Shocking new details have emerged after a woman claimed that she might have spotted fugitive Travis Decker, accused of killing his three daughters in Washington State. Jennifer Rice, who lives in Idaho, believes that she noticed a man who matches the exact description of the “killer dad.” She added that the man seemed “out of place” in public last month.
However, Rice claimed that even though she immediately informed the police, they didn’t take her words seriously until weeks later.
Decker, 32, has been accused of kidnapping and killing his daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, during a scheduled custody visit on May 30. Their bodies were found dumped at a campground outside Wenatchee, Washington, on June 2. Following initial forensic exams, it has been confirmed that the three girls were suffocated to death. Since the discovery, Travis has been on the run, and he might have caught the attention of Jennifer Rice.
The Idaho resident was walking out of Gentry’s Outpost, which is a grocery store situated about 500 miles away from where the girls’ bodies were found. Just then, she noticed a man who resembled the fugitive.
Speaking with the ABC affiliate KIVI-TV, Rice said, “Practically walking up to the center was a random gentleman, but he caught my eye because he seemed out of place. He had a bedding roll that you would sleep on, but there was no sleeping bag.”
She added, “His backpack wasn’t big enough to be stuffed with a sleeping bag — it didn’t make sense, are you sleeping or are you not sleeping?”
OMG!! A potential Travis Decker sighting! By multiple people. In Idaho!! 600 miles from where he offed his daughtwrs.
I pray this is him!! Link to story in first comment! pic.twitter.com/M2hkpc0bVA
— Beth Dutton (@1BethDutton) July 7, 2025
Jennifer, who was well aware of the manhunt at that point, as it made national news, quickly dialed the police in Washington. However, as she claimed, the cops “listened,” but weren’t convinced by her account. Instead, they told her that the search was focused on the Washington mountains, as officials believed that he was surviving in the wild with his outdoorsman skills as a veteran.
“If I remember correctly, the comment was, ‘We know where he is and we know what’s happening, but we’ll write this down,” the woman lamented, adding that she felt frustrated at that point, when even her husband didn’t take her seriously.
However, only weeks later, things took a shocking turn as the U.S. Marshals announced they were relocating the manhunt for Travis Decker. On Monday, the authorities declared that the search would now be focused on Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest, following accounts of his two potential sightings in the area.
Travis Caleb Decker is wanted by the U.S. Marshals. There is a Rapidly Advancing Manhunt program to expedite the fugitive’s location and apprehension near Leavenworth, Washington. To submit a tip go to https://t.co/6bFURsjrOY.#USMarshals #USMarshalsWanted pic.twitter.com/ntDZWTXSHu
— U.S. Marshals Service (@USMarshalsHQ) July 3, 2025
According to the cops, a family spotted a man in the forest on July 5, who had a striking resemblance to the killer, and even the tattoos were the same. On Tuesday, Rice finally received a call from police who were curious about her tip.
The search for Decker is now ongoing in the Sawtooth forest area. “He was a bit out of place. It was described that he didn’t have hiking boots. He’s avoiding eye contact, and he was on an ATV, UTV trail that usually isn’t trafficked by hikers,” Supervisory Deputy Michael Leigh with the U.S. Marshals Service told KREM.
