After nearly four harrowing months of uncertainty, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that the remains found in the rugged wilderness near Leavenworth, Washington, belong to Travis Decker, the 32-year-old father accused of murdering his three young daughters earlier this summer. The announcement, made Thursday afternoon, brings a measure of closure to a case that has gripped the local community and drawn national attention for its tragedy and the exhaustive manhunt that followed.
DNA analysis conducted by the Washington State Patrol crime lab provided the definitive match, ending speculation and months of searching. "We are glad to say that those remains do come back as a positive match for Travis Decker," Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told reporters, according to FOX 13 Seattle. "It's a big day for the Chelan County Sheriff's Office and all our federal partners that we can finally bring a close to this dark chapter of Chelan County."
The remains were discovered on September 18, 2025, on Grindstone Mountain, a remote and challenging area just northwest of Leavenworth and less than a mile from where the bodies of Decker's daughters—Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5—were found in early June. The girls had last been seen alive on May 30, when they left home for a planned visitation with their father. Three days later, their bodies were discovered near the Rock Island Campground, each with plastic bags over their heads and wrists bound with zip ties, as detailed by ABC News. An autopsy determined their cause of death to be suffocation; the manner of death was ruled homicide.
Decker's truck was recovered at the scene, abandoned and with a bloody fingerprint on the tailgate, but Decker himself was nowhere to be found. His dog was also located at the scene, further deepening the mystery and urgency of the search. The evidence at the site, including zip ties and plastic bags, pointed unambiguously to Decker as the sole suspect, according to court documents cited by ABC News.
The ensuing manhunt was one of the largest in Chelan County history. Hundreds of people from dozens of agencies and organizations participated, deploying drones, swift water teams, cadaver dogs, and even GoPro cameras to scour the Cascade Mountain range. The search spanned three counties and extended as far as Canada and Mexico, with possible sightings reported in Idaho and Washington throughout the summer, but none confirmed. As CNN reported, the search was complicated by the fact that Decker had a three-day head start and was known to have significant survival skills, having once spent more than two months living off the grid in the backwoods.
Authorities finally caught a break when a dive team from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office discovered a key fob belonging to Decker's truck in Icicle Creek. This find prompted renewed, grid-by-grid searches in the surrounding area, ultimately leading to the discovery of human remains, clothing, and personal items—including a shirt, shorts, bracelet, and chewing tobacco—consistent with what Decker was last seen wearing. The remains were sent to the state crime lab, and the positive DNA match was announced a week later, as reported by FOX 13 Seattle.
Decker, an Army veteran who served as an infantryman from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, had a history of mental health struggles. According to his ex-wife's attorney, Arianna Cozart, Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and was homeless at the time of the murders. Cozart told ABC News in June, "He had some mental health issues and some instability in his life" that led to restrictions on overnight visitation and taking his daughters out of the area. Despite these concerns, "there were no red flags" immediately before the incident, she added.
Authorities have acknowledged that the motive behind the crime may never be fully understood. Sheriff Morrison told CNN, "Based off the evidence we have, he committed murder. It's inexcusable, it's unexplainable. And we would have liked to, of course, heard his thought process ... but I don't think anything he said would have justified it." He continued, "The bottom line is our community is now down three young girls that would have been our bright future. They're not here."
The discovery of Decker's remains, while providing some closure, cannot undo the loss suffered by the girls' mother, Whitney Decker, and the broader community. At a memorial service held in June, Whitney described her daughters as having "warm and open hearts." She reflected, "I'm so thankful for the time that I had with the girls. I truly hope that the legacy of the girls' lives lives in everyone's hearts forever. They were incredible."
Throughout the investigation, law enforcement maintained close contact with the family. "To Whitney: I certainly hope you know that we never gave up, and Paityn, Evelyn, Olivia, their memories will live on forever," Sheriff Morrison said during Thursday's news conference, as quoted by CNN. Arianna Cozart, Whitney's attorney, also expressed gratitude for the efforts of law enforcement and the support shown by the community, stating, "We continue to be grateful for law enforcement's efforts in this case and are forever appreciative of the entire world's love, compassion, and support for Whitney."
While the Chelan County Coroner's Office is now tasked with determining the cause and time of Decker's death—a process that could take months—officials have moved to close the criminal case. The U.S. Marshals Service, which had previously offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker's arrest, declared him deceased in a court filing and the arrest warrant was quashed, according to ABC News.
As the community reckons with the aftermath of one of the most horrific crimes in its history, Sheriff Morrison offered a somber hope: "I hope we never see anything like this in Chelan County again." He emphasized the enduring commitment of law enforcement: "We will not relent. We will not give up. The girls would not want us to give up."
For now, the search for answers continues, but with the confirmation of Travis Decker's death, the community can begin the long and difficult process of healing, remembering the lives of Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia, whose memories, as their mother hopes, will live on in the hearts of all who knew their story.
