Calls to change state law grow amid hunt for dad suspected of killing daughters

The deaths of three young girls police believe were killed by their father have left communities throughout Washington grief-stricken and shaken.

Now, calls for reforms to state law and the judicial system are starting to crescendo.

Helping to lead the chorus is state Rep. Travis Couture, an Allyn Republican who believes the three sisters would still be alive if the court had barred the father from unsupervised visitation.

Suspect Travis Decker, 32, is reportedly unhoused and has struggled with mental health issues. The bodies of Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn, 9, were found near Leavenworth earlier this week.

Couture classified the sisters’ deaths as a “massive, heartbreaking failure of Washington’s judicial system.” It’s a problem that’s all too common, he said: “We should change the law.”

“Did not complete court ordered evaluations? No visitation. (By the way, these orders are extremely common to be blatantly ignored, and are rarely enforced),” Couture wrote in a June 4 post on X. “Did complete evals but results deemed you unsafe? No visitation. It’s that simple.” These girls would be alive today had the court granted no unsupervised visitation, as requested. A massive, heartbreaking failure of Washington’s judicial system. And it’s far too common. We should change the law. Did not complete court ordered evaluations? No visitation.

As of Friday, Decker remained a fugitive and the manhunt for him has stretched on for days. It’s unknown whether he’s armed, but police say he should be viewed as dangerous.

Authorities have underscored that the former military member has wilderness survival skills. He’s wanted on three counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping.

The young Decker sisters were discovered near a campground in Wenatchee following a planned visit with Decker, and their killings have spurred heated debate over the state’s child welfare laws.

The Keeping Families Together Act was passed in 2021 and aims to cut down on the number of children put into the foster-care system. But critics argue that while the law may have been well-intended, it’s now putting children’s safety at risk.

Couture said in an interview that family court in Washington state is a “complete mess.” He said there are cases of moms with kids in tow trying to escape dangerous situations who are “(taken advantage of) in the courtroom process in family court.”

Couture cited the state’s imminent-harm standard as a barrier, arguing that it’s impossible to predict the exact time when someone might commit violence or murder.

“If you’re throwing kids into dangerous situations, that is neglect – not only neglect by the parent who is physically unable to care for the child, but neglect by the state as well,” he said.

Decker had been granted certain visitation days, including every other Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., according to KIRO 7. But on May 30, his ex-wife called police before 10 p.m. to report Decker hadn’t returned the girls following a scheduled visit.

Decker had declined to sign a parental-modification form and didn’t go to court-ordered mental health, domestic violence or anger management counseling, according to reporting by KIRO 7.

Whitney Decker, the three girls’ mother, is also calling for the state’s AMBER Alert system to be reformed. An Amber Alert is a public notification system used to help locate abducted children who are believed to be in imminent danger.

Couture highlighted the “mental gymnastics” it takes to place young kids with someone who is unhoused. He noted that Decker had brought the girls to sleep at the Wenatchee armory, where he’d been living, around dozens of other men.

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Couture said, adding he understands that people go through hard times. “But you still need to put the kids first in this whole conversation.”

Couture plans to work on legislative solutions with his caucus and, he hopes, Democratic lawmakers.

He emphasized striking the right balance between parental rights and protecting children.

The Republican hopes state leaders will come to the table to pursue reasonable, rational reforms.

“Let’s come to a compromise, let’s make it better than it is today, and let’s just keep working on it,” he said. “Let’s not take one thing and then sit in our silo, and think that works forever.”