Law enforcement agencies are still looking for a Washington man described by his ex-wife as “unstable” after the former couple’s three daughters were discovered dead — and he may have prepared himself to survive in the wilderness.
Travis Decker, 32, was charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping on Tuesday, after prosecutors in Washington’s Chelan County initially charged him with three counts of custodial interference. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Seattle Times, Decker failed to return his three daughters, 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia, to his ex-wife by 8 p.m. on Friday, as per their court-ordered custodial agreement.
When Whitney Decker called her ex-husband’s phone, it went straight to voicemail. She immediately called the police.
According to a press release from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, police arrived around 9:45 p.m. on Friday and began searching for Travis Decker, the three children, and his truck, a white GMC Sierra. Police discovered that Travis Decker lived a nomadic lifestyle and lived out of his truck.
In addition to the Wenatchee Police Department and the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in the search and issued an Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA) on Saturday.
On Monday, Wenatchee Police detectives obtained a warrant to arrest Travis Decker on three counts of custodial interference. The same day, law enforcement narrowed the search area for the truck, which was discovered near a campground. It was unoccupied, and Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told Ashleigh Banfield on NewsNation on Wednesday that there were bloody handprints on the vehicle that were likely left by an adult. He did not confirm whether the handprints belonged to Travis Decker, but did say, “We’re not ruling anything out.”
During the interview, Morrison informed Banfield that after speaking with Travis Decker’s father, police believe the suspect has the ability to survive in the wilderness and has been known to go missing for up to 2 1/2 months at a time. He added, “If he set it up ahead of time and put supplies out there, it may make it more difficult to find him. However, technology is working in our favor.
Morrison described Travis Decker’s alleged crime against his daughters as “just disgusting.”
According to the affidavit, the three girls were discovered 75 to 100 yards from the truck’s location. They each wore plastic bags over their heads and had their wrists zip-tied. All of the girls were dressed in the same clothes they had worn when their mother handed them over to their father a few days before. Police believe they died from asphyxiation.
Local CBS affiliate KIRO obtained divorce records detailing Travis and Whitney Decker’s troubled divorce, which began in November 2022. Concerns about Travis Decker’s mental health first surfaced in September 2024, when it was revealed that he had lost his home and was listed as a “transient” in court records. According to the records, Whitney Decker claimed that her estranged husband “neglected his parental duties towards a child” and “has a long-term emotional or physical problem that gets in the way of his ability to parent.”
She also asked that he be evaluated for “anger management/domestic violence, and a full psychiatric evaluation by a licensed psychiatrist to include any potential diagnoses.”
Travis Decker, a US Army veteran, was eventually diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). According to a military spokesperson, Travis Decker was facing disciplinary discharge after failing to attend mandatory monthly drills for more than a year. Whitney Decker cited his mental health issues when she reported her daughters missing.
Travis Decker moved into an armory after their separation and bought an RV, which was eventually repossessed. According to the divorce papers, Travis Decker allegedly lied about where the girls were staying while under his care. Whitney Decker stated, “There were times when I told him I didn’t feel safe with the girls staying in the armory with a bunch of strange men. He said he was staying in the RV, but I found out he was actually staying at the armory again.”
In the summer of 2024, she stated in divorce papers, “Travis just keeps getting more and more unstable.” He has made enormous sacrifices to serve our country and adores his daughters, but he must improve for their sake. I don’t want to keep Travis from the girls at all.”
Travis Decker defended his transient lifestyle as a suitable environment for his three daughters, according to KIRO’s coverage of the divorce documents. He reportedly told the girls that he was taking them camping and that they could learn about the world by spending time with him in his current state. He also stated that he did not have any money to pay child support.
According to the documents, the court sided with Whitney Decker and ordered Travis Decker to undergo the proposed evaluation of his anger and mental health. According to the Seattle Times, Travis Decker refused to sign the order directing him to undergo the evaluation and never sought an evaluation or counseling.
Travis Decker did not show up for work in the days leading up to the girls’ disappearance, and several people, including his employer and ex-wife, raised concerns about his mental health with police.
In a Wednesday update, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office stated that Travis Decker was “well versed in wilderness survival and capable of spending days or even weeks in the wilderness on his own and with very little equipment.” Police previously stated that, despite not being armed, he was still considered dangerous.
Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for reliable information that leads to Travis Decker’s arrest.
