Search for Former Soldier Believed to Be Near Alpine Lake

Authorities think they may have located Travis Decker, a former soldier, near a secluded lake in Washington. He is connected to the tragic death of his three daughters.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced via Facebook that their search teams acted swiftly after helicopter crews spotted a figure near Lake Kolchuk.

During the helicopter’s flight, some off-trail hikers disappeared from view. But the team eventually picked up the trail, and a K-9 unit led them to the vicinity of Ingall’s Creek Trailhead, which is south of Leavenworth.

While officials have not disclosed when they found him, they did warn residents of the Ingall Creek and Valleyhi communities late Monday night, advising them to secure their homes and vehicles as a search for Decker intensified.

Decker, aged 32, became the focus of a widespread manhunt starting June 2 after a sheriff’s aide discovered his truck along with the bodies of his daughters—9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia—at a camp in Leavenworth. He hadn’t returned the girls to their mother’s home in Wenatchee, located about 100 miles east of Seattle, after a scheduled visit three days prior.

Decker served as a U.S. Army infantryman from March 2013 until July 2021, including a four-month deployment in Afghanistan in 2014. He’s reportedly skilled in navigation and survival techniques, having once spent over two months living off the grid in the backcountry.

State and federal officials are actively searching hundreds of square miles of land, water, and air, primarily in mountainous areas. The former U.S. Secret Service has even offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his capture.

Last September, his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, expressed concerns in a petition to revise his parenting plan, stating that his mental health had deteriorated, making him increasingly unstable and often living in his truck. She sought to limit his visitations to just one night until he found stable housing.

A recent autopsy revealed that the girls had died from asphyxiation; they were reportedly found with zip ties and plastic bags over their heads.