Authorities received a tip from hikers who reported seeing a lone individual who seemed unprepared for the circumstances. Authorities said they think they have located Travis Decker, an ex-soldier, a dad who is wanted in the killings of his three kids, close to a remote alpine lake in Washington state.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Chelan County Sheriff’s office stated that tracking teams were dispatched right away and that a helicopter crew had seen a hiker close to Colchuk Lake, in The Enchantments, a well-known backpacking destination in the Cascade Range.
As the chopper flew by, the off-trail hiker fled, according to the sheriff’s office. K-9 teams followed the individual to the vicinity of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead, south of Leavenworth, after teams discovered a trail. Authorities did not specify when they saw the individual, but late Monday night they sent out a warning to people in the Valleyhi and Ingalls Creek communities to lock their cars and homes and to keep an eye out for Decker.
A sheriff’s officer had found his truck and the bodies of his three daughters. Paityn Decker, 8, and Evelyn Decker, 5, were last seen in a campground outside of Leavenworth on June 2. Decker, 32, has been the focus of this massive manhunt since the girls went missing.
After a planned 3 days visit earlier, Decker apparently neglected bringing his daughters back to their mom’s home in Wenatchee. As per reports, their mom’s home is just 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle.
More photos released of Travis Decker — dad accused of killing his 3 daughters in Washington State.
He remains on the run.
Look closely at tattoos and clothing worn around time of disappearance. pic.twitter.com/hIFgvU3cOB— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) June 10, 2025
From March 2013 to July 2021, Decker served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army. In 2014, he spent four months in Afghanistan. According to authorities, he has received instruction in survival, navigation, and other abilities. At one point, he lived off the grid in the wilderness for over two months.
Officials from a variety of state and federal agencies have conducted air, sea, and land searches over hundreds of square miles, much of which is isolated and hilly. A reward of up to $20,000 was being offered by the U.S. Marshals Service for information that would result in his capture.
#TravisDecker Murdered his 3 beautiful daughters this week. Their wrists had been bound with zip ties & each of them suffocated with a plastic bag. This MONSTER needs hunting down. I just can’t get my head around it. FIND THE FUCKER!
🚨 New picture! Get it out there!#Washington pic.twitter.com/h7952Yd3QW— Justice 4 Nicola Bulley & Others 💚💙🩷💛 ⚖️ (@chucklechopsx) June 5, 2025
His mental health problems have gotten worse, and he has become more unstable, frequently living out of his truck, according to Whitney Decker, his ex-wife, who filed a petition to change their parenting plan last September. Until he found a place to live, she tried to prevent him from spending the night with their girls.
According to the sheriff’s office, an autopsy conducted on Friday found that suffocation was the cause of death. The girls had been placed over their heads in plastic bags and fastened with zip ties.
