Manhunt for Travis Decker, Wenatchee, Washington dad wanted in murders of his three young daughters leads to remote trail, Blewett Pass/Highway 97 area after hikers spot lone man who sought to avoid detection near Ingalls Creek, Leavenworth.
The manhunt for Wenatchee, Washington dad wanted in connection to the suffocation deaths of his three daughters has leads to investigators narrowing their search to a remote trail after hikers spotted a lone man off track who had sought to avoid interaction and being detected.
Law enforcement agencies have since narrowed their hunt for wanted man, Travis Decker, 32, a former U.S. Army soldier said to be highly skilled in living in the wilderness to the Blewett Pass/Highway 97 area. Authorities are asking the public, particularly residents and cabin owners in the area, to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
The current lead developed after the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from a hiking party. The hikers reported seeing a lone individual in the Enchantments area who appeared ill-prepared for the conditions and was seemingly avoiding others. Tracking teams responded immediately, locating a lone, off-trail hiker from a helicopter near Colchuck Lake. The individual reportedly ran from sight as the helicopter passed.
Additional resources were called to the area, and K9 units were deployed after teams picked up a trail. The subject was tracked to the Ingalls Creek Trailhead area on Highway 97 according to the Spokesman Review.
The new area of focus is roughly 30 miles by car from Rock Island Campground, near where Travis Decker is accused of suffocating his three daughters and leaving their bodies, around the dead-end of Icicle Road.
The two areas are also connected by rugged backcountry trails. A hiker could take an L-shaped route through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area along Ingalls Creek, skirting the higher elevation of the Enchantments, which are still covered in snow.
Prosecutors charged Travis Decker last week with aggravated murder and kidnapping. More than 100 officers from local, state and federal agencies, including from the Washington National Guard, joined the pursuit for him.
Authorities are asking hikers who have been in the Enchantments area within the last week and observed anything suspicious to contact the tip line. Solo hikers in the area recently are also asked to contact the tip line immediately to provide their information for investigators.
As the search continues, individuals with cabins or residences in the Blewett Pass/Highway 97 area are urged to report any suspicious activity, lock their doors and vehicles, and look out for their neighbors’ property. Those with cameras, including trail cameras, in the area are asked to check them or submit a tip to the U.S. Marshals tip line with the camera’s location for law enforcement review.
While federal agencies are leading the continued search, sheriff’s office detectives remain actively engaged in the murder investigation, processing evidence and seeking additional evidence to build a strong case for prosecution.
The United States Border Patrol has taken over operations and command for the search for Decker in the interim.
The case has enthralled the public at large given a Washington state mother’s tragic loss of her daughter’s lives, the effectiveness of family law and the custodial process along with military veteran healthcare and the claim that they are often not getting the necessary attention and resources, which the children’s mother, Whitney Decker has argued could’ve averted her daughter’s deaths after efforts to address her former husband’s descent and her co-parenting concerns led to too little done…
