Travis Decker, Wenatchee, Washington dad searched how to relocate to Canada days before killing 3 daughters as authorities concentrate manhunt along Canadian border as military vet continues to remain at large after murdering his three daughters during a custodial visit.
In the latest developments involving a Washington state man alleged to have suffocated to death his 3 young daughters, authorities revealed the father who continues to remain at large had searched on the web ‘how to relocate’ to Canada in the days leading up to girls’ murder.
Travis Decker, 32, of Wenatchee conducted the online searches and visited the Canadian government’s “Find a job” webpage on Monday, May 26 — just 4 days prior to picking up his 3 daughters during a custodial visit only to vanish with the girls, Deputy US Marshal Keegan Stanley wrote in an affidavit.
Ongoing manhunt for highly trained military vet dad
Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney Decker, reported their three children — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — missing when their dad failed to bring them home after a scheduled custody visit last Friday.
The missing girls’ bodies were found at a campsite on Monday, June 1 near Decker’s bloodstained vehicle. The remote campground is about 170 miles from the Canadian border.
The whereabouts of the dad remains unknown amid an ongoing manhunt for the ‘military vet’ dad considered to be highly skilled in living in the wilderness and now thought to be somewhere along the Canadian border.
The revelations intimate the the dad had likely planned the slaying of his daughters in a premeditated act possibly as revenge, just months after the dad contested and lost his ex-wife’s amendment for custodial rights after the mom becoming increasingly concerned with Decker’s state of mind and moribund existence which included him being jobless and living in his car.
Investigators obtained multiple search warrants this week for Decker’s Google accounts after the girls’ bodies were found, according to the affidavit cited by the Independent.
Travis Decker skilled military vet highly adept in living in the wilderness
The girls’ remains were discovered only 11 miles away from the Pacific Crest Trail, which leads directly to Canada, court documents stated, with officials stating that a probable cause to believe Decker was fleeing to avoid prosecution.
Adding concern as to the wanted dad’s whereabouts is the fact that Decker is a highly trained military man who previously fought in Afghanistan and according to military officials is highly adept at living in the wilderness.
‘Decker is a former military member with training in navigation, woodland/mountainous terrain, long distance movements, survival and numerous other disciplines needed to be able to flee from the Eastern District of Washington,’ court documents stated.
Decker, who was most recently living out of his car as his mental state was reportedly deteriorating, is believed to have been an elite paratrooper and member of the Washington National Guard.
He ‘frequently engaged in hiking, camping, survival skill practice, hunting and even lived off the grid in the backwoods for approximately 2.5 months on one occasion,’ documents stated.
Remote areas throughout the state have since been temporarily closed as multiple agencies continue their manhunt for the triple-slay suspect.
The Enchantments trail and mountain region will be closed until at least June 18, and campgrounds and trails in parts of the North Cascades National Park and the Pacific Crest Trail have also been shut to visitors, according to authorities.
‘Please know that law enforcement professionals are patrolling at all hours, in all spaces throughout this region,’ the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office warned residents in nearby Chelan, Kittitas King, Snohomish, and Okanagan counties.
Authorities have since, ‘warned locals to lock all of their doors, including those to any sheds out outbuildings, along with leaving their window blinds open along with recommending leaving outside lights on,’ the department said in a Facebook post Thursday.
Police have warned the public not to try contacting or approaching Decker and do not know if he is armed. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the wanted man’s arrest.
