Authorities in Washington state have discovered human remains believed to be those of Travis Decker, a 32-year-old former Army soldier accused of killing his three young daughters in May before vanishing into the Cascade Mountains.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that the remains, found in a remote wooded area on Grindstone Mountain south of Leavenworth, are likely Decker’s, though DNA analysis is still needed for confirmation.
“While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, CBS News reported.
The discovery, made with the aid of drones and cadaver dogs, occurred just miles from the campsite where the bodies of Decker’s daughters — 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia — were found on June 2. The girls’ mother reported them missing on May 30 after Decker failed to return them to her home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles east of Seattle, following a scheduled visit.
Authorities later found the girls’ bodies down an embankment at a Cascade Mountains campsite, their wrists bound with zip ties. Autopsies determined they died from suffocation.
Sheriff Mike Morrison told CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO-TV that clothing and personal items found near the remains resembled those Decker was last seen wearing. The remains, including bone fragments, were located in dense brush at an elevation of 4,000 feet, an area that had previously been unsearched, Morrison said. Detectives were hoisted by helicopter to the site, which would take about three hours to reach on foot.
Collected items have been sent to a state police crime lab for DNA testing to confirm the identity, Morrison added.
Decker, an Army veteran with survival skills, became the sole suspect after DNA from plastic bags and zip ties found near the girls’ bodies matched his profile. His truck, found abandoned near Rock Island Campground on June 2, contained a bloody fingerprint on the tailgate. The girls’ bodies were discovered roughly 100 yards away, along with scattered zip ties and plastic bags. Decker’s dog, found in the truck, was taken to a humane society.
The manhunt for Decker involved local, state, and federal agencies, utilizing drones, cadaver dogs, and GoPro cameras to navigate the rugged terrain. Authorities noted Decker likely fled on foot with minimal supplies, complicating the search.
In June, photos showing possible changes to Decker’s appearance were released, and a $20,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest. Earlier this month, the FBI investigated bones thought to be Decker’s, but they were later determined to be non-human.
The sheriff’s office said it has been in contact with the Decker family regarding the investigation’s developments. The scene on Grindstone Mountain is still being processed as authorities await DNA results.