Authorities in Washington state search for Pewaukee native whose daughters were found dead
Police in Washington state have begun a manhunt for a Pewaukee native suspected of killing his three daughters there.
A warrant has been issued for Travis Decker, 32, for three counts each of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, the Wenatchee Police Department said in a June 3 news release. The girls — Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5 — were found dead in Chelan County on June 2, three days after they were reported missing.
Decker was still being sought as part of an investigation that began May 30, when he failed to return the three girls to their mother under a custodial arrangement. Wenatchee police attempted to get the Washington State Patrol to issue an Amber Alert, but circumstances did not warrant a child-abduction alert at that time, according to the release.
According to police, Decker has been living mostly out of his pickup truck, staying occasionally in motels and campgrounds. When the girls were reported missing, authorities — including Wenatchee police, Chelan County sheriff deputies, detectives and a Homeland Security helicopter — began searching those area businesses and sites, and also used Flock surveillance cameras to try to trace his vehicle's path.
Decker's GMC Sierra truck was eventually located at about 3:45 p.m. June 2 near the Rock Island Campground, in Chelan County, but neither Decker nor his daughters were in it. Shortly thereafter, the girls' bodies were discovered in that vicinity. Police offered no specifics about how they died or precisely where they were found.
Authorities added that Decker, who has extensive military training, is considered to pose "a significant risk." It was not known if he was armed with any weapons. Anyone with information was asked to call 911.
Wenatchee Police Capt. Brian Chance, in a phone interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, indicated that Decker has not been formally charged with murder or kidnapping. The court-issued warrant indicates, however, that there is probable cause on the charges for his arrest.
Chance added that that the Chelan County Sheriff's Office will be the lead agency in the investigation.
Decker was a member of a standout 2010 Pewaukee wrestling team, wrestling in the state finals that year.
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com.
This story was updated to add a video.