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

[placard]

Where is this guy?!?!

I'm guessing he's dead - done himself in or succumbed to exposure. Animals will take care of his remains and maybe a hiker will stumble upon what is left.

 

[placard]

Maybe I’m just missing it but I’m shocked by the lack of national media attention I’ve seen for this case. I mean I know, we’ve got a thing or 2 going on right now… but an active manhunt going into its THIRD WEEK for this military trained father who kidnapped and murdered his 3 young daughters?! Who could very possibly be a public threat?? Im in Tennessee so no where near the PNW but I haven’t seen anything other than a little blurb here & there and no one I’ve talked to has much knowledge about it at all outside of hearing about the girls missing initially.

I’m sure it’s getting a ton more coverage regionally but still really surprised I haven’t seen his face plastered *everywhere*

Is it possible that in cases like this, the person generally stays local? I just assume there is so many things going on in this world, good, bad and indifferent, that there is a threshold to what can be shared without overload. If there's 20 manhunts going on at any one time, that's a lot of information, cases, manpower. I'm not terribly concerned about someone committing a crime a thousand miles away. They may have him profiled as being a harm to himself (and what he's done already), unless confronted or desperate. I don' think he will ever be found. He probably took a one way hike into the Cascades.

 

[mmeynstyn]

Reward of up to $20K being offered for information leading to arrest of WA's Travis Decker​

$20K reward offered for info leading to arrest of Travis Decker

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said that it is working closely with U.S. Marshals in the search for Decker, and on Tuesday night, deputies announced a reward of up to $20,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Decker

www.fox13seattle.com

 

[NuttMegg]

I'm guessing he's dead - done himself in or succumbed to exposure. Animals will take care of his remains and maybe a hiker will stumble upon what is left.

Turkey vultures might miss a human body, but it's not something a person could count on, imo. Maybe if they somehow figured out how to stay immersed. I don't think he's dead, unless he purposely threw himself in a mine, if there are any in the area. Why would he do that? Dead is dead.

 

[placard]

If he is not alive, ,would someone like him try to hide himself? would there be a reason for that? or is it just that noone knows where to look for him, because its a huge area.

If he is alive, or not, he could be anywhere by now. And in a forest, a thick forest, would need an aircraft with advanced heat seeking capability, and even then, it could be a bear or a cougar or hikers. A needle in a haystack. You can walk 50 feet into a forest here and get lost. Plus there are massive boulders, trees to hide under, a shelter, a cave...very difficult. The woman who went "missing" in Zion years ago, searchers had walked right by her and it wasn't heavily forested. She had mental health issues and had actually just hidden, it was later discovered.

 

[Boxer]

I'm guessing he's dead - done himself in or succumbed to exposure. Animals will take care of his remains and maybe a hiker will stumble upon what is left.

If he is dead off the trails highly possibly non-one will ever see the body and animals will spread the bones.

If he tried to get help, this shows some degree of self awareness. So why did he stop his medication which might have stabilised him?
What he did to his 3 little daughters was heinous. Absolutely nothing can justify that.
Mental illness is far too common in murder cases throughout the world. Here in Australia we had 6 people stabbed to death in a shopping centre by a man with mental health issues. His own family had been crying out for help for him prior to this horrific incident.
It seems to me that the mental health authorities need all the available resources plus more to prevent such tragedies. MOO

Agree, this is a big issue, even though MH people often telegraph that they are getting really off - dangerous etc. families and themselves can't seem to get action. The MH system became medicine based after the 1975 supreme court decision.

O'Connor v.Donaldson, 422 U.S. 563 (1975) "If an individual is not posing a danger to self or others and is capable of living without state supervision, the state has no right to commit the individual to a facility against his or her will."

 

[ttjo]

If he is alive, or not, he could be anywhere by now. And in a forest, a thick forest, would need an aircraft with advanced heat seeking capability, and even then, it could be a bear or a cougar or hikers. A needle in a haystack. You can walk 50 feet into a forest here and get lost. Plus there are massive boulders, trees to hide under, a shelter, a cave...very difficult. The woman who went "missing" in Zion years ago, searchers had walked right by her and it wasn't heavily forested. She had mental health issues and had actually just hidden, it was later discovered.

same with calvacante I think they walked by him too before they got him.

 

[BreakingNews]

Maybe I’m just missing it but I’m shocked by the lack of national media attention I’ve seen for this case. I mean I know, we’ve got a thing or 2 going on right now… but an active manhunt going into its THIRD WEEK for this military trained father who kidnapped and murdered his 3 young daughters?! Who could very possibly be a public threat?? Im in Tennessee so no where near the PNW but I haven’t seen anything other than a little blurb here & there and no one I’ve talked to has much knowledge about it at all outside of hearing about the girls missing initially.

I’m sure it’s getting a ton more coverage regionally but still really surprised I haven’t seen his face plastered *everywhere*

It was topical in Australia when the poor kids were found

 

[BreakingNews]

If he is dead off the trails highly possibly non-one will ever see the body and animals will spread the bones.

Agree, this is a big issue, even though MH people often telegraph that they are getting really off - dangerous etc. families and themselves can't seem to get action. The MH system became medicine based after the 1975 supreme court decision.

O'Connor v.Donaldson, 422 U.S. 563 (1975) "If an individual is not posing a danger to self or others and is capable of living without state supervision, the state has no right to commit the individual to a facility against his or her will."

Agree. O'Connor v. Donaldson is correct. BUT only if they can be sure that the individual poses no danger to others. How do they really know? MH can't be diagnosed by a simple blood test. The states have moved to the medical model to treat MH. Shut down institutions. But some MH patients would really benefit from some form of in-house treatment. Who can forget One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest? But there are a lot of people who have fallen through the cracks and left to there own devices. It's not good enough. The murders of these little girls did not need to happen.
Also look at the training of armed forces. In Australia before going to war in Vietnam, my friend had to march and chant "Killing is fun. Killing is fun." How much damage do you think he returned home with?!! MOO.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Reward of up to $20K being offered for information leading to arrest of WA's Travis Decker​

$20K reward offered for info leading to arrest of Travis Decker

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said that it is working closely with U.S. Marshals in the search for Decker, and on Tuesday night, deputies announced a reward of up to $20,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Decker

www.fox13seattle.com

I'm a bit behind... is the reward a new thing in the last day or was it offered earlier on does anyone know?

I always think when a reward is offered it's a clue that LE suspect someone is in the know or someone out there knows something and the money is bait to get someone to talk.

Maybe I notice it more for Canadian cases, but to use money to dangle the carrot always seems to me LE suspect someone out there has a tip.

There are so many cases where rewards are not offered whatsoever. Is this a clue? I do not think he has had any help... who in the world would help him after what he did? But maybe someone knows something, otherwise I see no point for the reward. MOO, JMO

*edited to add: sorry, I see the reward was offered Tuesday, so not too long ago. Why after this times? I'm thinking LE know something and are trying to lure someone to talk, not sure who...

 

[girlhasnoname]

That is just one more thing on top of everything. It could involve a drivers license suspension, serious fines, and/or cause increased issues with his National Guards reserves. Also, it is not uncommon for people under extreme stress and adversity to be clumsy, accident prone due to distractions, or make simple errors they would normally not make.




I see nothing normal about having so many stressors (good and bad) occurring. Also I respectfully disagree with the idea it is on him for feeling "burdened" and "allowing anxiety" to take the place of "productive action". Not everyone is gifted with the remarkable abilities to not be human, not experience normal human reactions or emotions, and to mentally override chemical, visceral, and physiological body reactions that manifest mental health issues. These types of statements really alienate, stigmatize, and minimize the battles faced by many in our society. This is essentially like blaming a paralyzed person in a wheelchair for not "using their legs" when the chair was stuck on the railroad tracks and the get hit by a train. Or like telling a female victim of assault or violence to put on a smile, don't double check the doors are locked, and get over it. LOL

I posted in the previous thread that transitioning to civilian life can be brutal and alienating. That is also a life stressor on top of all the other things. I emphasized this in many posts.




Sadly, many of the actual symptoms of and ways mental health disorders are diagnosed is when seemingly and previously functioning people no longer are able to maintain regulations of the basics in their lives. This is not abnormal. We have all, for the most part, gone through losses that create a a pattern of grief. In those moments, we all for the most part, might not be as productive as usual, might slip on chores, tasks, forget to eat, over eat, not shower, stay on the couch for days, or miss hygiene. Usually that self corrects, because we all have resiliency. It is when all energy or focus ends up lost in the adverse situation and symptoms, and things keep falling apart, and the pathway to get back on track is overwhelming invisible that people simply don't have the resiliency or capacity to fix things. When you are so far in, it is very difficult to be objective.

For those of you who have been blessed and have not had massive adversity, it is very easy for many things to slip. Being unhoused is very destabilizing. It is also very expensive in its own right, can't budget cooking, hotel costs, not being able to unwind, it is constant movement, no time to relax or decompress. It is not surprising that a car insurance lapsed. This can happen with anyone overwhelmed by other stressors. This can happen to anyone who lives paycheck to paycheck, gets an unexpected bill, and something else goes unpaid. It doesn't mean it is a pattern or he was like it, I am not paying this and I am going to buy a frivolous item instead. This is just one more thing to add to all the things. This literally IS part of symptoms. Our bodies do NOT recognize the difference from being chased by a saber tooth tiger from being homeless, living paycheck to paycheck, losing a job, losing a relationship, or any other modern day stress that creates fight or flight anxiety.

Thousands of soldiers come home from war and are reintroduced to society. I agree some have combat trauma and suffer from some form of MH issues, but the majority find a way to address them and move through it to regain coping skills for everyday life.

I have a step daughter and son in law that served 2 tours of duty (flew black hawk helicopters) under extreme conditions. They both are successful and living productive lives. I don't believe TD was committed to his MH.

Either way, how many of these thousands of soldiers brutally murder their 3 precious daughters? TD made a choice to kill them in this horrific fashion. If he hasn't offed himself, he has successfully evaded capture for weeks so he obviously has decision making skills.

I'm sorry, my sympathy first and foremost remains with the murdered children, their mother, and their entire group of family and loved ones who will never be the same.

JMO

 

[girlhasnoname]

If he tried to get help, this shows some degree of self awareness. So why did he stop his medication which might have stabilised him?
What he did to his 3 little daughters was heinous. Absolutely nothing can justify that.
Mental illness is far too common in murder cases throughout the world. Here in Australia we had 6 people stabbed to death in a shopping centre by a man with mental health issues. His own family had been crying out for help for him prior to this horrific incident.
It seems to me that the mental health authorities need all the available resources plus more to prevent such tragedies. MOO

It is almost impossible to police MH treatment unless the person is committed for in patient treatment. They cannot be monitored 24/7 once they leave the facility regardless of all the resources.

MH is hard to navigate because of stringent laws and the individuals personal rights. Many people who have loved ones with MH issues are helpless because they cannot force the person to adhere to a treatment program, especially if they haven't broken a law. By the time they do break the law, it's often much too late. This is a prime example among hundreds of others, but seldom do you see a father brutally murder his own 3 precious daughters.

MH patients most often harm themselves rather than others.

JMO

 

[girlhasnoname]

Turkey vultures might miss a human body, but it's not something a person could count on, imo. Maybe if they somehow figured out how to stay immersed. I don't think he's dead, unless he purposely threw himself in a mine, if there are any in the area. Why would he do that? Dead is dead.

The reality of murdering his 3 daughters would make most people want to dead themselves IMO.

 

[girlhasnoname]

In no means do I condone or am I making excuses for his actions. It is unconscionable. These girls deserve justice. It is horrific. If captured, I don't even think the insanity defense should apply.

I am going to respectfully agree to disagree that this was a person with normal capacity acting in a strategically calculating way.

I do think, using a Macro view of society as a whole, we have seen more and more situations such as this. Some cases in MSM really are humans driven by extreme selfishness and FOMO. In other cases there are very gray areas of what is occurring. These situations can painfully point out areas where society can do better to make certain supports and safety nets are in place for people trying (albeit flailing) to reduce situations such as this. To recognize how stigma, generalizations, labels, and categorizing people with mental health disorders can further create barriers for getting help. Trying to understand, by no means means making excuses.

The Mother, WD, was raising the red flags, which resulted in the revised parental custody/visitation order. In the end, TD still received unsupervised visitation and the opportunity to do what he planned IMO.

Even supervised visitation wouldn't have necessarily stopped him if he truly wanted to harm the girls, look at the case of Josh Powell. He locked the case worker out and blew the trailer, himself and his young sons up.

JMO

 

[NuttMegg]

The reality of murdering his 3 daughters would make most people want to dead themselves IMO.

I was just sort of meandering there. When I said "why would he do that?" I meant why would he go to the extent of trying to hide his body from vultures under water or in a mine. I do think he'll off himself.

 

[girlhasnoname]

It has been reported that he worked in construction, so that could be why he was out so early in the morning.

Perhaps, but I don't know of many, if any, construction sites starting work around 3:45 am. You'd think they would need daylight to begin unless it's a job on the inside.

WD's grandfather reported that TD had been acting out, drinking, not paying child support. Who knows where he might have been going to or coming from at that time of the morning? Lots of possibilities.

JMO

 

[girlhasnoname]

I was just sort of meandering there. When I said "why would he do that?" I meant why would he go to the extent of trying to hide his body from vultures under water or in a mine. I do think he'll off himself.

Gotcha. Maybe TD wanted to taunt the Mother and LE and prevent any answers or resolution.

 

[303gmf]

These kinds of car accidents are very common, as tailgating (driving too close to the car in front of you) is a big problem, especially at traffic lights.

4am traffic must be brutal in Wenatchee, lol

 

[Miss Poovy]

MOO No excuse at all, a MH personality disorder has nothing to do with murder.
If anything he should have been more cautious about himself being around his children.

Just my opinion, but I think sometimes folks who have “mental disorders” aren’t caused by being in the military. They should have never been in the military in the first place.

 

[Nikynoo]

Just my opinion, but I think sometimes folks who have “mental disorders” aren’t caused by being in the military. They should have never been in the military in the first place.

I don’t know the process in the US, but if you apply in the UK, you need to disclose any mental health condition and medical records are reviewed.