Had Travis Decker, Wenatchee, Washington dad sought revenge after ex wife, Whitney petitioned for revision of custody rights? Military vet dad fought mom in court only to lose … months before killing their 3 kids.
Had a Wenatchee, Washington father sought revenge against his former wife after she had filed a petition to change the terms of a joint custody agreement of their three children? The amendment may have triggered resentment against his ex wife and the father seeking ultimate ‘payback’ when he took the lives of the couple’s three children.
In released court documents, Whitney Decker in September, 2024, petitioned to have a previous child custody agreement amended after the parent becoming increasingly concerned about the well being of her former husband, Travis Decker who by now was financially moribund, homeless and in the throes of mental health woes.
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Emotional and psychological descent of Travis Decker led to ex wife, Whitney seeking to modify custody arrangement
According to documents cited by KHQ, Whitney and Travis had been married for seven years when the Whitney filed for divorce in 2022, with the pair ‘amicably’ agreeing to split responsibilities for their three children.
However, things changed in September 2024, when Whitney filed for a proposal to modify the plan.
‘Since our separation it has become increasingly clear that Travis has been struggling to maintain stability in his life, particularly with securing a consistent place to live and establishing a predictable schedule. This lack of stability has unfortunately had a negative impact on our children,’ Whitney stated in court documents.
She highlighted Travis’s emotional and mental health issues.
Washington mom despite her concerns wanted Wenatchee dad to continue still being present in her daughters’ lives
‘He was in the Army for many years and upon separation from the Army and transition into the reserves, his borderline personality disorder and narcissism became rampant,’ Whitney stated according to court documents.
The revised parenting plan in 2024 cited issues of neglect and emotional and physical problems on Travis’s part, the mom alleged.
As a result, the court ordered Travis to undergo evaluation for ‘anger management/domestic violence‘ by a psychiatrist in Spokane and to attend counseling sessions twice a month.
The plan was also adjusted to prohibit overnight stays for the children with Travis due to his housing instability.
Whitney detailed incidents that contributed to the separation, including a situation on Aug. 15, 2024, when Travis allegedly found one of their daughters passed out with a bathrobe tied around her neck at his mother’s house and failed to inform Whitney.
Washington dad opposed child custody modifications
Another incident on Dec. 19, 2024, involved one of the daughters injuring her fingers, with Travis reportedly absent and unresponsive to the children.
Despite the challenges, Whitney expressed a desire to maintain Travis’s relationship with their daughters in court documents.
‘Travis has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much but he has got to get better for our girls,’ the mom stated. ‘I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all. To the contrary I have bent over backwards to facilitate that relationship.’
On Sept. 27, 2024, a judge found adequate cause to modify the former couple’s child custody arrangement.
Travis however disagreed, arguing in court that that it was important that his children understand the reality of how the world works and they could learn from his current condition. However, the court did not agree.
Travis was granted visitation every other weekend on Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday during restricted time periods.
Despite Whitney’s concerns for the wellbeing of her three children, the mom declined to press for supervised visits. Less than 9 months later, her former husband kidnapped the couple’s children after failing to return them after a three hour Friday evening visit and suffocated them to death.
It may have been the ultimate revenge the former ’emasculated’ husband and ‘military vet’ dad had sought.
Travis Decker who continues to remain missing amid a massive manhunt is now wanted on three counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
