Police have shared a major update as the manhunt continues for a father who is believed to have murdered his three young daughters.
Travis Decker, 32, is the subject of a massive, multi-agency manhunt after the bodies of Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia, five, were found at a remote campground in Washington.
Police had been contacted on May 30 by the girls' mother, Whitney Decker, after their father failed to return them to her when he was expected to.
“What prompted her to call us was that… he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary,” Capt. Brian Chance told NBC4 Washington.
A court filing revealed the girls were later found with their wrists zip-tied and are believed to have died from asphyxiation.
A massive manhunt was immediately put underway for their 32-year-old father, a former U.S. Army member who later transferred to the Washington National Guard, and has military training and survival skills, and previously went to mountain survival school.
According to reports from USA Today, authorities believe Decker may have scoped out a location to hide and have gone off grid using his outdoor survival skills.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told reporters at a press conference: "It sounds like at times he would go out and would be [living] off grid for sometimes up to two and a half months.
"He could have scoped out this area before [he] put supplies out there and has the ability and the knowledge to survive for a long period of time."
He added that while police believe Decker may be hiding out in the wilderness, police will continue to work with federal agencies including the FBI and Homeland Security to locate him and are "up for that challenge".
Morrison appealed to Decker directly, adding: "Travis, if you're out there seeing us, we'd like you to turn yourself in.
"We want a peaceful resolution to this, but we're not going to relinquish our efforts. So please turn yourself in. Let's wrap this up and do what's right for your kids."
Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia were found dead at a remote campground, believed to have died from suffocation, per the Wenatchee Police Department.
At around 3.45PM on June 2, a Chelan County deputy found an unoccupied truck near the Rock Island Campground, with the girls' bodies being found around 75 to 100 yards from the vehicle, down a small embankment.
While Decker was nowhere to be found, police did trace his cell phone, which showed that he'd visited the same campground the day before the kidnapping.
Police added that Decker was homeless and living out of the white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup at the time.
The manhunt continues.