Remains found in search for father accused of killing his 3 daughters
Authorities in north-central Washington State late Thursday said they have found human remains they believe belong to Travis Decker, the man they have been hunting for months following the deaths of his three daughters.
Authorities on Thursday night said they have found remains they believe belong to Travis Decker, a man accused of killing his three daughters in early June. Photo courtesy of Chelan County Sheriff's Office/Facebook UPI
Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Authorities in north-central Washington State late Thursday said they have found human remains they believe belong to Travis Decker, the man they have been hunting for months following the deaths of his three daughters.
The remains were discovered during a search this week of a wooded are south of Leavenworth, Wash., the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a statement made public Thursday night.
"While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker," the statement said.
"The Sheriff's Office is currently processing the scene with the assistance of [the Washington State Police] crime scene response team, to be followed up with DNA analysis."
Local, state and federal law enforcement have been hunting Decker since June 2, when his three daughters -- 5-year-old Olive, 8-year-old Evelyn and 9-year-old Paityn -- were found dead near a campground along Icicle Creek just outside of Leavenworth.
The children were found with plastic bags over their heads, with cable ties in the immediate vicinity. Autopsies completed by the medical examiner determined each child died by suffocation. The manner of death was homicide.
The Washington State Crime Lab on Aug. 6, reported DNA profiles matching Decker were found on the plastic bags that were placed over his daughters' heads.
Aside from his DNA and those of his daughters, no other DNA was obtained from the plastic bags, authorities said, adding that only his DNA profile was found on the cable ties.
A reward of $20,000 was offered by the U.S. Marshals Service earlier this summer. In June, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson unlocked emergency funds and the state's National Guard resources to support the search.
