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

[TMich6811]

I know we think hes a monster, at the same time you cant help but wonder for what he must have gone through to make him like this.
I hope that there is some learning from this for the people who should be taking care of vets,
I have read 2 articles one says he refused care, one says he was unable to get it? I dont know which one is true.

And herein lies our never ending issue. We know that monsters are (generally) created, not genetically predisposed though genetics play a factor into resiliency and some natural mental health symptoms. The majority of this happens due to big or little T trauma. And if we can’t circle back to the trauma incident it’s because the person didnt talk about it not because it didn’t exist. The never ending issue is how to acknowledge that’s what happened to someone and use it to stop the cycles.

Meanwhile, I work in almost every county in the state and couldn’t tell you a vet qualified therapist that would have an appointment in the next month.

It’s defeating really. I hope other countries are doing all of this better.

 

[TMich6811]

Given his search history I wonder if his plan had originally been to leave the country and something occurred that prompted this. I’m not convinced it was fully premeditated. Those materials aren’t hard to access and I can guarantee my husband has them in his truck as I type this.

I also wonder if the dog bit him resulting in the blood.

 

[ttjo]

And herein lies our never ending issue. We know that monsters are (generally) created, not genetically predisposed though genetics play a factor into resiliency and some natural mental health symptoms. The majority of this happens due to big or little T trauma. because the person didnt talk about it not because it didn’t exist. The never ending issue is how to acknowledge that’s what happened to someone and use it to stop the cycles.

Meanwhile, I work in almost every county in the state and couldn’t tell you a vet qualified therapist that would have an appointment in the next month.

It’s defeating really. I hope other countries are doing all of this better.

any insight into why this?
if we can’t circle back to the trauma incident it’s because the person didnt talk about it not because it didn’t exist.
is it shame? or they are not able to recall?

 

[iamshadow21]

I guess soaking the bed was a respectful way to phrase it.
it was mentioned earlier in this thread that he did serve some time in afghanistan, but i dont know for how long, or if thats what the ptsd is from, now after reading TMich6811 comment above "You fully understand that people are gang raped and assaulted in boot camp, right?" it could be that . Holy cow I had no idea that stuff happened.

Am I the only one who thinks that what was meant was sweating so much he soaked the bed clothes, not enuresis?

 

[TMich6811]

Am I the only one who thinks that what was meant was sweating so much he soaked the bed clothes, not enuresis?

I definitely did not think sweating but either way I would think ptsd response

But he is not the type to be bullied that way apparently made friends.

That doesn’t mean he didn’t experience any of those traumatic events just by being in the military


I’m not defending him I think this is horrific and he should have gotten help. I just think that we need to call a spade a spade when it came to the likelihood of having ptsd and not try to downplay it like his military experience wasn’t traumatic enough

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

I don't believe there is any known fact as to the cause of Decker's alleged PTSD. It could simply be from an emotional trauma as a child, a physical assault as a teen, etc etc.

No need to derail the thread with extensive speculation and discussion about possible sexual assault in the military. Anything is possible .. we just don't know at this point in time.

 

[Knox]

I know we think hes a monster, at the same time you cant help but wonder for what he must have gone through to make him like this.
I hope that there is some learning from this for the people who should be taking care of vets,
I have read 2 articles one says he refused care, one says he was unable to get it? I dont know which one is true.
Ive read that borderrlines have an intense fear of abandonment .
he was searching for connections and then killed the 3 best connections he could have had.

Curious if ex-wife had recently started seeing someone?

 

[Vortexaire]

I dont know, the article just said " soaking the bed" I dont know exactly if that means. peeing. sweating. pouring water? The article was posted in here but now I cant remember which one it was? Ill go look.

From my interpretation I think it means "to wake up sweating". I would like to think that sometimes people with bad nightmares can wake up sweating in the sheets.

 

[Midnight_Fox]

Are they sure he is heading for the PCT? Wenatchee is less than three hours from Osoyoos BC. He could be in the Southern Interior aka the Okanagan.

 

[Boxer]

Are they sure he is heading for the PCT? Wenatchee is less than three hours from Osoyoos BC. He could be in the Southern Interior aka the Okanagan.

Agree. PCT too travelled. Deer trails up canyons a better bet.

 

[Seattle1]

While WD's attorney tells PEOPLE that they believe TD's already deceased, they did file a restraining order against him on 6/3/25. The petition detailed some interesting information about his behavior at work on Friday, and the weeks leading up to the murders.

6/6/25

Wenatchee mother's restraining order reveals Travis Decker's escalating behavior

CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. — A protection order petition filed by the mother of three murdered Wenatchee girls exposes the escalating behavior of Travis Decker in the weeks before their disappearance.

www.kxly.com

 

[Charlot123]

OK let's assume that we shall probably never know what was his discharge diagnosis. The army doesn't owe us one.

Former Army squadmate of Travis Decker speaks | FOX 13 Seattle

As new details continue to unfold in the case against Travis Decker, FOX 13 has learned more about the man at the center of the tragic killings of his three daughters.

www.fox13seattle.com

Looking at it from a different standpoint: he didn't pass the elite ranger school exam.

So the army did not qualify a person (who later ended up killing three daughters) to serve. PTSD or not, he simply did not make the cut. We can view it as perhaps Travis being failed by everyone, or possibly, the opposite: by weeding him out, the army protected the civilians from an armed man with progressing mental/physical issues.

Let us look at it from the other angle: he was not dishonorably discharged. Meaning, he got insurance (Tricare) and VA services.

I thought VA was far, but if Travis Decker got many-hours sessions in GA, he could have gotten full evaluation and Zoom group sessions in VA. He had a car. Wenachee...it is easier to get to Western WA via I-90 vs route 2, but it was accessible. There is a closer VA, but I view the Tacoma one as the best. Anyhow…he was able to plan, as we now see.

I think that another thing was at stake: he wanted to get back into the army - eventually, to get pension and benefits, so he suppressed whatever issues he had.
What comes with “thank you for your service” is not bad at all.

On the other hand, his coworkers (i presume, the carpenters in Idaho) did not accept him. We can ask them, was it bullying or was his behavior such that it elicited a predictable reaction. (Probably, in the middle. All i can tell is that no one likes people who are cruel to animals, and if his dog was a service one they had to see something).

Maybe he lived out of his car and three plastic bags and zip-ties in a car were expected. But tbh, it is hard to get plastic bags in WA nowadays. I ordered some anti-moths zippered ones from Amazon, and they have a “breathing hole”, btw. Still, better than nothing.

A complicated situation. Sadly, I feel that he was/is very sick. But the responsibility to take medication was his, right? What about finishing the evaluation and getting the diagnosis? Maybe, not to self-medicate (this is a big question. We don't know. But some bizarre twist to this story makes me wonder..again, the army doesn’t owe us the explanation. Maybe people around him, former friends or coworkers, know more).

I am not quite sure he is moving to Canada but hope the police and everyone involved is right.

 

[Miss Poovy]

From my interpretation I think it means "to wake up sweating". I would like to think that sometimes people with bad nightmares can wake up sweating in the sheets.

II think sweating also. If he admired his father’s service in the military, he may have felt he failed when he couldn’t follow his father’s path & felt shame and any underlying problems may have escalated.

 

[Charlot123]

Are they sure he is heading for the PCT? Wenatchee is less than three hours from Osoyoos BC. He could be in the Southern Interior aka the Okanagan.

Well, tbh, much as people from Idaho are religious as he is, they are harsh folks and won’t tolerate this stuff for long, so I won’t go that route. Although, to travel to Montana and then, Wyoming, and he can survive there for years.

But most logical would be to go South to Eastern Oregon and then, SW to the Bay Area. He can hide among their homeless all his life. His searches might be a red herring or a distraction.

 

[UsernameRequired]

Before the tragic news surfaced that three girls were found dead — and their father was suspected of killing them — their mother posted an online video tribute to her now-missing ex-husband, whom she claims was a good parent despite his mental health struggles, according to her attorney.


The 20-second video, shared exclusively with PEOPLE through Whitney Decker's attorney Arianna Cozart on June 6, was made as a Father's Day tribute to Travis Decker, Cozart says.


The video is filled with a slideshow photos of Travis, Whitney, and their daughters, Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, while Pharrell Williams' song "Happy" plays.

Mom of 3 Girls Allegedly Killed by Dad Shares Heartbreaking Video She Made for Father's Day (Exclusive)

The video shows photos of Travis, Whitney, and their daughters, Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, while Pharrell Williams' song "Happy" plays.

people.com

 

[LadyL]

Going off grid means leaving everything behind.
Never contacting friends or associates, never going anywhere you have ever been before, not pursuing previous interests and getting rid of all electronics/devices including your car, changing appearance and style.

Not exactly. Lots of people who go off grid bring supplies with them. It just means no longer relying on modern conveniences like electricity.

Off-grid living involves creating a living environment that operates independently from the electrical grid, water supply, and sewer system. It is a lifestyle choice that relies on self-sustaining systems for power, water, and food. Some key points about off-grid living include:

Off Grid World+4

• No reliance on public utilities like electricity, water, gas, or sewerage.
  
  1
• Use of alternative sources such as solar panels, rain barrels, compost toilets, and generators.
  
  1
• Environmental benefits, financial freedom, self-reliance, and community.

 

[UsernameRequired]

Here is a photo of Travis, their dog Chinook and Olivia? in June of 2023 at a Wenatchee pet shop. His appearance really did change dramatically in such a short time. It's really evident in that slideshow Whitney put together for Father's Day.

 

[LadyL]

Am I the only one who thinks that what was meant was sweating so much he soaked the bed clothes, not enuresis?

I thought the same.

 

[Charlot123]

And herein lies our never ending issue. We know that monsters are (generally) created, not genetically predisposed though genetics play a factor into resiliency and some natural mental health symptoms. The majority of this happens due to big or little T trauma. And if we can’t circle back to the trauma incident it’s because the person didnt talk about it not because it didn’t exist. The never ending issue is how to acknowledge that’s what happened to someone and use it to stop the cycles.

Meanwhile, I work in almost every county in the state and couldn’t tell you a vet qualified therapist that would have an appointment in the next month.

It’s defeating really. I hope other countries are doing all of this better.

You’d be surprised. Maybe in countries who were not at war for centuries, like Sweden or Switzerland, but in the former Eastern Europe, the opinion about US army is that it is a great place.

I see two issues: one, to join an army, the person has to understand that not only he might need to take another’s life at an order, but he also has to sacrifice own one, also at an order. Survival training, spec-op, train to do things better but some people are not army material, period. A lot of selection happens at the pre-admission state, and maybe this is where Travis simply flew under the radar. I think that he didn’t have what his father had. (MAO, the warrior gene? It gets transmitted to boys from the mother. Just one example.)

Then, haven’t we met people who came from Afghanistan or Iraq, with PTSD, had “issues” after discharge; some might look as ticking time bombs initially but they never explode. They find jobs, families, maybe substances and divorces are an issue, but they don’t even come close to annihilating anyone. If anything, they join AAs, NAs and slowly grow back into the normal life.

How did people who came from the Vietnam war cope? Many couldn’t even mention Nam for years. And opiate epidemic was a known issue, too, and so was alcoholism. And yet they didn’t complain and just went through their lives.
Same with other countries and wars.

The biggest limiting factor these days is that Tricare is not easily accepted by most non-VA providers, but some vets find jobs and get other insurances. VA does incredibly interesting studies but it is not the only option.

With Travis, I see that the army weeded him off, he was shunned by the coworkers and his wife was very supportive, but still couldn’t live with him. The wife met him when he was in the army. She didn’t know him before. I wonder if he didn’t fit in the high school, too?

 

[Poedelini]

In my opinion the fact that he tried to reconcile their marriage and she rejected him was key in this situation.
The girls suffered, had to watch each other being zip tied and dying. He probably watch them die in those minutes or walked away with the knowledge they suffered those long minutes. This feels like punishment for his ex wife.

Jmo

It is impossible to know what demons motivated TD. He systematically ‘3 individual times’ bound their hands with zip ties and secured plastic bags over their heads. He snuffed their lives out and watched for however number of minutes it took.

TD planned their murders by bringing zip ties and plastic bags to the crime scene. His intent was on using suffocation as the method to snatch the life from each of his children.

Sasha’s linked article goes one step further to give weight to the argument that a part of his motive ‘was the knowledge it would be the last time Whitney would see her 3 daughters alive’. We know it was his intent because he had already selected and visited the crime scene the previous day.

Note: This was new information for me. In the linked KXLY article Whitney referred to the divorced couple's recent marriage anniversary the week before. At that time Travis had attempted to repair the marriage.

<snipped from KXLY link>

"Last week he tried to reconcile our marriage and had even made comments to the girls about him moving back in, and I rejected his advancements," Whitney wrote.

​

in my mind that rejection puts another brick in the argument that if Whitney wouldn’t reconcile with him then he would retaliate by snuffing the life out of each her cherished children.

This is only my opinion. Please feel free to critique my post. I respect everyone’s opinions.

Wenatchee mother's restraining order reveals Travis Decker's escalating behavior