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]

The gunman who killed the Idaho firefighters is dead. I believe it would be public by now if it were TD.

JMO

I thought that too, @girlhasnoname - that we'd know immediately who the Idaho gunman is.

But then I wondered if there is a next of kin notification procedure before announcing a deceased's identity? And whether the U.S. Marshall's Service, who lead the TD manhunt, would be involved with confirming it was TD or even announce that he is dead? Or if the dead gunman was recognizable given the likely cause of death, possibly without identification on him?

It is only 6:40am local time.... perhaps LE needs more time to follow procedures?

That said, I realize the odds are low that it is TD. Maybe I wish it is to end this limbo for WD.

IMO.

 

[bbbd4u]

OK. That's good to know. And are SAR usually certified? I'm assuming they are in this case.

What's HRD?

Yes SAR people always stay current on certifications and K9s are also get recertified as well! SAR are not allowed to self deploy we are required to get permission from law enforcement to assist. It anyone non-certified were to deploy that can actually cause critical information that would be helpful for a defense if trials go to court!

HRD = Human Remains Detention also known as Cadaver

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Idaho gunman identified as 20-year-old Wess Roley.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/idaho-coeur-dalene-firefighters-shooting

When I first heard about the Idaho shooting, my mind also, briefly, went to TD, but it didn't make sense that he would ambush firefighters.

 

[seasideForest]

Yes SAR people always stay current on certifications and K9s are also get recertified as well! SAR are not allowed to self deploy we are required to get permission from law enforcement to assist. It anyone non-certified were to deploy that can actually cause critical information that would be helpful for a defense if trials go to court!

HRD = Human Remains Detention also known as Cadaver

Thank you for this information, especially on SAR people.

So that means that even SAR people who are volunteers in the sense of not paid, like those searching for Lily and Jack in Nova Scotia CANADA - Canada - Jack, 4 & Lilly Sullivan, 6, Vulnerable, wandered from home 10am, Gairloch Rd, Landsdowne Station, Pictou County, NS, 2 May 2025 #5 will be certified?

 

[BreakingNews]

My guess is that they'll never find him and we'll assume he's dead in the woods somewhere but we'll never know for sure. :/

That would be really difficult for the mother. Never knowing if he will turn up again or not. But I think you could be correct. Maybe we will never know.

 

[bbbd4u]

Thank you for this information, especially on SAR people.

So that means that even SAR people who are volunteers in the sense of not paid, like those searching for Lily and Jack in Nova Scotia CANADA - Canada - Jack, 4 & Lilly Sullivan, 6, Vulnerable, wandered from home 10am, Gairloch Rd, Landsdowne Station, Pictou County, NS, 2 May 2025 #5 will be certified?

Im not sure how Canada's SAR teams are in regards to if they are paid or not. Last summer I did meet some who were at a CSAR training here in the US. (Canine Search and Recovery) They all do hold certifications as well. The classes for their certifications are through a Canadian organization. While us stateside most are through a different organization. (National Association for Seaech and Rescue) There are very limited teams in the US that do get paid. I would say 95% of us do not get paid. I know every state has a FEMA Task Force Team. They are paid per deployed. They are at the state level. 3 people and their K9s from my mutual aid teams are also on our state Task Force.

 

[UsernameRequired]

Travis Decker is now on the US Marshal’s “Top 15 Most Wanted” list.

New interview tonight with Sheriff Morrison

One month later: Manhunt for accused triple-murderer Travis Decker continues as community grieves

KIRO 7 sat down with the Chelan County Sheriff to discuss the manhunt for Travis Decker, one month after his three young daughters were found dead.

www.kiro7.com

 

[Unalienable Rights]

'I'm still angry': Deputy recalls finding Travis Decker's truck as manhunt nears 1 month

Police hunting for Travis Decker have confiscated an abandoned tent and a cooler about 15 miles from where three girls' bodies were found.

www.usatoday.com

As the sun rose beyond the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in central Washington, Mike McLeod awoke and turned his thoughts to the frustrating hunt.

"I'm still angry. He still hasn't been found," the deputy with the Chelan County Sheriff's Office told USA TODAY on Monday, June 30....

*****
McLeod was on his way to work when he got the email. The missing girls' family had told law enforcement that Decker was likely headed up Icicle Road to go camping, the deputy recalled.

McLeod, 48, called his office and said he had a good idea where to find the father and his three missing children.

*****
“I hopped on my dirt bike in plain clothes (to blend in)," said McLeod who has worked for the sheriff's office for two decades and spent the last nine years as a full-time forest deputy.

About 3 p.m. on June 2, he spotted the truck on the dirt road and alerted dispatch.

Inside it, McLeod recalled finding Decker's wallet −the "only thing" left behind in the vehicle.

*****
After McLeod alerted dispatch to the vehicle, Sgt. Brian Lewis arrived and found Decker's three daughters dead, about 50 yards from the truck.

Decker was no where to be found.

“There was nothing we could do for them," McLeod recalled. "I was angry... Where is he?"

*****
"We can’t ’get into the river yet because of spring runoff," Morrison said of Icicle River, which flows along Rock Island Campground.

McLeod said officials are waiting for the water to recede.

"That won’t happen until next month," the deputy said.

*****
"Tips have slowed but the U.S. Marshals are still on the ground with us," Morrison said. "Oregon units have come in to help and check caves and mine shafts

*****
See article for more.

 

[Nikynoo]

'I'm still angry': Deputy recalls finding Travis Decker's truck as manhunt nears 1 month

Police hunting for Travis Decker have confiscated an abandoned tent and a cooler about 15 miles from where three girls' bodies were found.

www.usatoday.com

As the sun rose beyond the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in central Washington, Mike McLeod awoke and turned his thoughts to the frustrating hunt.

"I'm still angry. He still hasn't been found," the deputy with the Chelan County Sheriff's Office told USA TODAY on Monday, June 30....

*****
McLeod was on his way to work when he got the email. The missing girls' family had told law enforcement that Decker was likely headed up Icicle Road to go camping, the deputy recalled.

McLeod, 48, called his office and said he had a good idea where to find the father and his three missing children.

*****
“I hopped on my dirt bike in plain clothes (to blend in)," said McLeod who has worked for the sheriff's office for two decades and spent the last nine years as a full-time forest deputy.

About 3 p.m. on June 2, he spotted the truck on the dirt road and alerted dispatch.

Inside it, McLeod recalled finding Decker's wallet −the "only thing" left behind in the vehicle.

*****
After McLeod alerted dispatch to the vehicle, Sgt. Brian Lewis arrived and found Decker's three daughters dead, about 50 yards from the truck.

Decker was no where to be found.

“There was nothing we could do for them," McLeod recalled. "I was angry... Where is he?"

*****
"We can’t ’get into the river yet because of spring runoff," Morrison said of Icicle River, which flows along Rock Island Campground.

McLeod said officials are waiting for the water to recede.

"That won’t happen until next month," the deputy said.

*****
"Tips have slowed but the U.S. Marshals are still on the ground with us," Morrison said. "Oregon units have come in to help and check caves and mine shafts

*****
See article for more.

is it possible TD went into the river? I've always been curious about that as I didn't know whether it was a small stream/creek or a raging river, looks like the latter.

 

[Trino]

is it possible TD went into the river? I've always been curious about that as I didn't know whether it was a small stream/creek or a raging river, looks like the latter.

Robert Fisher. Scottsdale, AZ, 2001. Fisher went on the run after the death of his family. Police say he murdered his 38-year-old wife, Mary, and two children, 12-year-old Brittney and 10-year-old Bobby, in 2001 before rigging his house in Scottsdale to explode. Car found in remote Tonto National Forest. He has never been found. If alive, Fisher would today be in his 60's, probably unrecognizable. Fisher was on the FBI Most Wanted List, removed in 2021 because of no movement in case.

It's possible for Decker to follow suit. Sometimes there is no justice.

 

[orangechicken]

Would his army training have included strategies to hide his own corpse? I wonder if his body could have be at the bottom of a lake or other body of water (my opinion only, speculation). If his body was in a tree, or hanging from a tree, I think scavenger animals would signal towards it. Leaving the girls out in the open with zip ties strewn about is obviously not subtle, but he may have wanted his own body to never be found.

I know that there is at least once corpse research "farm" where bodies decompose in a variety of circumstances (e.g. in sunlight, in rain, in cold, in heat, in water, scavenged, etc) and I wonder what state his body would be in if it was in water for an extended period of time.

 

[Nikynoo]

Would his army training have included strategies to hide his own corpse? I wonder if his body could have be at the bottom of a lake or other body of water (my opinion only, speculation). If his body was in a tree, or hanging from a tree, I think scavenger animals would signal towards it. Leaving the girls out in the open with zip ties strewn about is obviously not subtle, but he may have wanted his own body to never be found.

I know that there is at least once corpse research "farm" where bodies decompose in a variety of circumstances (e.g. in sunlight, in rain, in cold, in heat, in water, scavenged, etc) and I wonder what state his body would be in if it was in water for an extended period of time.

Now that I know that the river is an actual river with melting ice flows, I think he's in the water or made his escape via water (IMO).

Re the tree scenario - there was a case here in the UK - Alice Gross. The main suspect was found about 6 weeks after Alice went missing. He had hung himself from a tree and the force of gravity had lead to body parts falling to the ground. This case is why in one of my earlier posts, I stated that searchers should remember to look up.

 

[UsernameRequired]

The cost of the manhunt for accused child murderer Travis Decker has now topped $6 million

"I would imagine this operation's been over $6 million," Morrison told Chelan County's Board of Commissioners at their regular Tuesday meeting. "That's what we're getting (as a) generalization. And the majority of that is not being billed back to Chelan County. If we'd had to take on the investigation by ourselves, I'd imagine it would've eaten up close to half of our budget."

"We did put out a ground unit on Saturday of over 30 people that did a grid search around the campsite, extending out, following up on additional information. We inserted additional units into the encampments area that did follow up searches. We had our cadaver dog out again."

Among other factors in Morrison's update:

* Genetic material collected from the campsite and crime scene matched up with Decker's suspected DNA profile. Other samples taken at more remote locations, as the search crossed high mountains into Kittitas County, did not. "There were no other suspects that have been identified so far with DNA samples that we've gotten back from the (Washington State Patrol) crime lab," Morrison said.

* A National Park Service team will search the Icicle Valley, from above the campsite along the Icicle River down to the mouth of the Columbia. Swiftwater-trained deputies will also search in the Icicle River itself as the summer streamflow diminishes with summer, searching for evidence or for Decker's remains. "... We're going to continue to search until we get to a point where we feel it would not be a vital utilization of our funds to continue to go through there."

* Travis Decker could soon be placed among the Top 15 on the U.S. Marshals Service most-wanted list. "We'll continue to push the bring a loud voice for Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia, and Whitney and the rest of the family, just because I understand they're still sitting on edge waiting for us to get a result," Morrison said.

Sheriff: Efforts persist in $6 million hunt for Travis Decker

WENATCHEE — Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said today the cost of the manhunt for accused child murderer Travis Decker has now topped $6 million, shared among multiple police agencies.

www.ncwlife.com

 

[UsernameRequired]

**Chelan County Sheriff's Office Media Release**

**Update 12 1230 hours 7/1/2025**

Blood samples taken from the suspect’s truck matched; search teams continue strategic operations throughout Chelan and Kittitas Counties.

Detectives learned from the WSP Crime Lab that the DNA in the blood found on the tailgate of the truck, first known to belong to a male, matches the DNA profile that we believe is Decker’s. Search teams, both law enforcement and volunteer, along with K9s continue coordinated searches for Mr. Decker.

Detectives originally recovered some individual, personal items, from the scene they believed belong to Mr. Decker. The lab took DNA samples from those items and found they matched the DNA in the blood samples recovered at the scene. We know, positively, that all of the DNA samples recovered belong to the same, male, subject, who we believe is Mr. Decker. With this evidence, along with the other evidentiary items found at the scene, we do not have any reason to believe there are any other suspects.

Last week Kittitas County Teams searched the Crystal Creek Drainage from the enchantments out through Ingalls Creek. Kittitas County, along with CCSO personnel and a human remains detection dog searched the Ingalls drainage as well. Throughout the search, several K9s with different disciplines have been utilized on a regular basis and we will continue to utilize those resources as needed. CCSO Drone Teams have been actively flying search patterns over land and water, and last Saturday about 25 CCVSAR volunteers conducted a thorough search of the crime scene area.

Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office, CCVSAR, The US Forest Service, US Marshals Service, all continue coordinated search efforts throughout the area. Additionally, The National Park Service is planning to send out their swift water search and rescue teams in the near future to conduct even more searches of the bodies of water around the crime scene.

At this time we do not have any evidence to suggest Mr. Decker is alive, or deceased. Until he is taken into custody, or recovered, we will continue these efforts. We are extremely grateful for the continued leadership, dedication, and support from all of our search teams.

The United States Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Travis DECKER’s arrest. The suspect should be considered armed and dangerous.
If you see Travis Decker, please call 911 immediately and do not attempt to contact or approach him. Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or USMS Tips at www.usmarshals.gov/tips

 

[LucyOso]

RS&B&RedBM

I agree with both of you. Put these two possible facts together, and one could explain, NOT EXCUSE, TD's alleged horrific and evil act of killing his daughters in a most brutal way, since the fear of abandonment can be quite pronounced in BPD, leading to self destructive and rage responses.

Mayo Clinic: "People with borderline personality disorder have a strong fear of abandonment or being left alone. Even though they want to have loving and lasting relationships, the fear of being abandoned often leads to mood swings and anger. It also leads to impulsiveness and self-injury that may push others away."

And of course the question remains, did TD end his life after his alleged crime because he was in an acute state of dysregulation (e.g. psychotic episode), or was TD's mind cogent enough to plan an escape out of the area with a 3-day head start?

IMO.
ETA: to last sentence.

He definitely was in an acute state of dysregulation. And his perceptions were skewed. He could have some serious delusions, and these are often not amenable to change even when presented with reality. Usually acute episodes don't spontaneously resolved. I am guessing he had a clue as to horrific murder of his children, but in a very disorganized sense. People can somewhat function in this state, especially if driven by paranoia or other factors. Is he in the mountains? If he is dead, yeah, falling or ending his life. Is there a chance he left the area right away? Yes, people with mental health issues can end up very far away. Is there a chance there might be another victim/vehicle, yes, especially someone else unhoused or living on the fringes.

There is a lot we don't know, and if Travis Decker was experiencing a psychotic episode, then his actions were not necessarily a moral choice, as recognized by our legal system and based on religious ethics that recognize that moral culpability depends on intentional choice and that a person suffering from a pyschotic episode may not be considered morally responsible for their actions.

We all agree that we are not making excuses when we discuss his mental state. I agree morals can be a very strange area with acute mental health symptoms. The religious aspect is interesting as well as he spent an absurd amount of time counseling with the Georgia Pastor. Did he stop speaking to him and the heavy religious focus become part of his delusions? We have seen this before.

Agree, the first episode of the onset schizophrenia is different as the person does not yet know their mind is telling them false information, but MOO after that they know.

Agreeing to disagree once again. This is not something that "they know" after the first episode. What occurs is their entire reality, all their perceptions, all the inner dialogue (most of us have this), is challenged. Imagine some one telling you everything you believe to be true, everything you experience through all your 5 senses, is not real. They don't "know" it is false. It is terrifying and because these disorders have an element of paranoia, it actually can further isolate the person, push them further into distrust, and cause more crisis. None of us like to be told we are "wrong" in every day life. We get second opinions and seek out information that reaffirms we are correct. Kind of destabilizing. Imagine being told your entire human experience is "wrong" or incorrect. You don't just have a moment of clarity and flip the switch...this is not a matter of willpower like not eating that second cookie or smoking a cigarette. This is like saying, dude you heart rate is fast, I need you to slow that. Your thyroid is low, make more hormones without meds. We have vacation net month, please reschedule your menses. LOL.

 

[LucyOso]

I think people overestimate the difficulty of living off the grid or evading. People here in Hawaii do it all the time, and yes, many evade police for years, work under-the-table jobs, and so forth. Admittedly we don't see the kind of manhunt Washington is doing.

This guy was trained in evasion and survival against an enemy with high tech gear looking for him. He would know the techniques searchers use and how to evade them.

Some Japanese soldiers evaded capture for years, almost 3 decades in one example, after WWII. It can be done.

I think he slipped out of the perimeter early on and is now someplace with a mild climate where people don't ask a lot of questions, possibly with a new identity and a completely different appearance.

BBM. It is definitely possible, people do it all the time. I would imagine in places that don't have inclement weather, it is definitely easier. Hawaii, Pacific Islands, definitely have the climate and food sources for people to survive for very extended period of time. I agree, he most likely isn't there. He had a huge head start. Only way he'd be there is if he had an accident, like a fall and died, or ended his own life.

 

[Trino]

BBM. It is definitely possible, people do it all the time. I would imagine in places that don't have inclement weather, it is definitely easier. Hawaii, Pacific Islands, definitely have the climate and food sources for people to survive for very extended period of time. I agree, he most likely isn't there. He had a huge head start. Only way he'd be there is if he had an accident, like a fall and died, or ended his own life.

Just hope he's struggling rather than living somewhere in the shadows of life.

 

[Gemmie]

I know that there is at least once corpse research "farm" where bodies decompose in a variety of circumstances (e.g. in sunlight, in rain, in cold, in heat, in water, scavenged, etc) and I wonder what state his body would be in if it was in water for an extended period of time.

Well, it's not pretty.

Decomposition in a wet environment differs from that in other settings, both in the changes that occur and the rate at which they occur. It is essential that the forensic pathologist or medicolegal death investigator recognize and appreciate the uniqueness of immersed and submerged remains. The typical decomposition changes proceed more slowly in the water, primarily due to cooler temperatures and the anaerobic environment.

Postmortem changes are not only affected by water temperature, but also by current as well as obstacles and structures, both natural and man-made, that may interact with the remains. The anaerobic nature of decomposition for wet or submerged remains may result in adipocere formation, a unique and fascinating process that results from incomplete transformation of lipids by bacteria. Insect and animal species feeding on the remains are different for submerged bodies. Postmortem predation may cause external defects that mimic injuries and should be interpreted with care.

HUGE WARNING!! Do not go to the website if you are at all squeamish due to extremely graphic photos. You've been warned.

Decomposition Changes in Bodies Recovered from Water - PMC​

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

Got an alert from my Citizen app today about this case, but the update just said the blood on the truck matched Decker, which I think is old news at this point, and in all events is an unusual detail to prompt an alert on an out of state case. The headline said their search for him was narrowing, but there didn’t appear to be anything to support that. Came here to see if there was a real development that prompted the alert, but that does not appear to be the case!

 

[Gemmie]

Got an alert from my Citizen app today about this case, but the update just said the blood on the truck matched Decker, which I think is old news at this point, and in all events is an unusual detail to prompt an alert on an out of state case. The headline said their search for him was narrowing, but there didn’t appear to be anything to support that. Came here to see if there was a real development that prompted the alert, but that does not appear to be the case!

Just a FYI that your Citizen app is putting out week old news. At least in this particular case it is. I wonder if they realize they are very behind with the news? I know if I owned the company I'd want to know so I could fix that.

On Thursday, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison confirmed to KING 5 that blood samples from the area matched Decker’s

This MSM is only a day behind (it came out Friday, citing an event from the day before). That's much better timing cuz news can change so fast!

Travis Decker: Sheriff Confirms Bloody Prints at Crime Scene Belongs to Father Accused of Suffocating 3 Young Daughters

Blood evidence has been confirmed in the search for Travis Decker, a Washington state man accused of killing his three daughters. Investigators discovered two bloody handprints on Decker’s truck earlier this month, abandoned at a campsite in the Cascade Mountains west of Leavenworth. On...

www.crimeonline.com