Human remains believed to be those of Travis Decker, the Washington father accused of killing his three daughters, were uncovered in a densely wooded area just miles from the campground where the girls’ bodies were found.
The remains were discovered this week in a remote region south of Leavenworth, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Thursday.
“While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker,” the sheriff’s office continued, adding that it “is currently processing the scene” with the Washington State Patrol response team.
A DNA analysis will also be done.
Authorities had been searching for Decker, an Army veteran skilled in wilderness survival, since May 30, when he failed to bring his daughters home after what was supposed to be a three-hour custody visit. The girls — Paityn 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — were last seen alive at their mother’s home in Wenatchee Valley before the “planned visitation,” police said at the time.
Authorities launched a massive search effort days later, which culminated in the discovery of their remains near a campground in Leavenworth. Per a preliminary examination, all three girls likely died by asphyxiation.
Some three weeks into the manhunt, authorities issued a statement raising doubt Decker was still alive, adding that their focus had shifted to finding his remains.
“We are praying that the remains found are confirmed to be Travis‘s,” Arianna Cozart, the attorney for the girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, told ABC News on Thursday. “We continue to be grateful for law enforcement’s efforts in this case and are forever appreciative of the entire world’s love, compassion, and support for Whitney.”
