Authorities in Washington state believe that the father suspected of killing his three young daughters could have scoped out a hiding place before vanishing in the wake of the murders.
Heartbreaking reports emerged yesterday detailing how the bodies of sisters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were discovered at a campsite after they went on a trip with their father, Travis Decker.
Travis, 32, is now wanted on charges including three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths. The young girls were found dead near the remote Rock Island campground in Wenatchee, roughly three hours east of Seattle.
The girls’ mother reported the children missing on May 30.
Authorities believe Decker, a military veteran with extensive combat training and a history of severe mental health struggles, suffocated his daughters during what was supposed to be a brief, court-approved visit.
As per the latest reports, investigators are working with the theory that the 32-year-old, who served in the U.S. Army, may have prepared a hiding place before going off grid.
“It sounds like at times he would go out and would be leaving off grid for sometimes up to two and a half months,” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told reporters at a June 4 news conference.
“So we understand that that’s a possibility, that he could have scoped out this area before put supplies out there and has the ability and the knowledge to survive for a long period of time.”
Morrison also pleaded with Decker to turn himself in.
“Travis, if you’re out there seeing us, we’d like you to turn yourself in,” he continued. “We want a peaceful resolution to this, but we’re not going to relinquish our efforts. So please turn yourself in. Let’s wrap this up and do what’s right for your kids.”
Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia vanished Friday evening (May 30) after their father picked them up for a three-hour visitation — a routine exchange their mother, Whitney, had initially not found alarming.
But when 9:45 p.m. came and went without their return, and Decker’s phone went straight to voicemail, panic set in.
“I didn’t think he was dangerous,” Whitney told local station KIRO 7.“His mental health can be hard sometimes, but he loved them.”
Harrowing reports detail how each of the girls was found with a plastic bag over their heads and zip ties around their wrists. The tailgate of Decker’s truck bore two bloody handprints. Inside were haunting remnants of what should have been a family outing: car seats, blankets, food, and Decker’s wallet.
Court records are said to detail how Decker had previously been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, reportedly was not taking his prescribed medication, and had refused to sign a parenting plan that required therapy and anger management.
Rest in peace, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia.