Washington state authorities said a father accused of killing his three young daughters may be using his military training and survival skills to hide in the wilderness, as the manhunt for the murder suspect entered its fourth day Thursday.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said state and federal officials are assisting his deputies in the search for Travis Decker, whom they believe is evading police in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
Mr. Decker, 32, faces first-degree murder charges in the killings of Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5. A preliminary report filed in Chelan County said the girls likely died of asphyxiation.
Police discovered their bodies Monday at the Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth. The girls had plastic bags over their heads and zip ties around their wrists when officers found them.
Investigators said the victims were killed May 30 during a planned visitation with their father.
After police spoke with Mr. Decker’s father, Sheriff Morrison revealed that the suspect is an avid woodsman who would stockpile rations in the forest.
“He would go out and would be living off grid for sometimes up to two and a half months,” the sheriff said during a Wednesday press conference. “We also understand, too, that he at times would do ’caching.’ So we understand that that’s a possibility that he could have scoped out this area before, put supplies out there, and has the ability and the knowledge to survive for a long period of time.”
Sheriff Morrison suggested that Mr. Decker’s military service and training add another layer of difficulty in the search.
Mr. Decker joined the U.S. Army in 2012 and had been deployed to Afghanistan. The suspect is currently a sergeant in the Washington Army National Guard.
The sheriff said Mr. Decker went through mountain survival school at one point.
Police said search teams are scouring Icicle Creek for any signs of Mr. Decker’s whereabouts, while helicopters from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office are conducting flyovers as well.
Further, authorities in neighboring Kittitas County are investigating trailheads to see if the suspect ventured in that direction.
“We recognize 87% of our county is not accessible by road,” Sheriff Morrison said. “We’ve been dealing with that over the last 125-year history of this agency, so we’re no stranger to that.”
Court documents obtained by KIRO-TV said Whitney Decker, the ex-wife of Mr. Decker, claimed he suffered from borderline personality disorder. Ms. Decker also said her ex-husband doesn’t take any medication for his condition.
The couple separated in 2022 and formally divorced last September. In court documents submitted last fall, he was listed as “transient.”
“My message is still the same: Travis, if you’re out there seeing us, we’d like you to turn yourself in,” Sheriff Morrison said. “We want a peaceful resolution to this, but we’re not going to relinquish our efforts and give up any effort that we can proceed to track you down.”
