Manhunt for Washington father being led by feds; autopsies show how 3 daughters died

Sara Jean Green, The Seattle Times on Jun 9, 2025

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SEATTLE — The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday it has handed over the search for Travis Decker to federal authorities, even as sheriff’s detectives continue to lead the investigation into the killings of Decker’s three young daughters.

The bodies of Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia Decker, ages 9, 8, and 5, were found a week ago near an abandoned campsite outside Leavenworth, three days after their father failed to return them to their mother’s Wenatchee home per a custody agreement.

Since then, more than 100 officers from local, state and federal agencies have joined the pursuit for the 32-year-old former U.S. Army soldier, scouring hundreds of square miles from the ground, air and water, according to a sheriff’s news release.

Autopsies were completed Friday and determined the girls died from suffocation, the release says. Their deaths were ruled homicides.

Prosecutors charged Decker last week with aggravated murder and kidnapping. Charging papers say investigators found the girls’ bodies a short distance from his abandoned GMC pickup. The girls’ wrists were bound with zip ties and their heads covered with plastic bags, the charges say.

Sheriff’s detectives recovered “a large amount of evidence” and many of Decker’s personal belongings from the pickup, according to Monday’s news release. His dog was also found at the scene and was placed in the care of the humane society. One blood sample was confirmed to have originated in a male while a second came back as nonhuman, though the release doesn’t elaborate on the source. Analysis of DNA and fingerprints is ongoing.

Command of the search for Decker was turned over to federal authorities around 6 p.m. Sunday. The U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol have all been previously named as federal agencies participating in the search.

“We had reached a point where we had to rest our local resources,” the news release says. “Our command staff continues to be engaged with the search command while we give our teams time off to rest and recuperate and be ready to rejoin the search for, and capture of, the suspect.”

The sheriff’s news release does not indicate whether investigators believe Decker is still in Chelan County. His military training included navigation and outdoor survival and Decker is an avid outdoorsman, according to court documents. An affidavit filed last week federally charging Decker with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution says he conducted online searches about relocating to Canada and notes the site where the girls’ bodies were found is 11 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, a well-established route that leads directly to Canada.

The news release acknowledges residents’ frustration in not learning more about the girls’ killings and the search for Decker.

“During any criminal investigation, including this one, there is law enforcement sensitive information that is not shared with the public in order to protect the integrity of the investigation,” the news release says. “We appreciate the public’s patience, understanding and cooperation during this complex and emotional investigation.”

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