CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. — Three girls reported missing after a visitation with their father were found dead on Monday. Their father, who is suspected of their murders, has not been found, the Wenatchee Police Department (WPD) said Tuesday.
On Friday at 9:45 p.m., the mother of three girls told police her daughters — ages 5, 8, and 9 years old — had not returned after a planned visit with their father, identified as 32-year-old Travis Decker of the Wenatchee area.
Officers immediately began looking for Decker and the children. Decker was believed to be living out of a white, 2017 GMC Sierra pickup that had traveled westbound on Highway 2 from Wenatchee on Friday.
On Friday, Wenatchee police requested the Washington State Patrol (WSP) to issue an Amber Alert, but the case did not meet the stringent requirements needed for one.
The case has to involve a child who is 17 years old or younger, police must be involved, there must be information to share with the public that would be helpful in the child’s recovery, and the child has to have been abducted or in imminent danger.
As an alternative, WSP issued an Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA) on Saturday for the girls: 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia.
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Over the weekend, Wenatchee police detectives continued to investigate with the help of other law enforcement agencies to check areas throughout Chelan County for the girls.
With information from the FBI, WPD and the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), detectives believed Decker and his daughters were still in Chelan County.
On Monday, the search was narrowed to somewhere between Icicle Road and Chumstick Road near Leavenworth. A warrant for Decker’s arrest was obtained by Wenatchee police detectives for three counts of first-degree custodial Interference.
Chelan County Emergency Management personnel and a Department of Homeland Security helicopter joined the search, and around 3:45 p.m. Monday, a deputy found Decker’s truck near the Rock Island Campground accessed by Icicle Road. No one was inside.
As the search continued, the bodies of the three missing girls were found. Decker was not located and his whereabouts are not known.
The East Cascade SWAT Team began searching for Decker, who is now wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.
Travis Caleb Decker, 32, is described as white, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts.
Decker has extensive training from his time in the military. It is not known if he is armed, but police said the public should not approach him if seen.
Anyone who has seen Decker since Friday, May 30, or knows where he might be is asked to call 911 immediately.
