Sheriff remains ‘optimistic’ about tracking down Wenatchee father wanted for killings of his daughters

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office is “optimistic” it will locate a man accused of killing his three young daughters at a campsite and fleeing the scene, sheriff Mike Morrison said at a news conference Wednesday evening.

“My message is still the same,” Morrison said. “Turn yourself in … We will not relinquish our efforts. Do us right for your kids.”

Travis Caleb Decker, 32, is charged with the murder and kidnapping in connection to the deaths of his children, Olivia Decker, 5; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Paityn Decker, 9, from Wenatchee. The girls were found bound and asphyxiated in an embankment at the Rock Island Campground near Leavenworth, according to previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review.

Their father has not been seen since last week when he failed to return the children to their mother after a planned visit.

Decker, who is homeless and only allowed day visits unless an exception is made, is said to have borderline personality disorder for which he did not take medication, according to court records. He has never failed to return his kids to their mother before, and the children generally enjoyed being with him, court records say. Investigators later found his white truck and miscellaneous supplies at the campground, along with plastic bags and zip ties.

The discovery led to a near-statewide manhunt.

Morrison said during the news conference they are “optimistic” they can track his location, even though Decker is a military veteran with elite wilderness survival skills. He went through survival school as a kid and had more training in the military, Morrison said, and his family told investigators they believe he is able to live “off the grid” for more than two days.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release they don’t believe Decker is armed, but consider him dangerous.

Aerial units from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office are assisting Chelan County in the search across the Okanagan Wenatchee National Forest, along with federal law enforcement. The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit were also called in and have rendered “good leads” about Decker’s mindset and thought process at the time of the killings, Morrison said.

Multiple tips have come in, including sightings from McCall, Idaho, but were determined not to be Decker, the sheriff said at the news conference. Agencies have swept fast-moving creeks, steep terrain, cellphone data and financial documents for clues. The sheriff’s office also has limited resources, Morrison added, but the assistance Chelan County, most of which is not accessible by road, has received from statewide agencies statewide gives him confidence.

“We are up for the challenge,” he said. “We are aware of our terrain … And we are not doing it alone.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Decker family’s GoFundMe has raised more than half a million dollars.

“Their light touched so many, and the pain of this loss is immeasurable,” the post says about the Decker girls. The girls and their family are the “motivating force” behind the rigorous search, Morrison said Wednesday.

The agency has set up a tip line for people with knowledge or sightings of Decker to submit information.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office has posted a $20,000 reward leading to his arrest.

Decker was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt with dark shorts, has black hair and brown eyes, is 5-foot-8 and weighs about 190 pounds. He may pose a risk if he is approached, police said in a release. If found, call 911 immediately.