Remains Believed to Be Travis Decker Found in Remote Chelan County Search
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced it has likely located the remains of Travis Decker, the man accused of murdering his three young daughters in May. Authorities say the discovery was made in a remote wooded area south of Leavenworth after an extensive months-long manhunt that spanned multiple counties and drew in local, state, and federal resources.
“While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Investigators are processing the scene with assistance from the Washington State Patrol’s crime scene response team. DNA testing will be conducted to confirm identity.
A Tragic Case That Shocked Washington
The manhunt began after Decker, 33, failed to return his daughters—Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia—home from a scheduled parenting-time visit on Friday, May 30. That night, their mother reported a civil complaint to the Wenatchee Police Department.
By the following morning, May 31, police issued an Endangered Missing Person Alert, warning residents to be on the lookout for Decker and the three children.
On June 2, investigators searching near the Icicle Road area outside Leavenworth located Decker’s abandoned truck close to Rock Island Campground, about 17 miles west of town. Shortly afterward, law enforcement discovered the bodies of the three girls nearby. The Chelan County Medical Examiner later ruled their cause of death as suffocation.
The discovery sent shockwaves through the community, prompting an immediate and intense search for Decker, who was charged in absentia with three counts of murder and kidnapping.
Expansive Search Effort
Authorities closed hiking trails across the northern Cascades and identified the Pacific Crest Trail as a key corridor of interest. Cabin owners and residents in Chelan, Kittitas, King, Snohomish, and Okanogan counties were urged to take extra safety precautions.
Investigators warned that Decker, a U.S. Army veteran, was highly skilled in wilderness survival. His military record showed he served as an infantryman from 2013 to 2021, including a deployment to Afghanistan. He also spent two years with the elite 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he specialized as an automatic rifleman.
The governor’s office authorized the deployment of Washington National Guard resources as the search expanded in early June. More than 100 law enforcement officers joined the manhunt at its peak, combing rugged terrain in some of the most challenging wilderness in the state.
On June 9, deputies urged residents to be vigilant after they believed Decker may have been spotted in the Ingalls Creek area west of Wenatchee. Despite concentrated efforts throughout the summer, Decker remained at large.
Closure for a Community in Mourning
The discovery of remains now believed to be Decker’s may bring a measure of closure to a case that has gripped the region for months.
“This was a heartbreaking case from the beginning, and our hearts remain with the family and all those impacted by the loss of these three young girls,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Further updates will be provided once DNA analysis confirms the identity of the remains.
