This photo provided by FBI Seattle shows FBI and other law enforcement agencies participating in the search for Travis Decker, who was charged with murder and kidnapping, at Rock Island Campground near Leavenworth, Wa. on Monday, August. 25, 2025. (FBI via AP)
This photo provided by FBI Seattle shows the entrance to Rock Island Campground where multiple law enforcement agencies are participating in the search for Travis Decker, who was charged with murder and kidnapping, near Leavenworth, Wa. on Monday, August. 25, 2025. (FBI via AP)
FILE - Pictures, flowers and candles mark a makeshift memorial Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Wenatchee, Wash., in honor of Olivia, Paityn and Evelyn Decker, who were found dead near Leavenworth after their father Travis Decker failed to return them after a scheduled visitation. (Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times via AP,File)
What to know about the search for Travis Decker, who was wanted in the deaths of his daughters
The remains of a former soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters were believed to be found this week in the mountains of Washington state, authorities said.
This photo provided by FBI Seattle shows FBI and other law enforcement agencies participating in the search for Travis Decker, who was charged with murder and kidnapping, at Rock Island Campground near Leavenworth, Wa. on Monday, August. 25, 2025. (FBI via AP)
The remains of a former soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters were believed to be found this week in the mountains of Washington state, authorities said.
Law enforcement teams for 32-year-old Travis Decker since early June, when a deputy found his truck and the bodies of his three daughters — all under age 10 — at a campground in central Washington.
Authorities are now waiting for forensic tests to , but the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday that preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Decker. Results of the DNA tests are expected soon, the sheriff’s office said Friday.
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What to know about the case:
Travis Decker’s ex-wife was worried about his mental health
A year ago, Decker’s ex-wife sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with their daughters, saying his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable. She wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that Decker, who was an infantryman in the Army for eight years until 2021, was often living out of his truck.
The girls’ bodies were found after a scheduled visit
Authorities began looking for Decker and his daughters after he failed to return them to their mother’s home following a scheduled visit. A sheriff’s deputy found the bodies — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — along with their father’s truck on June 2 at a campground outside Leavenworth, about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of Seattle. An autopsy determined the girls died from suffocation, the sheriff’s office said.
The search covered a rugged terrain in Washington
Following the discovery of the bodies, more than 100 officials with state and federal agencies across hundreds of square miles, including mountainous and remote land. Decker had training in navigation, survival and other skills, authorities said, and once lived in the backwoods off the grid. At one point early in the search, authorities thought they near a remote alpine lake after receiving a tip from hikers.
Remains were found near campground
The sheriff’s office said Friday that the remains were found in a remote wooded area near Grindstone Mountain, not far from the campground. They did not say when they were discovered or provide any other details.
