For nearly three months, the quiet forests of Chelan County, Washington, have been at the center of a grim and urgent manhunt. The search for Travis Decker, the 32-year-old father accused of killing his three young daughters, has become one of the most closely watched criminal investigations in the Pacific Northwest this year. Authorities, led by the U.S. Marshals Service and supported by local and state agencies, continue to scour the region and beyond, desperate for any sign of Decker’s whereabouts.
The tragedy began to unfold on June 2, 2025, when the bodies of Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were discovered near the Rock Island Campground along Icicle Creek, just outside Leavenworth. According to a detailed press release from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office and reporting by ABC News, each girl was found with plastic bags over her head—two of the sisters had two bags each, while the youngest had three. Their wrists were bound with zip-ties, and several cable ties were scattered on the ground nearby.
The chilling scene was processed by the Washington State Patrol Crime Response Team, who carefully collected the plastic bags and cable ties for forensic analysis. Medical examiners quickly determined that the cause of death for all three girls was suffocation, ruling the deaths homicides. The community, already reeling from the loss, was left with more questions than answers as the search for their father began in earnest.
As investigators dug deeper, the evidence began to mount. On August 6, 2025, the Washington State Crime Lab reported a breakthrough: DNA profiles matching Travis Decker were found on the plastic bags and cable ties used in the murders. DNA from the three daughters was also found on the bags, but no other DNA profiles were detected. "The completion of this DNA analysis provides additional evidence that indicates Travis Decker is the only suspect involved in committing these homicides," officials stated in a release cited by KOMO News and FOX 13 Seattle. Bloody handprints matching Decker’s DNA were also found on the tailgate of his vehicle, which had been abandoned near the crime scene.
Despite these forensic breakthroughs, Decker himself has remained elusive. The last confirmed sighting of him was before the girls’ bodies were discovered, and since then, authorities have chased down dozens of tips and reported sightings. None have led to his capture. The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, in its latest update, emphasized, "At this time, we do not have any evidence to suggest Travis Decker is either alive or deceased." The search has spanned local trails, remote wilderness, and even considered the possibility that Decker could have fled out of state—or even out of the country.
Investigators believe Decker’s background may be helping him evade capture. He served as an Army infantryman from March 2013 to July 2021, including a deployment to Afghanistan. According to KOMO News, Decker is trained in navigation and survival skills, and once spent more than two months living off the grid in the backwoods. Authorities initially theorized he might have disappeared into the wilderness, possibly along the Pacific Crest Trail, using his military experience to stay hidden.
Adding to the urgency, federal prosecutors have charged Decker with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, on top of three counts of murder and kidnapping. Court documents obtained by KOMO News also reveal that, in the days before the murders, Decker conducted online searches for “how does a person move to Canada,” “how to relocate to Canada,” and “jobs Canada.” This has fueled speculation that he may have been planning his escape even before the tragedy unfolded.
Law enforcement’s determination to find Decker remains unwavering. Sheriff Mike Morrison of Chelan County told ABC News, "We could be in a fight for five years, 10 years, 20 years. I certainly hope we're looking at a couple weeks and it closes out, but it could be a long time and we are committed to staying with it." Morrison added, "He could be international at this point. He could be national, he could be here locally. We haven't given up. Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia are still very much in our minds."
The U.S. Marshals Service has put up a $20,000 reward for information leading directly to Decker’s arrest. Their Special Operations Group is leading the manhunt, coordinating with local, state, and federal partners. Authorities are urging the public not to approach Decker if spotted, but to call 911 immediately. He is considered armed and dangerous, and police warn that any attempt to contact him could be extremely risky.
The case has also reignited debate over Amber Alert protocols and the challenges of tracking fugitives with military or survival backgrounds. Local lawmakers and advocates have begun pushing for reforms to ensure faster response times and more robust interagency cooperation in similar cases. The community of Wenatchee, meanwhile, continues to mourn the loss of the Decker sisters, with memorials and vigils serving as a stark reminder of the tragedy’s lasting impact.
As the investigation stretches into its fourth month, the sense of urgency is palpable. Authorities are planning new operations, hoping that a different approach might yield new leads. Sheriff Morrison told FOX 13 Seattle, "We do have an operation that's going to be up and coming here with one of our federal partners to take a different approach in the search. I still believe there is a high probability that he's still in Washington state. Nothing is flagging on him to show that he's been out in society."
For now, the fate of Travis Decker remains one of the region’s most pressing mysteries. The hope among law enforcement and the public alike is that, with continued vigilance and cooperation, answers—and justice—will eventually come.
