Manhunt expands for state dad accused of killing his 3 daughters

By Vivian Ho

The Washington Post

Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson has ordered National Guard resources to assist in the manhunt for a father suspected of killing his three young daughters and leaving their bodies near a campsite in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

Authorities have been searching for 32-year-old Travis Caleb Decker since discovering the bodies of his daughters — 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evelyn and 9-year-old Paityn — near his abandoned pickup truck on Monday.

Ferguson said late Friday that the state is providing helicopter transportation for law enforcement officers as they comb through remote areas in their search for Decker.

“As a parent, my heart goes out to Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia’s mom, Whitney, and all those who love them,” Ferguson posted on social media. “The brutal murder of these young children has shocked our state. I’m committed to supporting law enforcement as they seek justice for Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia.”

More than 100 officers, agents and deputies are engaged in the search, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said Friday, with more than 500 tips from the public.

Whitney Decker had reported the girls missing May 30 after they did not return from a planned visitation with their father. She told police in Wenatchee, where she lived with the girls, that she and Travis Decker had divorced after about seven years of marriage and had an amicable co-parenting relationship following a court-issued custodial parenting plan that allowed him visitations every other weekend, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Washington Post.

Whitney Decker told police that she and the girls’ father had never had problems with their shared parenting plan but that he was no longer allowed overnight visits after he became homeless and struggled to find stable housing, the affidavit states. Travis Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder toward the end of their marriage, Whitney Decker told investigators, but she believed he was not taking medication. He had also been ordered to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of the parenting plan, which he had refused to sign, according to the affidavit.

Travis Decker had also been struggling financially following two traffic collisions for which he had received a citation, as well as because his wages were being garnished for back child support, the affidavit states.

On Monday, a deputy found his white pickup truck in a remote area in Chelan County, the affidavit states, with what appeared to be two bloody handprints on the tailgate. About a hundred yards away were the bodies of the three girls, according to the affidavit, who had plastic bags over their heads and appeared to have had their wrists zip-tied.

Family friend Amy Edwards, who organized a GoFundMe that has raised more than $1 million for Whitney Decker, described Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia as “the kind of children that everyone rooted for, looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts.” They were well-known and cherished within the community, where they participated in sports, dance and theater and attended the local elementary school, Edwards said in a news conference Thursday.

“Their laughter, curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us,” Edwards said.

Authorities have expanded their search for Travis Decker across multiple counties in central Washington, issuing closure notices for camping areas as well as for a large swath to the north that includes trails and campgrounds along the Pacific Crest Trail. They warned that Decker – who was described as 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes – was former military and had extensive training and should be considered dangerous.

He is also “well versed in wilderness survival and capable of spending days or even weeks in the wilderness on his own and with very little equipment,” said the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, which asked that any cabin owners in the remote areas of Chelan, Kittitas, King, Snohomish and Okanogan counties be on alert and lock their doors, including to sheds and outbuildings.

Federal authorities including the FBI, U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service are aiding in the search, according to the sheriff’s office.