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

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  • #861
That's true, I hadn't thought about older models.
 
  • #862
According to the U.S. Marshals Service Greater Idaho Task Force, a family camping in the Bear Creek area of the Sawtooth National Forest on July 5 spotted a man resembling Decker.

The family described the man as 5'8" to 5'10" tall, wearing a black mesh cap, black gauged earrings, a cream-colored shirt and black shorts. He had a long ponytail, a black watch, an overgrown beard and mustache, and had a black Jansport backpack.

He was also seen wearing either Converse or Vans low-top shoes.

The task force is asking for anyone who was in the area over the weekend to come forward with information.
 
  • #863
Perhaps, IMO, maybe more so the dog biting him fiercely & not letting go & him having to work hard with force to unhinge the jaw of the dog. Prying, scraping, punching, it's too awful to contemplate & I'm a bit reluctant to go any further with this, it's just a theory after all.

I have had dogs through most of my life, though, and when they had an injury to their mouth from a fight (usually with another dog but sometimes with wildlife or rodents), they bled from the mouth quite profusely at first, mixed with their saliva, and it got bloody right around their mouth.

When we would consult with a vet, they would say to keep an eye on things and if they didn't stop obviously bleeding within a minute or two because minor mouth wounds heal pretty quickly in most mammals, to see if they would let us look at how large the laceration was, but stitches were not usually needed because their saliva worked like a liquid bandaid usually after a minute or two, and they would swallow most of it.

Apologies if TMI/off topic, mods please delete if so.

Just offering a perspective on the possibility TD's dog bit him, and my experience with blood getting on you for a bit when they get a laceration in their mouth and them healing up pretty quickly.

JMO
My cat once scared the 🤬🤬🤬🤬 out of me when I found her covered in blood - turned out to be a tiny little cut on her tongue that spread blood all over her when she groomed herself, so I can definitely testify to small mouth injuries producing scary amounts of blood
 
  • #864
It's clear this tip is being taken seriously, and they wouldn't put it out unless there was a reasonable chance it was him. My issue is that this is something like 570 miles away. It just makes little sense.
I'm fine if TD's unalived himself, but I've thought that he could have prepped for this long before it happened. Maybe he left a dirt bike or ATV somewhere out there before he brought the girls? He had a 3 day head start. I don't know the area, is there a way he could have made it to railroad tracks and hopped a train?

Supplies and provisions could be carried out in a backpack (he's used to carrying heavy ones from Ranger training), rationed wisely that could last until he got into a somewhat populated area. He could have drastically changed his physical appearance, clothing, etc. He's an Army Ranger, well trained to survive in less than ideal situations and hide from the 'enemy'.

I don't think TD just snapped and has been running around in a state of psychosis for a month. He has obviously outsmarted LE, Marshalls and other Rangers. The cadaver dogs did not pick up anything. I think he's still out there hiding and it makes me beyond mad. 🤬

If only he would have started his murderous rage with himself, those 3 precious little girls would still be among the living.

moo
 
  • #865
Wow, is all I can say. There is new hope TD'll be found... unless this is a false lead.

If this sighting is TD then maybe he...

1. took off from his WA campsite on foot

2. left with very little supplies, if any

3. did not plan an escape (or his alleged crime?)

4. has been opportunistic in finding food, clothes, a watch (?), a back pack (?), stolen bike, ATV, car (?)

5. may have no idea what the date is (e.g. July 4th) with little access to electricity

6. is skilled at evasion, navigation, and survival, with a strong will to live

7. may be disconnected from reality (exhaustion? psychosis? fugue?) to be so close to other humans

That said, I wonder what the FBI profilers consider TD's state of mind to be, having possibly made it this far, for this long and trekked ~280 miles east?

IMO.
 
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  • #866
Authorities warn that he is considered armed and dangerous, but insist they have no reason to believe Decker is a threat to public safety.

The US Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for any information leading to Decker’s arrest
Fugitive dad Travis Decker potentially spotted by family in vast Idaho forest

I disagree with their assessment. I have every reason to believe he could be a threat to the public's safety. IF the sighted man was TD, his will to live after the horror he visited upon his precious girls tells me there is nothing he will no do to survive. JMO
 
  • #867
Authorities warn that he is considered armed and dangerous, but insist they have no reason to believe Decker is a threat to public safety.

The US Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for any information leading to Decker’s arrest
Fugitive dad Travis Decker potentially spotted by family in vast Idaho forest

I disagree with their assessment. I have every reason to believe he could be a threat to the public's safety. IF the sighted man was TD, his will to live after the horror he visited upon his precious girls tells me there is nothing he will no do to survive. JMO
Yeah, I think it's ridiculous. He murdered three children, he has military training and he's been reported to be unstable by family and coworkers. He's a candidate for suicide by cop if nothing else. Could also be a risk for acts like car jacking or attacking someone who stumbles across him camping or squatting in a building. That's just common sense.

MOO
 
  • #868
Authorities warn that he is considered armed and dangerous, but insist they have no reason to believe Decker is a threat to public safety.

The US Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for any information leading to Decker’s arrest
Fugitive dad Travis Decker potentially spotted by family in vast Idaho forest

I disagree with their assessment. I have every reason to believe he could be a threat to the public's safety. IF the sighted man was TD, his will to live after the horror he visited upon his precious girls tells me there is nothing he will no do to survive. JMO
Completely agree with you. What is a murderer if not a threat? Sheesh.
 
  • #869
Completely agree with you. What is a murderer if not a threat? Sheesh.
right? I mean if he would murder his own beloved precious daughters who he is said to have doted on, why not Joe Blow who un wittingly got a little too close to his current hidey hole? Or Jane Doe who conveniently has a vehicle he has decided to jack?
 
  • #870
It's clear this tip is being taken seriously, and they wouldn't put it out unless there was a reasonable chance it was him. My issue is that this is something like 570 miles away. It just makes little sense.
There was an early tip that Decker was spotted in the McCall, Idaho area 2 hours north of Boise but LE determined that was not likely him. Maybe they were wrong.
 
  • #871
IF it's him, maybe there's a part of his brain that thinks after a month of evading capture and hiking 200+ miles, that he's good to go, and some affects like the watch and more recreational type of gear is enough of a cover for him to blend in. He could have the more serious hiking gear in his pack or hidden in a cache in the woods outside the area he was possibly seen.

Or, skeptical me, he's showing up out in the open now because he's far away from the scene of their murders both physically and mentally, and is ready to play things out as long as he can before a showdown and going out in a blaze of glory, facing off with LE / suicide by cop.

I also don't think he's that demented he couldn't function well enough to hike for a month and get there, but that maybe he is satisfied enough with his accomplishments thus far (as demented as that would also be), that he's in a better place mentally and has let his guard down.

JMO
 
  • #872
According to the U.S. Marshals Service Greater Idaho Task Force, a family camping in the Bear Creek area of the Sawtooth National Forest on July 5 spotted a man resembling Decker.

The family described the man as 5'8" to 5'10" tall, wearing a black mesh cap, black gauged earrings, a cream-colored shirt and black shorts. He had a long ponytail, a black watch, an overgrown beard and mustache, and had a black Jansport backpack.

He was also seen wearing either Converse or Vans low-top shoes.

The task force is asking for anyone who was in the area over the weekend to come forward with information.
BBM

Shorts and low top shoes???

Not really what I would expect someone that is living in the wilderness to be wearing. I think someone wearing that attire would get eaten alive by insects, and trying to walk or hike through the forest would be about impossible in shorts and tennis shoes.

JMO
 
  • #873
You know, Washington is called the Evergreen State but not all of it is evergreen. Eastern Washington can be semi-arid, with portions where sagebrush is found and irrigation saves the day. Dry land wheat farming occurs. If this is Travis, he started out in forest and ended up in forest, but along the way he probably would have passed through a whole lot of nothing. Flat stretches and rolling hills. Water would have been in short supply, and it's been quite hot.

If true, the sighting sounds fascinating, but I would picture Travis as having had wheels under him at some point, not because he couldn't have possibly walked it, but because of the often low and bare countryside in Eastern Washington.

Are Jansport backpacks recognizable at a distance? It says the family spotted him, not that they met him on a trail and had a conversation with him. I use a black Jansport and barely know what brand it is myself. This is a darned good sighting full of details.....or not.
 
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  • #874
Are Jansport backpacks recognizable at a distance? I use a black one and barely know what brand it is myself. This is a darned good sighting full of details.....or not.
Snipped by me. This sounds like a very close sighting (earring details? Watch? Being able to see that his beard was overgrown?) so my guess is that they just saw the logo on the backpack. It's fairly distinctive.
 
  • #875
If this is him, it makes me wonder where he's headed. Canada is North, not SE of where he started. IF this is him, was all his Googling of Canadian jobs, etc., just a big fat red herring?

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  • #876
If the witnesses were close enough to him to see his earrings, you would think they would have also noticed the very distinctive tattoos on his forearms as it says he was wearing a t-shirt.
 
  • #877
Yeah, I think it's ridiculous. He murdered three children, he has military training and he's been reported to be unstable by family and coworkers. He's a candidate for suicide by cop if nothing else. Could also be a risk for acts like car jacking or attacking someone who stumbles across him camping or squatting in a building. That's just common sense.

MOO
Post in thread 'UK - Anita Rose, 57, walking her dog, police investigating suspected murder, Brantham, Suffolk, 24th July 2024''
UK - Anita Rose, 57, walking her dog, police investigating suspected murder, Brantham, Suffolk, 24th July 2024'
Yes exactly this happened in this case ending up with a second more serious victim!
Ridiculous to brand TD not a threat IMO
 
  • #878
That's a very detailed description, maybe they were able to get a photo of him? If they were that close there had to be a reason to note all of those features and details. You don't just observe someone to that extent with no reason, imo. Would love to know why they noticed him.
 
  • #879
Wasn't it said earlier in these threads that Travis had a job in Idaho for a while, I wonder where that was in relation to this sighting?
 
  • #880
Wasn't it said earlier in these threads that Travis had a job in Idaho for a while, I wonder where that was in relation to this sighting?
This article says that in May 2024, Decker moved to Idaho in his RV, but does not say where in Idaho that was:


Also, this article says that Decker was a "second term apprentice carpenter" on the carpenter's union book in Washington state, but was removed from the union earlier in the year:

I recall reading early after the girl's bodies were found that Decker had also worked briefly fighting wildfires but cannot recall if that was in Washington or Idaho and am still researching articles to find that information. So for now, that information should be considered rumor.
 
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