July 01, 2025
On June 2, 2025, three children were found dead near a rural Washington campground.
They were found with plastic bags over their heads, each child bound by zip ties.
Kaityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5 were last seen alive on May 30, on their way to a planned visitation with their father, Travis Decker, 32.
Decker’s vehicle, a GMC pickup, was located two days later on the afternoon of June 2, near Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington.
Autopsy later revealed that the girls had died due to suffocation.
Police would later report that “a lot of evidence” was recovered from inside the vehicle, and that the suspect’s dog was found at the scene and was turned over to the humane society.
Travis Decker himself, however, was nowhere to be found.
Police put out a statement the following day on June 3rd, asking the public to keep an eye out for him and to report him if seen, stating Decker was wanted on three counts of first-degree murder, and kidnapping.
They added that he had military experience. Decker was an infantryman in the Army, from the spring of 2013 to the summer of 2021.
He spent four months in Afghanistan in 2014.
Because of his training in navigation and survival, authorities believe he may be hiding out in the Washington wilderness.
His ex-wife and the mother of his children, Whitney Decker, with whom the girls lived in Wenatchee, Washington State, petitioned to adjust their parenting plan in the fall of 2024, citing Decker's “worsening mental health issues.”
Media outlets report that Whitney Decker said the suspect had been living in his van and she did not want their daughters having overnight visits with their father until he found a stable residence.
Media outlets report that the current agreement between the parents stated that Decker could see the girls on Fridays for three hours, and every other weekend for up to eight hours as long as he and the children stayed within the vicinity of Wenatchee Valley.
The pair got divorced in 2022 after being married for over seven years. In a statement to People, Whitney Decker's attorney, Arianna Cozart, stated Decker's deteriorating mental health and paranoia, was the reason for the split, adding that although the suspect had attempted to receive help for his issues, he had been unable to get it.
Things had escalated around one week before the girls went missing.
According to Whitney Decker, the suspect had issues at work, did not have friends, and was unable to get in contact with estranged family members.
Several days before the girls disappeared, Decker had gotten into a car accident and did not have any insurance. Whitney said the girls seemed afraid of him, and would often cry when receiving phone calls from their father, or being dropped off to visit him.
She had also requested a domestic violence protection order.
Still not knowing her children had been allegedly murdered by their father, she wrote in the petition application that: “I have received mental health counseling and both myself and the children will surely need trauma counseling if and when my girls are returned to me.”
On June 1, The Wenatchee Police Department put out a public statement requesting assistance from the public in locating "three juvenile females believed to be missing and unable to return home on their own."
They said of Decker: "The father, Travis Decker, is homeless and living in his vehicle or at various hotels/motels or at campgrounds in the area. The visitation was part of a parenting plan, but he has since gone outside the parameters of it which is not normal and cause for the alarm."
AP reported on June 11, 2025, that a hiker had spotted a lone male, who they described as "ill-prepared for the conditions." The hiker quickly reported the sighting to the Chelan County Sheriff’s office who sent out a tracking team. The team soon homed in on a man fitting the description near Colchuk Lake, in the Cascade Range backpacking area.
The man, who was not on the hiking trail, took off on foot and disappeared.
Alerts to the local area were put out for residents to ensure their homes were securely locked.
During a June 3rd press conference, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison spoke to Decker directly, saying:
"Travis, if you're listening, this is your opportunity to turn yourself in, do the right thing, do what you need to do and take accountability for your actions." "We're not going to rest, and we're going to make sure we find you. You will be brought to justice; those young ladies deserve it."
The Seattle times reported that an affidavit federally charging the suspect with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, detailed that Decker had performed online searches that suggested he planned to flee to Canada.
He searched for information about relocating from the US to Canada, as well as how to get there.
Although hundreds of square miles have been searched so far, there is no sign of Decker.
July 08, 2025
