A family has reportedly spotted Travis Decker, as the manhunt for the father - who allegedly murdered his three daughters - intensifies.
Decker, 33, is accused of murdering daughters Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5, after picking them up for a court-ordered visit on May 30 from their mother Whitney’s home in Washington.
When he did not return the girls, Whitney alerted police, expressing concern due to Decker’s mental health struggles and PTSD from his military service.
Tragically, authorities discovered the young girls’ bodies on June 2 near Decker’s abandoned white GMC Sierra truck at Rock Island Campground in Chelan County.
According to court documents, each child had a plastic bag placed over her head and her wrists zip-tied. An autopsy confirmed they died of suffocation, and their deaths were ruled homicides.
Despite an intense manhunt and widespread news coverage, Decker has remained missing, with authorities warning he may be armed and dangerous.
Over the holiday weekend, a family camping in the Bear Creek area of Sawtooth National Forest reported seeing a man matching Decker’s description, according to the US Marshals Service Greater Idaho Task Force, cited by the Daily Mail.
The man was described as between 5'8" and 5'10", with black gauged earrings, a black backpack, black mesh cap, cream-colored shirt, black shorts, a mustache, overgrown beard, and hair in a ponytail.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the description closely matches Decker, who is 5'8", around 190 lbs, with black hair, brown eyes, and earrings.
The US Marshals have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker’s capture and have urged the public not to approach him but to call 911 immediately.
Todd McGhee, a former Massachusetts state trooper and security analyst, told ABC News that cadaver dogs have not detected any remains in the forest, a sign Decker may still be alive.
“Canines are trained to look for cadavers and sniff for those types of odors, so he's still maybe on the move,” McGhee said.
Given Decker’s extensive military background, which includes service in Afghanistan and survival training, McGhee believes Decker could remain hidden for an extended period.
“He'll eventually have to surface through seeking shelter, seeking food, nutrition — those types of things will require him to come out of hiding and, to some degree, expose himself to the general public,” he explained.
“I'm confident that something should reveal itself as far as a resolution as to where his existence is and hopefully a capture and an arrest.”
At a memorial service on June 20, Whitney Decker shared memories of her daughters’ bright spirits, saying: “I'm so thankful for that time I had with the girls. When the world slowed down, it gave me an inside look at their day.”
She added: “I believe doing this with them allowed them to come into the world with open hearts and kindness,” and closed her remarks with, “I truly hope that the legacy of the girls’ lives lives on in everyone’s heart forever. They were incredible.”
Whitney’s attorney, Arianna Cozart, told NewsNation that Whitney wants Decker found “dead or alive.”
“That’s a huge, a huge thing that she wants,” Cozart said. “It’s very, very important to her so that she can have peace.”
Cozart added Whitney believes systemic failures, including the handling of Decker’s mental health issues and PTSD, contributed to the tragedy, stating: “The courts didn’t fail these girls. It wasn’t the judge and it wasn’t Whitney; it was our system. [Whitney] feels like the system really let Travis down.”
Decker is wanted on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of kidnapping, with the US Marshals Service and local law enforcement coordinating the ongoing search.
Helicopters, drones, and ground teams have combed the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and surrounding areas, while authorities have also coordinated with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police due to the proximity to the border and Decker’s previous online searches about moving to Canada.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison reaffirmed the commitment to find Decker, stating authorities “can’t and won’t quit this search” because “Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker deserve justice.”