Suspected sightings of Travis Decker intensify search in the Ingalls Creek area near Leavenworth
SEATTLE – The search for a former U.S. Army soldier accused of killing his three young daughters outside of Leavenworth more than a week ago intensified Tuesday, spurred on by a tip from a hiking party about a lone hiker ill-prepared for trail and weather conditions who was spotted near the Enchantments alpine area, according to the Chelan County sheriff’s office.
The tip noted the lone hiker “appeared to be avoiding others” on the trails, prompting tracking teams to respond to the area, where an off-trail hiker was spotted and ran from a helicopter flying near Colchuck Lake, a sheriff’s news release issued Tuesday afternoon states. More searchers and a police K-9 unit were called in and tracked a man believed to be Travis Decker, 32, to the Ingalls Creek trailhead, south of Peshastin, off Highway 97.
Hikers who have visited the Enchantments area and saw anything suspicious or anyone who was hiking solo within the past week are asked to call the U.S. Marshal Service’s tipline, (800) 336-0102 or email at usmarshals.gov/tips. Anyone who spots Decker, who is considered armed and dangerous, should call 911.
Investigators are also asking anyone who lives or has a cabin in the area to contact them if they see suspicious activity or if they have video footage that could aid in the search.
While the U.S. Border Patrol has taken over command for the search, Chelan County sheriff’s detectives continue to process evidence and lead the criminal investigation into Decker, who is suspected of killing his daughters Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia, ages 9, 8 and 5 respectively.
The girls were last seen alive by their mother on May 30, when Decker picked them up in Wenatchee for a custodial visit. Their bodies and Decker’s GMC pickup were found June 2 near an abandoned campsite near the dead-end of Icicle Road about 18 miles west of Leavenworth.
Authorities converged along Highway 97 late Monday, with the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office reporting that police were searching for Decker in the area of Ingalls Creek – a community about 12 miles south of Leavenworth.
The new area of focus is roughly 30 miles by car from Rock Island Campground, near where Decker is accused of suffocating his three daughters and leaving their bodies, around the dead-end of Icicle Road.
The two areas are also connected by rugged backcountry trails. A hiker could take an L-shaped route through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area along Ingalls Creek, skirting the higher elevation of the Enchantments, which are still covered in snow.
Prosecutors charged Decker last week with aggravated murder and kidnapping. More than 100 officers from local, state and federal agencies, including from the Washington National Guard, joined the pursuit for him.
Sheriff’s detectives recovered “a large amount of evidence” from Decker’s abandoned GMC pickup, according to a news release Monday. His dog was also found alive.
A blood sample from the scene was confirmed to have originated in a male, while a second came back as nonhuman.
Until now, the sheriff’s office had not released any evidence to suggest whether it believed Decker was dead or alive. It has searched on the assumption he was trying to avoid arrest. An affidavit filed in federal court noted Decker is an avid outdoorsman who once spent over two months in the wilderness.
Whitney Decker, the girls’ mother, filed a petition requesting a one-year domestic violence protection order after her ex-husband failed to bring the girls home. The petition says Decker owned an “unknown” number of handguns, rifles and shotguns.
