A months-long manhunt across the Pacific Northwest could finally be at an end.
32-year-old Travis Decker visited his ex wife's house in Wenatchee, Washington, on May 30, 2025 for a planned visitation with his three daughters: 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 9-year-old Paityn.
Decker, who was homeless and had been quietly searching for how to move to Canada, disappeared with the girls. His visitation rights had been cut to alternate weekends due to concerns about his stability and mental health.
The girls' bodies were found on June 3 at Rock Island Campground, located west of Leavenworth, Washington, only 11 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, which leads to Canada. In an affidavit, Deputy U.S. Marshal Keegan Stanley wrote that Decker seemed to be fleeing the country with his daughters.
For whatever reason, however, Decker seems to have killed his own daughters. They reportedly died by suffocation, with plastic bags over their heads and zip ties around their wrists.
Authorities quickly put out a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker's arrest, but Decker seemed to have vanished off the map.
On Thursday, September 18, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office confirmed that human remains had been found in a wooded area south of Leavenworth.
While the body has not yet been positively identified, authorities say clothing and other personal items found in the area suggest the remains belong to Decker. The scene is currently being processed, with DNA analysis to follow.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said the discovery of the remains was a result of another routine grid-by-grid search this week. The sheriff added that the body showed signs of severe decomposition, but expects DNA results from the coroner's office as soon as Friday.
When the girls' bodies were found in June, Decker's vehicle was also located at the campsite. A wallet had been left on the center console and two bloody handprints had been left behind.
The FBI participated in a multi-month search over a vast area encompassing multiple counties. At one point, bones were found near the Rock Island Campground, but turned out to be animal remains.
Decker previously served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army beginning in 2013, deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, served as an automatic rifleman in the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment from 2014 to 2016, and attended the Non-Commissioned Academy in 2018 before leaving active service in 2021 for the Walla Walla National Guard. He was an avid outdoorsman who would live in the mountains for months at a time.
The girls' mother, Whitney Decker, is calling for a change to Washington's Amber Alert system. She believes Washington State Patrol's decision to not issue an alert in the first few hours after she reported the girls missing led to their deaths.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
