WENATCHEE, Wash. — Forensic tests confirmed that human remains found on a remote mountain in Washington state this month were those of Travis Decker, a former soldier wanted for killing his three young daughters last spring, officials confirmed Thursday.
His remains were discovered on a steep, remote, wooded slope part way up Grindstone Mountain in central Washington, less than a mile (1.6 km) from the campsite where the bodies of 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker were found on June 2, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said.
Law enforcement teams had been searching more than three months for Decker, 32, before the sheriff’s office announced last week it had located human remains believed to be his. Sheriff Mike Morrison said Thursday that DNA tests on clothing found at the scene as well as from the remains matched Decker.
The sheriff said investigators wanted to honor the girls’ memory by solving the case, and he apologized to their mother, Whitney Decker, that it took so long.
“I hope you can rest easier at night knowing that Travis is accounted for,” Morrison said.
Decker had been with his daughters on a scheduled visit but failed bring them back to his former wife, who a year ago said that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable.
He was often living out of his truck, she said in a petition seeking to restrict him from having overnight visits with them.
A deputy found Decker’s truck as well as the girls’ bodies three days after Decker failed to return them to their mother’s house. Autopsies found the girls had been suffocated.
Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014. He had training in navigation, survival and other skills, authorities said, and once spent more than two months living in the backwoods off the grid.
More than 100 officials with an array of state and federal agencies searched hundreds of square miles, much of it mountainous and remote, by land, water and air during the on and off search. The U.S. Marshals Service offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his capture.
At one point early in the search, authorities thought they spotted Decker near a remote alpine lake after receiving a tip from hikers.
Officials say the coroner’s office continues to work on determining the cause and time of his death.
Story Continues
© Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read the full article here
36 Comments
This case highlights the importance of mental health awareness, especially for veterans. Many struggle silently and sometimes snap.
Even with awareness, it’s impossible to catch every case. Tragic but true.
Absolutely. More support is needed for vets, but it’s sad that this didn’t prevent such a tragedy.
The apologies from officials don’t bring the girls back, but they acknowledge the suffering of the mother and family.
At least the family now has some answers, even if they’re brutal.
Words can’t heal the pain, but accountability and respect do matter.
Every time a case like this surfaces, it’s a reminder of how fragile life can be and the importance of cherishing our loved ones.
Unfortunately, for the Decker family, life was cruelly taken from them.
Too many families know this pain firsthand.
Gun violence and family tragedies like this keep happening, but still no meaningful action is taken to prevent them.
Until stricter gun laws are enforced, stories like this will keep repeating.
It’s a systemic issue that requires more than just awareness.
It’s disturbing to think he was found so close to where the girls’ bodies were discovered. Makes you wonder what was going through his mind.
Hard to imagine the torment that would drive someone to do something so monstrous and then take their own life.
Maybe he couldn’t face the guilt and chose to end his life in the same area. It’s all just sad.
The fact that it took over three months to locate him speaks to how isolated and remote the area was. Nature can be both beautiful and unforgiving.
Exactly. The wilderness can hide a lot, making recovery efforts extremely difficult.
Nature often serves as an escape, but in this case, it delayed justice and closure.
Losing his children and then taking his own life in the same area—it’s a chilling thought.
The proximity to where the girls were found adds an eerie layer to this tragedy.
Some crimes are just too dark to fully comprehend.
This is a heartbreaking story. It’s shocking how a former soldier could commit such a heinous crime against his own children.
The military background makes it even more unsettling. Weren’t there any signs or red flags before this happened?
Unfortunately, family tragedies like this show that no amount of screening or background can predict such horrific acts.
The sheriff’s focus on honoring the girls’ memory is commendable. They deserve to be remembered, not forgotten in the shadow of this crime.
Their lives matter more than the tragedy of their deaths. Forever 9, 8, and 5 years old.
Hopefully, their story can bring some attention to child protection and safety measures.
The Sheriff’s Office did a thorough job, but the system failed the girls before this even happened.
Prevention is key, but it’s often overlooked until it’s too late.
The warning signs might not have been clear, but the outcome is still devastating.
The mother must have gone through unbearable pain, not knowing for months what happened to her daughters and the man responsible.
No parent should ever endure that kind of uncertainty and anguish.
The not knowing was probably worse than the truth in some ways.
The sheriff’s apology to the mother shows how deeply this case affected everyone involved. It’s a small comfort, but at least there’s some closure now.
It must have been agonizing for the mother, waiting all these months for answers.
Some closure, but the pain for the mother and family will never fully fade.