Authorities are intensifying the search for Travis Caleb Decker, 32, the father of three young sisters found dead in a Washington state campsite last week. Blood discovered at the scene has been confirmed to belong to a male, raising further concerns about the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
Investigators have been searching for Decker since the evening of May 30, when he did not return his daughters to their mother in Wenatchee, approximately 100 miles east of Seattle.
The bodies of 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker, and 5-year-old Olivia Decker were tragically found down an embankment at a campsite located in the Cascade Mountains. This campsite is situated west of Leavenworth and about 11 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail.
Decker has been charged with murder and kidnapping. Evidence gathered in a probable cause statement filed in Chelan County Superior Court indicates that his truck was abandoned at the campsite, where investigators found two bloody handprints on the tailgate.
On Monday, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced the results of blood samples collected from the scene, confirming one sample belonged to a male and another to an animal. Although the sheriff’s office did not specify if these samples were collected from the tailgate, further DNA and fingerprint analyses are underway.
Amid the search for Decker, authorities located his dog alive at the campsite and handed it over to a humane society for care. As the sheriff’s office continues to oversee the criminal investigation, federal authorities have taken over search efforts to allow local personnel to rest.
Teams have scoured hundreds of square miles, much of which is remote and mountainous terrain, utilizing land, water, and air resources in their search for Decker.
Decker faces additional charges in federal court for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. An affidavit from U.S. Marshal Keegan Stanley indicates that Decker has significant training in navigation and survival tactics, making him an adept outdoorsman.
Notably, it is reported that Decker lived in the backwoods off the grid for 2.5 months and had reportedly conducted online research about relocating to Canada just prior to taking his daughters.
Previously, Decker served as an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021, with a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. He also served with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington from 2014 to 2016.
In a September petition to adjust their parenting plan, his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, claimed that his mental health had deteriorated and he had become increasingly unstable, often living out of his truck.
She requested limitations on his overnight visits with the girls until he secured stable housing.
An autopsy performed on the girls determined the cause of death to be suffocation, revealing that they had been bound with zip ties and had plastic bags placed over their heads.
Following the tragic discovery, authorities have reopened access to popular camping and backpacking areas in the Icicle Creek region, though some trails in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area remain closed for overnight camping.
The search for Travis Caleb Decker continues as the shock of this incident reverberates through the community.
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