Authorities in Washington state say they have found human remains that are believed to belong to Travis Caleb Decker, the man accused of killing his three young daughters earlier this year.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday that the remains were discovered in a remote, wooded area south of the town of Leavenworth. While official identification has not yet been completed, investigators say early evidence points to Decker as the person the remains belong to.
Decker, who is an Army veteran trained in wilderness survival, had been the target of a large and intensive manhunt since May. He was accused of suffocating his daughters ,Olivia, 5 years old; Evelyn, 8, and Paityn, 9, whose bodies were found on June 2 near an abandoned campsite in the Washington Cascades. Police reported that the girls were found with plastic bags over their heads, along with zip ties and other evidence connecting Decker to the crime.
The children had been reported missing after Decker failed to return them to their mother during a court-ordered visitation. Investigators later found his abandoned truck near Rock Island Campground, not far from the site where the girls’ bodies were discovered.
DNA evidence collected from the plastic bags and cable ties matched Decker’s profile, confirming that he was directly involved in the killings. Despite months of searches using drones, cadaver dogs, swift water teams, and assistance from federal authorities, Decker had managed to avoid capture.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that the area where the remains were found is being carefully processed with help from the Washington State Patrol crime scene response team. A DNA test will be conducted to officially confirm that the remains belong to Decker.
Officials also said they have informed the Decker family about this latest development in the investigation.
