Travis Decker‘s case continues to shock the residents of the US as he has been on the run for nearly two months now. The 32-year-old military veteran was last seen on May 30 when he picked his three daughters as per the scheduled visit. But when he failed to return the young girls to their mother, a search operation was initiated. Three days later, the three girls were found dead near his abandoned truck at a campsite while he went missing. New details have now emerged as his brother shares disturbing details about the fugitive while the community has issued a dire warning in the wake of the tragedy.
Decker’s brother, TJ, has opened up about the veteran’s mental struggles. His claims are similar to Decker’s ex-wife Whitney who said that “something broke” inside him to allegedly commit the shocking crime.
“He was struggling with transitioning out of the military — trying to find work, trying to find his new role,” TJ, who is also in the military, told the outlet.
The POS on the left is STILL out there.
We need to find Travis Decker. pic.twitter.com/rHmKceDN1O
— MuthaPNW ❤️🐦🔥 (@muthaPNW) July 21, 2025
“It’s not just your day; this is my identity as well. When you get out of the military and take off that uniform, you lose your identity,” he added. TJ knew that Decker was struggling as he stopped picking up calls and isolated himself from the rest of the family. He revealed that he made attempts to help him recover but it never worked out.
“We just tried to show up and talk to him and see what’s going on, what do you need. Obviously, it didn’t work. Everything fell on deaf ears,” TJ told the portal. He further revealed that Decker had a ‘violent reaction’ to the confrontation which further proved that he was struggling mentally.
Whitney’s lawyer Arianna Cozart told KUOW that Decker “suddenly felt very alone and was still facing a lot of ramifications of his combat that he saw: nightmares, insomnia, severe insomnia at times.”
Three young sisters were murdered at a Washington campground, and their father, Travis Decker, a former Army Ranger, is on the run facing federal charges. Their mother, Whitney Decker, has spoken out for the first time. Law&Crime’s Kennedi Walker @_kennediwalker has the latest. pic.twitter.com/x1UOEjJCvO
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) June 25, 2025
Decker served in the military from 2013 to 2021 during which he was briefly deployed to Afghanistan as well. His unstable behavior also led to his divorce with Whitney. The ex-wife even requested a change in their parenting plan in September 2024. The judge ordered Decker “to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, an anger management evaluation, and therapy,” as reported by The Sun.
However, when he contacted the Department of Veterans Affairs, he was reportedly turned away. Cozart has alleged, “Travis did contact me after the hearing and say, ‘How do I get these evaluations? What do I need to do? And I directed him to the VA, because I thought that they would help him. I know that he called the VA and said that he needed to get a psychiatric evaluation, and that they told him they couldn’t do that.”
After Decker was turned down by VA, he never received the mandatory help.
🚨🌲 Washington Manhunt Turns Grim as Search for Murder Suspect Father Continues 🌲🚨
🧍♂️ Who:
Travis Decker, 32, a military-trained survivalist, is accused of murdering his three daughters – Paityn (9), Evelyn (8), and Olivia (5) – and then vanishing into the wilderness of… pic.twitter.com/9zub5XuB0i
— Network Axis Group (@NetAxisGroup) June 24, 2025
Rob Bates, a mental health counselor for veterans, reportedly saw Decker walking out of the veteran’s services office weeks before he allegedly killed his three daughters. Bates told KUOW, “So he was trying to engage services. We just didn’t have the services that he needed.”
“I think most of what I have is anger at the system, because the system failed him. We — we failed him. We failed Whitney, and mostly we failed those children,” he added.
He also urged the government to provide more support to the veterans who often suffer from PTSD after their service.
“I wish I had more capacity so I could [help] more people. If we don’t do that, we’re going to continue to see acts of violence,” he issued a chilling warning.
He added that if the veterans aren’t provided with the necessary help, it will cause a rise in veteran homelessness and substance abuse.
“You know, we’re going to continue to see veterans struggle just to do the basic things,” he said. Meanwhile, the authorities have vowed not to quit the manhunt.
