Leavenworth, WA — Nearly three months after the horrific deaths of his three young daughters, law enforcement is still searching for Travis Decker, the Army veteran accused of suffocating the girls during a camping trip in Chelan County. Despite exhaustive operations that have shut down campgrounds and drawn hundreds of federal and local agents into the Cascade Mountains, Decker remains at large.
The FBI recently led one of the largest efforts to date, deploying specialized teams to conduct a grid search around Rock Island Campground, where the bodies of Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were discovered on June 2. Trails and campgrounds were temporarily closed as agents documented the rugged terrain, looking for signs of Decker or evidence that could explain his disappearance. Sheriff Mike Morrison of Chelan County acknowledged the frustration mounting around the case but insisted that law enforcement is committed to pursuing leads for as long as it takes, even years, if necessary.
Forensic analysis has further cemented investigators’ suspicions. According to officials, DNA from plastic bags and zip ties recovered at the crime scene matched only Decker, confirming him as the sole suspect in his daughters’ deaths. The brutality of the findings, each girl was asphyxiated, has shocked even veteran investigators and deepened the anguish of Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney, who has become the public face of the family’s grief. She continues to press for answers, voicing the heartbreak of a community that remains on edge as long as Decker is unaccounted for.
The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker’s capture. The Rock Island search area has since reopened to the public, but authorities warn that the suspect could still be hiding in the wilderness or relying on survival skills to evade capture.
The case has raised difficult questions about the challenges of manhunts in Washington’s backcountry, where dense forests and steep terrain can provide cover for weeks at a time. It has also renewed discussion about custody oversight and intervention, since Decker had legal access to his daughters prior to their deaths.
For now, the search presses on. Each day without resolution adds to the agony of a mother and community waiting for closure. Sheriff Morrison summed up the mood with a mix of determination and weary honesty: “We understand the frustration. We’re feeling it as well.”
