Travis Decker, Wenatchee, Washington state father wanted for murder after the bodies of the man’s 3 daughters found dead after failing to return the girls to their mother, Whitney Decker following scheduled child visit. Manhunt ensues for dad who remains at large.
Three young sisters who went missing after visiting their troubled and homeless father in Washington state, were found dead, police confirmed on Tuesday.
The bodies of the Decker sisters — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — were found late Monday close to their father, Travis Decker‘s truck near a campground in Wenatchee, where SWAT teams had swamped the area, KIRO 7 reported.
Officials had canceled the endangered missing person alerts for them Monday, without initially confirming news of the siblings’ tragic deaths.
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Custodial visit turns tragic
The girls were last seen alive on Friday when their dad collected them from their mother’s house for a planned visitation, police said earlier.
After failing to return the three children, authorities on Monday charged the dad with three counts of first-degree custodial interference for allegedly failing to return his children, NCWLIFE reported.
The bodies were found after a SWAT team swooped in on Rock Island Campground, about 18 miles west of the town of Leavenworth, Chelan County at around 5 p.m. on Monday.
The missing sisters’ bodies were discovered after police found a truck belonging to their father near the campground, accessed via Icicle Road, the Wenatchee Police Department said in a news release Tuesday morning.
To date, authorities had yet to locate the dad who was now wanted on kidnapping and murder charges of the three deceased girls, KING5 reported.
Travis Decker Wenatchee dad id as military vet who faced disciplinary action
The cause and manner of death had yet to be revealed.
Decker, who is homeless and divorced from his children’s mother, Whitney Decker was known to stay at campgrounds and hotels in the local area with his dog, according to police.
Decker had picked up his three daughters up at around 5 p.m. on Friday, while not telling their mother where he planned to take the girls, who were last seen traveling in his truck, a white 2017 GMC Sierra.
The vehicle was spotted on the Wenatchee River Bridge heading north some 40 minutes later, according to a filed police affidavit seen by NCWLIFE.
Later that weekend, the truck was spotted in the west end of Leavenworth, triggering a police search in the wooded areas around the town, NCWLIFE reported.
Federal agencies, including Homeland Security and the Forest Service, were enlisted in the search for the missing girls.
Wenatchee dad was deadbeat military vet
The girl’s mother had issued an appeal for their safe return Monday, hours before the bodies were found.
‘I just want the girls back home safe and sound — that is the most important thing to me,’ she said in the emailed statement sent to NCWLIFE.
‘I am concerned about the safety and wellbeing of my girls and their dad. This is an unimaginable situation. I am pleading for everyone to look out for them,’ she said in the emailed statement sent to NCWLIFE.
According to the Wenatchee Police Department, Decker is a military veteran with extensive training, and he may pose a significant threat if approached. It’s unknown if Decker is armed. Any member of the public who believed they may have seen him since Friday, May 30, or knows his current whereabouts, is asked to call 911 immediately.
The Washington National Guard confirmed that Decker was a member and transferred from active duty into the National Guard in 2021.
They also confirmed that Decker has been pending a disciplinary discharge for not showing up to his monthly drills and the last drill he attended was roughly a year ago.
Police describe Decker as 5-foot-8 and 190 lbs with black hair and brown eyes. The wanted man was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts.
A GoFundme fundraiser for Whitney Decker to assist in legal costs and expenses related to the search of the Wenatchee sisters as of Tuesday afternoon had raised $128,500.
