CHELAN COUNTY, WA- A mystery out of Washington State has taken a heartbreaking turn after three young girls who were reported missing last week after a planned visit with their father were found dead. Now, authorities have shifted their focus to the girls’ father, Travis Decker.
The three sisters, Paityin, Evelyn, and Olivia, were found just before 4 p.m. PDT Monday, NewsNation revealed, after investigators in Chelan County developed information that led them to search the Leavenworth area, hoping to find the girls alive. A county Forest Service deputy located Decker’s vehicle in a remote area near a campground in Wenatchee, and then found the three deceased girls. Decker was not able to be located.
Authorities are combing the area around the scene where the sisters were found and are working with multiple agencies, including local, state, and federal, to locate Decker, who is considered a person of interest.
A regional SWAT team, US Border Patrol agents, and the Department of Homeland Security CI agents are involved in the manhunt, authorities said.
It is unknown if Decker is armed; however, police have warned the public that he should be considered dangerous and advised residents not to approach him if spotted, instead notifying law enforcement.
The three girls, Paityin, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5, vanished while visiting Decker, who was homeless and was further described as “troubled,” according to The New York Post.
Last Friday, Decker picked up the girls at their mother’s house for a planned visitation; however, they quickly went missing. Decker is described as a military veteran with extensive training and experience. Even before the bodies were found, a warrant was issued for Decker for custodial interference.
Those charges were upgraded Tuesday to three counts each of kidnapping and three counts of first-degree murder, police told Fox13, according to the Post.
Decker frequented campgrounds and hotels in the local area with his dog, according to authorities.
Before her worst fears were realized, the girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, pleaded for their safe return.
“I just want the girls back home safe and sound–that is the most important thing to me,” she said in an emailed statement sent to NCWLIFE.
“I am concerned about the safety and well-being of my girls and their dad. This is an unimaginable situation. I am pleading for everyone to look out for them.”
Whitney said her ex-husband had never posed a problem before, and didn’t think his mental health battles would make him “dangerous.” She noted that he had “struggled since he left the military.”
“I think that he is impulsive, and he loves his children very much.”
The sisters all attended Lincoln Elementary School in the Wenatchee School District. Superintendent Kory Kalahar stated that counseling services were being offered to any students who needed them.
“To allow our students, staff, and families the space and privacy they need to mourn and begin healing, we respectfully ask that you do not come to the school campus except for regular school business,” the superintendent said in a letter sent to parents.
Decker is described as 5-foot-8 inches tall, 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts, police said.
