Manhunt for Father Accused of Killing Three Daughters

A manhunt is underway for Travis Decker, a 33-year-old former U.S. Army member, who is suspected of murdering his three daughters before disappearing into the woods of Washington. Authorities are growing increasingly frustrated as the search continues without any sign of him.

“I’m still angry,” voiced Chelan County Sheriff Deputy Mike McLeod, expressing his disappointment over the lack of leads in Decker’s case. “He hasn’t been found yet.” Decker is believed to have killed his daughters, 9-year-old Olivia and 8-year-old Evelyn, along with another child, reported missing on May 30th by their mother, Whitney Decker, after failing to return from a scheduled custody visit.

After an initial email led to the discovery of Decker’s white GMC pickup at Rock Island Campground, authorities learned from family members that the girls might have been taken for a camping trip.

“At that point, we still viewed it as a missing persons case,” McLeod recalled, admitting that he felt something was amiss as details began to surface.

While searching the area on his dirt bike, McLeod found the vehicle and later discovered the daughters’ bodies not far from it, with their hands tied and plastic bags placed over their heads.

“I couldn’t do anything for them,” he lamented. “I was furious—where is he?” McLeod, who has two decades of experience in the Sheriff’s Department, noted that the only belonging left behind was Decker’s wallet.

Just a mile away from where the girls were found, authorities discovered an abandoned orange tent, which McLeod described as having a torn floor that looked like it could belong to a homeless person, combined with a well-placed cooler nearby.

The investigation is currently ongoing, with police believing the tent is linked to Decker, although they haven’t confirmed its ownership. Multiple local, state, and federal teams are working in conjunction, facing various environmental obstacles during their search.

Despite challenges like flooded river conditions delaying certain search efforts, tips and leads continue to come in from at least seven neighboring counties, with varying degrees of activity reported.

“There were some break-ins and items taken from the campsite,” Morrison recounted, noting nothing substantial had come from those leads. As clues began to dwindle, officers shifted tactics and started deploying cadaver dogs for further searches.

“It looks like he may have passed away,” Morrison speculated, though he acknowledged the possibility that Decker might still be alive. “It’s hard to say for sure.” Current estimates indicate he is a white male, standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing around 190 pounds. Police caution that while he is considered armed and dangerous, there’s no immediate threat to public safety.

Authorities have placed a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker’s arrest. He faces three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and remains a prime focus of both local and federal agencies as the search persists.