Remains of Travis Decker, father believed to have murdered his 3 daughters, found in WA: police

Authorities in Washington's Chelan County say they may have located the remains of Travis Decker, the homeless army veteran accused of murdering his three young daughters earlier this summer before disappearing into the Cascade Mountains. He had refused to return them to their mother after a custody visit.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that human remains were discovered during a coordinated search effort led by the US Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force. The large-scale operation also involved the Washington State Patrol, US Border Patrol, US Forest Service, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.

Investigators found the remains in a remote, wooded area south of Leavenworth. While DNA testing is still underway to confirm the identity, preliminary evidence suggests the remains are those of Decker, Fox reports.. The Washington State Patrol’s crime scene response team is assisting in processing the area.

Decker, 32, had been the subject of an intense multi-agency manhunt since May 30, when he kidnapped his daughters, 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 9-year-old Paityn, during a court-ordered visitation. The children were reported missing when Decker failed to return them to their mother.

On June 2, searchers made a grim discovery: the bodies of all three girls at Rock Island Campground near Leavenworth, roughly 75 to 100 yards from Decker’s abandoned vehicle. Court documents revealed chilling details, including evidence that the girls’ wrists had been zip-tied and plastic bags placed over their heads.

The Chelan County medical examiner determined their cause of death was suffocation and ruled the case a triple homicide.

Investigators later linked Decker to the crime through forensic evidence. DNA analysis from items at the campground matched a bloody fingerprint on the tailgate of his truck. Decker was subsequently charged with three counts of murder and kidnapping, while federal prosecutors added charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Court records also show Decker had searched online for ways to move to Canada in the days before the killings, including queries about jobs and relocation.

The case triggered one of the largest manhunts in recent Washington history. Dozens of agencies, hundreds of personnel, and thousands of hours were dedicated to locating Decker, with search teams scouring rugged terrain by air and on the ground.

The National Guard also assisted in the search. Decker, a US Army veteran who served as an infantryman from 2013 to 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, remained at large for more than three months.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said it has been in contact with Decker’s family to provide updates and support and is asking for continued privacy and respect as the investigation proceeds. Further details are expected as DNA testing and forensic analysis confirm the identity of the remains and investigators close one of the region’s most harrowing cases in recent memory.