Found Deceased Olivia 5, Evelyn 8 & Paityn Decker 9, Endangered Alert, visitation w/ homeless dad Travis Decker 32, wh 2017 GMC Sierra PU, Wenatchee, 30 May 2025

[no greed]

How far can he go without a vehicle? He has hitchiked before ( heard that on hidden true crime tonight) so that may have gotten him a little ways the first day or so.
Wonder what his plan was when he left that vehicle there, I suppose he could have used it for another day or so, but he didnt.

I wonder if there is a possibility he had another vehicle stashed at the camp location before picking up the children?

 

[ttjo]

I wonder if there is a possibility he had another vehicle stashed at the camp location before picking up the children?

something not rented and not recently purchased?

 

[tlcya]

His truck was his lifeline, it really is all he has. I am tossed about him abandoning it so close to where he left the girls. Had he not done that they may have not been discovered for sometime. We don't know (or I may have missed it) if they were concealed and covered when they were found. He left multiple phones, wallet, his dog, personal items, etc. He's either set up a cunning escape plan or he's killed himself. I'm still leaning towards suicide. I hope he's found soon. I don't like that he's been known to live off of the grid for a couple of months, this does make me second guess the suicide.

I read the girls were located a short distance from the truck and evidence of a camp site, down an embankment.

On June 2, a Chelan County deputy found an unoccupied truck at about 3:45 p.m. near the Rock Island Campground. Officers found the bodies of the missing girls soon after, about 75 to 100 yards past the vehicle, down a small embankment, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police say father suspected of killing his 3 daughters could be hiding in the wilderness

other articles have stated a trail of plastic bags and zip ties lead LEOs from the truck found area to the girls found area, so I don't think he was too worried about concealment, at least not for the long term. Maybe enough to make them not immediately visible from the road, but sounds like they were visible to naked eye if standing at top of the embankment.

The article above also says this guy is super familiar with the area and often goes off grid for several months at a time out there. No way of knowing if his previous off grid excursions to the area were about scouting hiding spots or caching supplies for an eventual run after these murders. In other words, we really have no clue how long this man planned this.

 

[Ontario Mom]

His truck was his lifeline, it really is all he has. I am tossed about him abandoning it so close to where he left the girls. Had he not done that they may have not been discovered for sometime. We don't know (or I may have missed it) if they were concealed and covered when they were found. He left multiple phones, wallet, his dog, personal items, etc. He's either set up a cunning escape plan or he's killed himself. I'm still leaning towards suicide. I hope he's found soon. I don't like that he's been known to live off of the grid for a couple of months, this does make me second guess the suicide.

The fact that he killed his children, left his truck, supplies, food, phone, wallet & dog, tells me he's also killed himself as well. The bloody hand prints throw a weird angle in but I do think they'll find him deceased.

 

[tlcya]

The fact that he killed his children, left his truck, supplies, food, phone, wallet & dog, tells me he's also killed himself as well. The bloody hand prints throw a weird angle in but I do think they'll find him deceased.

I hope so. It would spare the mother experiencing trial, hearing every gory detail of her girls last moments described clinically before a room full of strangers

 

[bestill]

I hope so. It would spare the mother experiencing trial, hearing every gory detail of her girls last moments described clinically before a room full of strangers

Seriously! The not knowing where he is and what he's doing is just another layer of cruelty and evil. This is so dang sad!

 

[Ontario Mom]

I hope so. It would spare the mother experiencing trial, hearing every gory detail of her girls last moments described clinically before a room full of strangers

While I can't bring myself to hope the guy is dead (I'd rather he face justice for the rest of his life), I completely agree with the mom being spared the nightmarish details that would come out in court.

 

[ttjo]

The fact that he killed his children, left his truck, supplies, food, phone, wallet & dog, tells me he's also killed himself as well. The bloody hand prints throw a weird angle in but I do think they'll find him deceased.

Or he wants people to think he has killed himself, This may be a stretch but, by leaving his truck, wallet, all essentials behind etc. Maybe he thinks suicide is expected and there will be less urgency, less resources used to find him ?
I dont know if that would change anything for law enforcement, but without a vehicle or another form of transportation, you think he'd be easier to find, closer by, but isnt that what he is good at? concealment?

 

[tlcya]

Or he wants people to think he has killed himself.
Unless he had another form of transportation, he couldnt get that far could he? you think he'd be easier to find, but isnt that what he is good at? concealment?

not only skilled at concealment, a skilled survivalist who has gone off grid in that area several times in the past for months at a time. I think he left the wallet and anything identifying him is a risk to continue to carry. He knew he would have no need of it anymore. Same with the truck. I am sure he took exactly nothing identifying with him.

I am betting he dumped his dog at a shelter or somewhere just prior to picking up the girls and killing them. I think he told his ex about financial troubles and and needing to get rid of his dog to give her the impression he had no money and try to guilt her, but do we really know know that? A lot of what we know is through Whitney and she got it from this murderer, so who knows what is true?

I hope to be wrong but I don't think TD has committed suicide. I think he is out there and I think he has the ability to stay out there for a long while.

 

[ttjo]

not only skilled at concealment, a skilled survivalist who has gone off grid in that area several times in the past for months at a time. I think he left the wallet and anything identifying him is a risk to continue to carry. He knew he would have no need of it anymore. Same with the truck. I am sure he took exactly nothing identifying with him.

and that is probably the most likely, its as simple as not taking anything that identifies him or his wherabouts by using ( debit cards etc)

I am betting he dumped his dog at a shelter or somewhere just prior to picking up the girls and killing them. I think he told his ex about financial troubles and and needing to get rid of his dog to give her the impression he had no money and try to guilt her,

I think he was hinting at that too, " look at me suffering," although its been reprted that they had an amicable divorce, sounds like he struggled with it. He probably didnt want the divorce.

but do we really know know that? A lot of what we know is through Whitney and she got it from this murderer, so who knows what is true?

I believe her, because she is not lashing out and blaming people. or even trashing him, that Ive heard anyway. She said he loved he girls and she never thought he'd hurt them, she never wanted to keep them away from him. Poor girl, shes probably dealing with so much guilt over decisions made, but she was trying to be kind to him and give him something to look forward to, cannot fault her for that.

I hope to be wrong but I don't think TD has committed suicide. I think he is out there and I think he has the ability to stay out there for a long while.

 

[tlcya]

[snip]

I believe her, because she is not lashing out and blaming people. or even trashing him, that Ive heard anyway. She said he loved he girls and she never thought he'd hurt them, she never wanted to keep them away from him. Poor girl, shes probably dealing with so much guilt over decisions made, but she was trying to be kind to him and give him something to look forward to, cannot fault her for that.

SBM for focus

What I mean is, most of the info about the dog and financial troubles were relayed to her by the man who would shortly kill their three children. I believe her implicitly, I believe nothing that came from him. not one little bit.

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

So wait, he left the dog in the truck or he told someone he left the dog somewhere?

 

[MizStery]

@ticya This is a post by Websleuths member bambi_sue regarding Travis Decker’s dog named Chinook who was listed on the Humane Society's webpage as in custody, and it's name and description. So, the dog is alive, recovered, and at least was in custody. The listing is no longer on the website - either because it was released from custody or they removed the listing since it was related to the case.

I'm local to Wenatchee. The blanket of grief over this town is tremendous, but the way we're coming together for the family reminds me why I love it here.

I've seen speculation about the dog, I can't find the FB posts now because most of them were deleted, but I was listening to the scanner Monday night and there was chatter about taking the dog to the humane society and getting it's paw measurements. It was unclear if it was related to the case or not, but the next morning (Tuesday) the dog was listed on the Humane Society's webpage as in custody, and it's name and description, Chinook, met what the family had shared. So, the dog is alive, recovered, and at least was in custody. The listing is no longer on the website - either because it was released from custody or they removed the listing since it was related to the case.

 

[zucchinibread]

@ticya This is a post by poster bambi_sue regarding Travis Decker’s dog.

I believe the page has been deleted now, but on the FB page that the girls' mother created, someone posted screenshots of Chinook's (the dog) humane society page after the dog was recovered from the crime scene.

 

[NuttMegg]

Or he wants people to think he has killed himself, This may be a stretch but, by leaving his truck, wallet, all essentials behind etc. Maybe he thinks suicide is expected and there will be less urgency, less resources used to find him ?
I dont know if that would change anything for law enforcement, but without a vehicle or another form of transportation, you think he'd be easier to find, closer by, but isnt that what he is good at? concealment?

What would he ever need in his wallet again? I bet there was no money in it. Leaving it just tells me it's a red herring. I don't think he's dead, why wouldn't he have done it on the spot? Now it's a game, how long can he exist in the woods with previous caches, and like someone alluded to maybe a second car that he took off in Friday. LE knows roughly when the kids died, how far could he have gotten in nearly 3 days? Even just hiking. I wonder how far the dog was released from the campground. Another factor which gives me the notion the girls were dead in the back of the truck. They'd be distraught if he pushed the dog out in front of them.

 

[ttjo]

What would he ever need in his wallet again? Leaving it just tells me it's a red herring. I don't think he's dead, why wouldn't he have done it on the spot? Now it's a game, how long can he exist in the woods with previous caches, and like someone alluded to maybe a second car that he took off in Friday. LE knows roughly when the kids died, how far could he have gotten in nearly 3 days? Even just hiking. I wonder how far the dog was released from the campground. Another factor which gives me the notion the girls were dead in the back of the truck. They'd be distraught if he pushed the dog out in front of them.

Yes this exactly, he doesnt need anything now and he ( might) think he is Rambo.
Why isnt he found closer?

 

[NuttMegg]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

The sheriff said only that the dog was "located", but not necessarily at the crime scene IIRC

 

[zucchinibread]

The sheriff said only that the dog was "located", but not necessarily at the crime scene IIRC

The humane society post said it was found on Icicle Rd., so if not directly at the crime scene, it was on the same street.

 

[NuttMegg]

The humane society post said it was found on Icicle Rd., so if not directly at the crime scene, it was on the same street.

Someone posted the map here early on. IiRC the camp was 18 miles up Icicle Rd. So I haven't seen where the dog was found, but if he walked away from the crime scene, imo the dog would have followed him.


What an interesting twist that the dog's life meant more to him than the children's.

 

[Snoop Sister]

So wait, he left the dog in the truck or he told someone he left the dog somewhere?

The dog was found on a road near the area where the girls were found. There are a few links upthread regarding the dog.