Found Deceased WA - Olivia 5, Evelyn 8 & Paityn Decker 9, found dead, manhunt on for father, Travis Decker 32, wh 2017 GMC Sierra PU, Wenatchee, 30 May 2025 #2

[RedHaus]

I wonder what this is about! The Wenatchee World article is from seventeen hours ago, and "The closures are in effect from 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Wednesday".

"More details of what prompted the renewed effort were not disclosed."
.

FBI closing Rock Island Campground in Decker manhunt

The FBI is closing several trails and roads near the Rock Island Campground outside Leavenworth as part of the search for Travis Decker.

www.wenatcheeworld.com

Thank you!

I too suspect LE is closing these areas to do one final and exhaustive sweep of where TD may lie (or be hanging or washed up) dead. LE wouldn't be this transparent if they thought TD is alive in this area. I think this is a rule-out mission.

That said, I wonder if there is a lead LE is following (e.g. a stench in the area? a sighting of a remain?), or if, as I said, this is one last try to rule out suicide near his camp, which several OPs think.

 

[Cedars]

Thank you!

I too suspect LE is closing these areas to do one final and exhaustive sweep of where TD may lie (or be hanging or washed up) dead. LE wouldn't be this transparent if they thought TD is alive in this area. I think this is a rule-out mission.

That said, I wonder if there is a lead LE is following (e.g. a stench in the area? a sighting of a remain?), or if, as I said, this is one last try to rule out suicide near his camp, which several OPs think.

There was a case in Canada, a raven hanging around a particular spot showed them where to look....

 

[Gemmie]

There was a case in Canada, a raven hanging around a particular spot showed them where to look....

Turkey vultures do the same. JMO

 

[Onlyguessing23]

FBI to close Leavenworth campground near where Decker sisters were found dead

The FBI will close a campground near Leavenworth approximately where the three daughters of Travis Decker were found dead three months ago.

cdapress.com

 

[waitin'4thewrld2chg]

FBI to close Leavenworth campground near where Decker sisters were found dead

The FBI will close a campground near Leavenworth approximately where the three daughters of Travis Decker were found dead three months ago.

cdapress.com

Interesting! It says the U.S. Forest Service announced Friday that Rock Island Campground will be closed Sunday through Wednesday morning at the FBI’s request, but no information would be released until Monday.

Information released Monday? I wait with bated breath.

From your article:

"KING 5 law enforcement analyst and former King County Sheriff John Urquhart said the renewed search near Leavenworth is likely aimed at finding evidence, not Travis Decker himself. “If [investigators] thought he was in the area, they wouldn’t announce they were going in over the weekend,” Urquhart said. “That really only leaves some sort of evidentiary search.”

Urquhart noted that something must have surfaced in recent days to prompt such a large operation, one significant enough to close trailheads and restrict public access. “That’s pretty unusual,” he said. “It’s going to be really interesting to find out what they’ve got.”

“They know what they’re looking for, or have a good idea of where it is,” Urquhart said.

I wonder if it would be recovery of remains. I can't think of many other ideas, offhand. Well, maybe the dismantling of a campsite and preservation of evidence?

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Spokane, WA

National Weather Service

Monday-Wednesday, Chelan and Wenatchee: Very dangerous to anyone without proper hydration or adequate cooling.
-.-.-

I may be totally wrong geographically with these mentions.

We have had a couple days very high temps here in BC, Canada and expected through to Monday/Tuesday I believe. We are not too far from that area so maybe the same weather there?

So maybe they are thinking if alive he may be extremely dehydrated and wandering/desperate for water or if he is deceased the heat may give off a stronger odor/decomp more than usual? MOO

*ETA: once I again I posted while reading in real time catching up before reading ALL posts! Thank you to posters for pointing out it's likely he's not alive and this search (fingers crossed) may be to find him deceased or remains!

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Turkey vultures do the same. JMO

Turkey vultures are thing where I live too, usually a sign of something deceased.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Thank you!

I too suspect LE is closing these areas to do one final and exhaustive sweep of where TD may lie (or be hanging or washed up) dead. LE wouldn't be this transparent if they thought TD is alive in this area. I think this is a rule-out mission.

That said, I wonder if there is a lead LE is following (e.g. a stench in the area? a sighting of a remain?), or if, as I said, this is one last try to rule out suicide near his camp, which several OPs think.

Catching up on the thread finally! I hope you are right!

It would make sense if there was a clue of remains that they'd section off and close a wide area to collect evidence and tape off (crime scene?)

Also, they would not want a family or general public to be out hiking/camping and stumble upon remains! MOO

 

[waitin'4thewrld2chg]

We have had a couple days very high temps here in BC, Canada and expected through to Monday/Tuesday I believe. We are not too far from that area so maybe the same weather there?

So maybe they are thinking if alive he may be extremely dehydrated and wandering/desperate for water or if he is deceased the heat may give off a stronger odor/decomp more than usual? MOO

*ETA: once I again I posted while reading in real time catching up before reading ALL posts! Thank you to posters for pointing out it's likely he's not alive and this search (fingers crossed) may be to find him deceased or remains!

The temperature is an interesting point to consider. The weather could be a factor. It's supposed to be nice and toasty in Wenatchee Sunday and Monday. Ninety-nine to one hundred one degrees.

However, AI Overview is of the opinion that Rock Island Campground, for example, would be somewhere in the 80's when Wenatchee is at 99 degrees due to the 2000' elevation difference and the proximity to the Icicle River, with abundant forest shade figuring in. Still would be warmer than usual for the area.

I'm jumping to conclusions, but it seems that if remains have been found, they would need to be guarded between then (whenever found) and now....maybe? It's a big forest, but it's also a peak time of the year for people to be traipsing around.

 

[Snoop Sister]

It will be interesting to hear on Monday the reason for the area being closed. However, I have maintained since the beginning that TD was not amongst the living.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

It will be interesting to hear on Monday the reason for the area being closed. However, I have maintained since the beginning that TD was not amongst the living.

And to add, if he is deceased sounds like close to the girls too.

 

[FromGermany1]

We have had a couple days very high temps here in BC, Canada and expected through to Monday/Tuesday I believe. We are not too far from that area so maybe the same weather there?

So maybe they are thinking if alive he may be extremely dehydrated and wandering/desperate for water or if he is deceased the heat may give off a stronger odor/decomp more than usual? MOO

*ETA: once I again I posted while reading in real time catching up before reading ALL posts! Thank you to posters for pointing out it's likely he's not alive and this search (fingers crossed) may be to find him deceased or remains!

bbm

^^ This! Just my thought.

 

[girlhasnoname]

Interesting! It says the U.S. Forest Service announced Friday that Rock Island Campground will be closed Sunday through Wednesday morning at the FBI’s request, but no information would be released until Monday.

Information released Monday? I wait with bated breath.

From your article:

"KING 5 law enforcement analyst and former King County Sheriff John Urquhart said the renewed search near Leavenworth is likely aimed at finding evidence, not Travis Decker himself. “If [investigators] thought he was in the area, they wouldn’t announce they were going in over the weekend,” Urquhart said. “That really only leaves some sort of evidentiary search.”

Urquhart noted that something must have surfaced in recent days to prompt such a large operation, one significant enough to close trailheads and restrict public access. “That’s pretty unusual,” he said. “It’s going to be really interesting to find out what they’ve got.”

“They know what they’re looking for, or have a good idea of where it is,” Urquhart said.

I wonder if it would be recovery of remains. I can't think of many other ideas, offhand. Well, maybe the dismantling of a campsite and preservation of evidence?

Your linked article says "it's likely aimed at finding evidence, not TD himself". I want nothing more than for TD to be found dead or alive for everyone's sake. Maybe they are checking for evidence of another vehicle, any abandoned items? IDK, it's so hard to guess at this point because it's been so long, although it says "they know what they're looking for".

If alive, TD needs to be held accountable and prosecuted for the cold blooded murders of his baby girls.

#Justice4Olivia,Evelyn&Paityn

JMO

 

[girlhasnoname]

It will be interesting to hear on Monday the reason for the area being closed. However, I have maintained since the beginning that TD was not amongst the living.

I hope you're right. The article linked said it was an 'evidentiary search', not a search for TD himself. Of course LE could just be saying that.

 

[Onlyguessing23]

Possibly LE will have access to drones or robotics during that time period for their continued search? If using thermal vision technology they would need to close the area to the public.

(Wildly speculating)

 

[RedHaus]

Maybe they are checking for evidence of another vehicle, any abandoned items?

RSBM
Right.

Perhaps someone tipped the FBI that there was evidence of what may be tracks / gas can / strewn supplies / tarp, etc. that suggest a car / truck / ATV / dirt bike had been stored in a location.

That fits well with OPs' theories, mine included, that TD premeditated his crime to such a degree that he planned an escape with a different vehicle, including a new ID possibly with a passport.

If its remains, perhaps the immediate location is already cordoned off and protected by agents, waiting for removal and investigation on Monday.

Whatever it is that the FBI wants in the area, it sounds like they know what it is and that they'll find it tomorrow. My vote is on remains. I hope it is!

ETA: IMO and fix typo

 

[waitin'4thewrld2chg]

Your linked article says "it's likely aimed at finding evidence, not TD himself". I want nothing more than for TD to be found dead or alive for everyone's sake. Maybe they are checking for evidence of another vehicle, any abandoned items? IDK, it's so hard to guess at this point because it's been so long, although it says "they know what they're looking for".

If alive, TD needs to be held accountable and prosecuted for the cold blooded murders of his baby girls.

#Justice4Olivia,Evelyn&Paityn

JMO

I know....the person quoted did not offer even the merest suggestion that this could be an operation to recover remains. I didn't see how he could leave that possibility out. (So I kind of colored it in myself.)

From his quoted comments I got the impression that former King County Sheriff John Urquhart (KING 5 law enforcement analyst) has no inside information and is just as curious as we are. But maybe he does have a clue and it's not remains, so that is why he has not alluded to the possibility.

Upon first reading the article, my guess was that the former sheriff likely didn't want to get a lot of extra buzz going about the possibility of remains having been found and then have it end up being something simple like this was the best weekend for everybody to get together and fine tooth comb the land near the crime scene once again before winter.

Doubting that last possibility given that the U.S. Forest Service is saying, per my link above, that no information will be released until Monday. The implication I see there is that something will be said Monday (that could be of substance). Finding evidence of a getaway vehicle, as has been suggested here, would be big, too. Luckily, tomorrow is only a day away.. MOO

 

[wvmoonangel]

The temperature is an interesting point to consider. The weather could be a factor. It's supposed to be nice and toasty in Wenatchee Sunday and Monday. Ninety-nine to one hundred one degrees.

However, AI Overview is of the opinion that Rock Island Campground, for example, would be somewhere in the 80's when Wenatchee is at 99 degrees due to the 2000' elevation difference and the proximity to the Icicle River, with abundant forest shade figuring in. Still would be warmer than usual for the area.

I'm jumping to conclusions, but it seems that if remains have been found, they would need to be guarded between then (whenever found) and now....maybe? It's a big forest, but it's also a peak time of the year for people to be traipsing around.

That would be a logical reason as to why after all this time they would choose to close that campground back down again.

 

[FromGermany1]

Travis Decker search: FBI conducting investigation at campground where 3 daughters were found dead

Several campgrounds in Washington state, including the site where Travis Decker allegedly killed his three kids, will be closed for an FBI investigation.

abcnews.go.com

 

[RedHaus]

Travis Decker search: FBI conducting investigation at campground where 3 daughters were found dead

Several campgrounds in Washington state, including the site where Travis Decker allegedly killed his three kids, will be closed for an FBI investigation.

abcnews.go.com

I wonder if the reward also applies to anyone who finds TD's remains?

"The U.S. Marshals Service is still offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Decker's arrest."

If so, I wonder if folks have been combing through this area looking for TD or evidence of interest after LE stopped their search for him. That may explain why suddenly the FBI is back for 'evidence'.

Did someone find something of interest, motivated by the reward?

IMO