Travis Decker, Wenatchee, Washington state dad likely suffocated three daughters to death after plastic bags were found over their heads and wrists tied with zip ties. Dad had been suffering bipolar personality disorder. Victims id as Olivia Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker, and 9-year-old Paityn Decker.
Initial court documents related to the discovery of the bodies of three missing Wenatchee sisters found deceased at a Washington state campground indicated the young girls were likely suffocated to death.
Authorities in Wenatchee and Chelan County had been searching for the girls since Friday when their father, Travis Decker, 35, failed to return them to their mother as scheduled. The girls were spending time with their father as part of their court-ordered custodial visitation plan after Decker and the girl’s mother, Whitney Decker filing for divorce in 2023.
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The search ended in tragedy Monday evening when the bodies of all three were found at the Rock Island campground. The victims were identified as 5-year-old Olivia Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker, and 9-year-old Paityn Decker.
The girl’s father is the primary suspect in their murders and come Tuesday night continued to remain at large. A reward of $20,000 was being offered for any information leading to the capture of the wanted dad, a former military veteran who’d faced disciplinary action.
According to court documents cited by KOMO News, Decker was homeless, was not supposed to have any overnight visits, and had also been experiencing mental health issues.
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Court documents stated Flock cameras and other resources was used by authorities to narrow the search down to the area of the Rock Island campground, where they found Decker’s truck with two bloody handprints on the back.
The bodies of all three girls were found about 75 to 100 yards away down an embankment, and investigators noted zip ties and plastic bags were scattered throughout the area. Court documents stated the girls’ wrists were zip-tied or appeared to have been zip-tied, and each had a bag over their head. It appeared the girls had been suffocated.
Court documents reveal Travis Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and was supposed to get mental health treatment and anger management according to a court-ordered plan but hadn’t.
All three victims attended Lincoln Elementary, where a small memorial of flowers, toys, and drawings started to grow outside. An online fundraiser has already collected more than $276,000 for the victims’ families.
‘These girls were a true light in this world, and it is a darker place without them,’ the fundraiser organizer wrote. ‘I will miss seeing their sweet little faces.’
Authorities declined to speculate on what led up to the children’s murders and what led up to the sister’s Wenatchee area father suffocating them to death.
