drug trafficking, money laundering and other organized crime. 'I am prepared to allocate any necessary resources to ensure its success,' it says. Ferguson has championed a bill in the state Legislature to give him the authority to stop National Guard troops from other states from deploying in Washington. House Bill 1321 has passed both chambers and now awaits the governor's signature. The Canadian border has been a flashpoint in the opening months of the second Trump presidency, with relations between the two allies souring and repeated calls from the president to make the neighboring country the 51st U.S. state. Trump kicked off his term with the threat of tariffs to get Canada to boost border security and stop drugs from crossing into the United States. After former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in February committed more resources to fentanyl trafficking enforcement, Trump briefly called off the import taxes. During his gubernatorial campaign last year, Ferguson committed to convening a statewide 'crisis response unit' focused on the fentanyl crisis and called for boosting state funding for drug task forces. In his Jan. 15 inaugural address, the governor pledged to work with the president 'where we can,' while also saying, 'We will stand up to him when we must.' Almost immediately after Trump took office, less than a week after Ferguson was sworn in, new tensions began to build between the state and the president. As attorney general, Ferguson sued the Trump administration dozens of times during Trump's first term. The state is now involved in 11 lawsuits against the second Trump administration, brought by Attorney General Nick Brown over everything from federal funding freezes to efforts to restrict birthright citizenship.
