Authorities believe they spotted ex-soldier Travis Decker, who is wanted in deaths of 3 daughters
Authorities in Washington state believe they have spotted Travis Decker, an ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three daughters, near a remote alpine lake. The Chelan County Sheriff’s office received a tip from hikers who saw a lone person who seemed ill-prepared for the conditions in the area of Colchuk Lake, part of The Enchantments in the Cascade Range.
A helicopter crew located the hiker near the lake, but the individual ran from sight as the helicopter passed. K-9 teams tracked the person to the Ingalls Creek Trailhead, south of Leavenworth. An alert was issued for residents in the Ingalls Creek and Valleyhi community to lock homes and vehicles and be on the lookout for Decker.
Decker, 32, has been the subject of a manhunt since June 2 when his truck and the bodies of his three daughters – Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia – were found at a campground outside Leavenworth. He failed to return the girls to their mother’s home in Wenatchee after a scheduled visit.
A former infantryman in the US Army with deployment experience in Afghanistan, Decker has training in navigation, survival, and other skills. Authorities have conducted an extensive search for him across hundreds of square miles of mountainous and remote terrain by land, water, and air. The US Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his capture.
His ex-wife, Whitney Decker, had raised concerns about Travis’s mental health issues and instability in a petition to modify their parenting plan last September. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death for the girls was suffocation, with evidence of them being bound with zip ties and plastic bags placed over their heads.
The search for Travis Decker continues as authorities work tirelessly to locate and apprehend him. The community remains on high alert, hoping for a swift resolution to this tragic case.
