Found Deceased WA - Olivia 5, Evelyn 8 & Paityn Decker 9, found dead, Wenatchee, 30 May 2025 *father, Travis Decker 32, found dead* #3

[Megnut]

I agree 100% on both theories.

My guess is after murdering the girls, he likely didn't know what to do next but instinctively needed to leave the scene. He knew driving his truck back into town he would likely be spotted very quickly (by police, license plate readers, etc). So he wandered down the Icicle Rd about 40 mins until he reached Chatter Creek trailhead and headed up that trail towards Grindstone mountain. This is the closest hiking trail up Grindstone from the crime scene. It is also far less traveled of the trails in the area compared to The Enchantments and other popular hiking trails nearby.

Chatter Creek

No matter how you tackle it, this hike is a workout. March through thick Ponderosa forests up to subalpine larch stands and a view from the pass, with options to continue on for a small alpine lake with backcountry campsites and access to other wilderness trails.

www.wta.org

He hiked that trail up until around the 4,000 ft elevation and he traversed off the trail into hiding. There are vantage points along there where you can view down to Icicle Rd and the campgrounds. It's possible he could have waited to see if authorities or someone came to the campground looking for them. But it was several days until it was discovered by the forest deputy McLeod. Sometime within a day or two of the murders I think he took his life. Searchers state they didn't find a firearm but there are many other ways he could have taken himself out.

I also think there were too many "cooks in the kitchen" during this search. And many not local who ended up being in charge of the search. This is also a problem with opening this up to the public for tips. You'll here on many cases like this where so many tips come in it can overwhelm the task force and bog down resources quick. Also, it can throw them off his trail which is what I believe happened. They kept following tips and possible sightings of Decker that lead them the complete wrong direction heading South. Instead they should have focused on within a mile or two radius of the crime scene. Decker wasn't prepared at all. Had nearly no supplies with him. And there was no evidence of him getting help or anyone coming forward that gave him a ride back into town. Those girls were his life and he had very little reason to keep going.

Rbbm

If I may make one adjustment. Those girls weren't his life or he would have spared them. He would have loved them enough to let them live, to grow up, to be raised by the mother who loved them.

IMO he wasn't having a psychotic break, he was probably suicidal and calculated it for maximum revenge. Murdered his children so she couldn't have them either.

Perhaps he watched long enough to make sure they were found but not long enough to be apprehended. Took his own live within three days, but most likely the first.

He didn't want to live. And he didn't want them to either.

I find it hard to find any sympathy for his cruelty.

JMO

 

[UsernameRequired]

Rbbm

If I may make one adjustment. Those girls weren't his life or he would have spared them. He would have loved them enough to let them live, to grow up, to be raised by the mother who loved them.

IMO he wasn't having a psychotic break, he was probably suicidal and calculated it for maximum revenge. Murdered his children so she couldn't have them either.

Perhaps he watched long enough to make sure they were found but not long enough to be apprehended. Took his own live within three days, but most likely the first.

He didn't want to live. And he didn't want them to either.

I find it hard to find any sympathy for his cruelty.

JMO

I get your point about the girls "not being his life". But those are words chosen by Whitney's own attorney and echoed many times throughout this search (that is only reason why I used them). Whitney has said that prior to the murders, Decker was a "present and active" father up until the end. Decker regularly attended his daughters' school functions, dance, and theater productions. He also reportedly co-parented well and communicated frequently with Whitney. That was his life. It was said he really had no close friends in the Valley. He wasn't from the area. So his family was it. For whatever reason, he snapped and did something absolutely unthinkable.

 

[girlhasnoname]

I agree 100% on both theories.

My guess is after murdering the girls, he likely didn't know what to do next but instinctively needed to leave the scene. He knew driving his truck back into town he would likely be spotted very quickly (by police, license plate readers, etc). So he wandered down the Icicle Rd about 40 mins until he reached Chatter Creek trailhead and headed up that trail towards Grindstone mountain. This is the closest hiking trail up Grindstone from the crime scene. It is also far less traveled of the trails in the area compared to The Enchantments and other popular hiking trails nearby.

Chatter Creek

No matter how you tackle it, this hike is a workout. March through thick Ponderosa forests up to subalpine larch stands and a view from the pass, with options to continue on for a small alpine lake with backcountry campsites and access to other wilderness trails.

www.wta.org

He hiked that trail up until around the 4,000 ft elevation and he traversed off the trail into hiding. There are vantage points along there where you can view down to Icicle Rd and the campgrounds. It's possible he could have waited to see if authorities or someone came to the campground looking for them. But it was several days until it was discovered by the forest deputy McLeod. Sometime within a day or two of the murders I think he took his life. Searchers state they didn't find a firearm but there are many other ways he could have taken himself out.

I also think there were too many "cooks in the kitchen" during this search. And many not local who ended up being in charge of the search. This is also a problem with opening this up to the public for tips. You'll here on many cases like this where so many tips come in it can overwhelm the task force and bog down resources quick. Also, it can throw them off his trail which is what I believe happened. They kept following tips and possible sightings of Decker that lead them the complete wrong direction heading South. Instead they should have focused on within a mile or two radius of the crime scene. Decker wasn't prepared at all. Had nearly no supplies with him. And there was no evidence of him getting help or anyone coming forward that gave him a ride back into town. Those girls were his life and he had very little reason to keep going.

Just jumping off your post, not coming at you. I am just so sickened by this tragedy for the Girls. Not TD.

His body finally being located within a mile of the murder scene after 4 months is inexcusable to me. That's Search 101 and they had numerous searching capabilities including highly skilled personnel and drones that finally picked up on the t-shirt recently. They knew he was well experienced in hiking and hiding out of sight as an Army Ranger.

If Olivia, Evelyn and Paitlyn were his life why didn't he take himself out and leave them alive to live the wonderful future they had ahead of them? TD was a selfish coward who put zip ties on his girls little hands and bags over their precious heads and then hiked out. I would have expected him to take his life right at the scene with the girls if it was about being all together forever. He planned and knew what he did was wrong and couldn't face it IMO.

He gets no pass from me, he'd put those little girls in unsafe and questionable conditions previously. Just another angry man with MH issues who murdered his children rather than leave them to live happily ever after without him.

JMO

 

[Sundog]

I get your point about the girls "not being his life". But those are words chosen by Whitney's own attorney and echoed many times throughout this search (that is only reason why I used them). Whitney has said that prior to the murders, Decker was a "present and active" father up until the end. Decker regularly attended his daughters' school functions, dance, and theater productions. He also reportedly co-parented well and communicated frequently with Whitney. That was his life. It was said he really had no close friends in the Valley. He wasn't from the area. So his family was it. For whatever reason, he snapped and did something absolutely unthinkable.

I agree, he was likely in a psychotic state and believed he was saving the girls from something when he took their lives before he took his own. It is an incredible tragedy all around. I hope this is a wake-up call for mental health care for vets, including emergency mental health care.

ETA: Even for individuals suffering from a psychotic episode there can be moments of lucidity, but they often don't last long without medication.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Nobody, absolutely nobody wins here.

I imagine it's bittersweet for LE and the searchers as well. All that blood, sweat and tears... A sense of relief yes, but not a happy one. Finding a needle in a haystack you think would be a celebratory thing, but the whole story is still so heartbreaking period

 

[seasideForest]

Nobody, absolutely nobody wins here.

Except the girls' mother - WD - will not have to constantly look over her shoulder wondering if TD is coming for her, that's the only win here. MOO

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Except the girls' mother - WD - will not have to constantly look over her shoulder wondering if TD is coming for her, that's the only win here. MOO

Ya a sliver of a silver lining in a sad story. I wish her peace and healing.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Here are some grim details, ugh....

Remains spread across 5 sites identified as missing man Travis Decker, skull and torso still missing​

An autopsy cannot be performed because of the limited remains recovered.

<modsnip: copyright>

MORE AT LINK....

Remains spread across 5 sites identified as missing man Travis Decker, skull and torso still missing

The bones that were recovered were spread across five different sites, each separated by several hundred yards.

www.kiro7.com

 

[girlhasnoname]

Except the girls' mother - WD - will not have to constantly look over her shoulder wondering if TD is coming for her, that's the only win here. MOO

True, but how on earth will she ever be able to live without her 3 precious daughters Olivia, Evelyn and Paityn? I cannot begin to imagine how it would be possible to recover from something that traumatic.

I wish her peace, comfort and healing. So very, very sad it breaks my heart. I try my best not to imagine what the little angels could possibly have been thinking as they suffocated to death at their father's hand. What was he doing during that time?

JMO

 

[girlhasnoname]

Nobody, absolutely nobody wins here.

I imagine it's bittersweet for LE and the searchers as well. All that blood, sweat and tears... A sense of relief yes, but not a happy one. Finding a needle in a haystack you think would be a celebratory thing, but the whole story is still so heartbreaking period

Agreed, but Olivia, Evelyn and Paityn were the biggest losers of all. Everyone else has the opportunity to continue on with their lives.

I'm sorry if I seem so angry, but I am. Child murders really get to me like nothing else. Well, Elder abuse and animal abuse is right up there too. The truly vulnerable innocents and precious gifts of life.

I'll step away now. I just wanted TD found and now he is.

RIP sweet girls, you were angels on earth and it's a tragedy your life was cut so short. Fly high.

MOO

 

[waitin'4thewrld2chg]

I still don't have enough of an idea about the areas not accessible by vehicle in my own county to be able to weigh in and say to me it's crazy he wasn't found sooner---or to say to me it's understandable he wasn't found sooner because needle / haystack.

I have been of the needle / haystack opinion all along, but these pages give me pause. We are talking drones, not searchers needing to comb through every square inch of almost impassable inclines on foot to come across remains marked by a shirt.

I certainly don't doubt that the officers put their hearts and souls into their efforts, and I surely appreciate what they did---and that they did not stop when it would have been easier to have done so. T. D. didn't end up as a D. B. (Cooper). But I do wonder if aspects of the search for Travis Decker will end up one day in training classrooms as a cautionary tale.

 

[Charlot123]

Fortunately, the Labor Mountain and Sugarloaf fires are no where near the Icicle River and the area where they found his remains and are not on any alerts.

Lucky for them! Still, it is a very difficult situation in the area. Are you close by? Stay safe, please!

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1971790626183098701

 

[Nikynoo]

Here are some grim details, ugh....

Remains spread across 5 sites identified as missing man Travis Decker, skull and torso still missing​

An autopsy cannot be performed because of the limited remains recovered.

<modsnip: copyright>

MORE AT LINK...

Remains spread across 5 sites identified as missing man Travis Decker, skull and torso still missing

The bones that were recovered were spread across five different sites, each separated by several hundred yards.

www.kiro7.com

They need to look up for the head and torso.

 

[Serononin]

Yes, pretty much all we can do is speculate. If there was no accident or incident and he indeed took his own life, it would have been easier to have done so at the crime scene. Since he didn't do that, what was going on?

He could have started hiking with the intention to flee but soon grew despondent. He could have known all along that he was going to take his life but wanted his body to be in a spot where it would not be discovered for a long time, if ever. A desire to keep fear going---in other words, revenge---could have been behind his choice of a location, though I have never felt too sure of that motive.

I think the person who would have the best educated guess about the why would be the psychologist who had the best educated guess about the where. That is one reason why I'd wish to have her as a talkative seatmate on a plane. Maybe she'll write a book someday.

BBM

I hope she does! Or at least does some conference presentations or something

 

[RedHaus]

They need to look up for the head and torso.

Yet, LE found his T-Shirt on the ground (I presume). So if TD hung himself, how would his T-Shirt be on the ground but not bits of his torso?

Unless TD hung himself in the buff?...

Or... did his torso separate from his skull and spine from where he hung himself, so the torso and T-shirt ended up on the ground but his skull and perhaps spine still hang?

That sounds like a Predator scene!

Or... has LE withheld information on the condition of the T-shirt. Maybe it was ripped into pieces and covered in bodily fluids or tissue as might occur with animal / bird scavenging on his torso? And that could occur if TD died on the ground or if he hung himself per above.

Or... was the T-shirt folded neatly with his pants and bracelet on the ground suggesting paradoxical undressing due to the final stages of hypothermia?

Without further details (inquiring minds would love to know), at face value, it seems odd LE found TD's T-shirt but no evidence (e.g. blood) of his torso.

IMO.

 

[Bekind89]

Yet, LE found his T-Shirt on the ground (I presume). So if TD hung himself, how would his T-Shirt be on the ground but not bits of his torso?

Unless TD hung himself in the buff?...

Or... did his torso separate from his skull and spine from where he hung himself, so the torso and T-shirt ended up on the ground but his skull and perhaps spine still hang?

That sounds like a Predator scene!

Or... has LE withheld information on the condition of the T-shirt. Maybe it was ripped into pieces and covered in bodily fluids or tissue as might occur with animal / bird scavenging on his torso? And that could occur if TD died on the ground or if he hung himself per above.

Or... was the T-shirt folded neatly with his pants and bracelet on the ground suggesting paradoxical undressing due to the final stages of hypothermia?

Without further details (inquiring minds would love to know), at face value, it seems odd LE found TD's T-shirt but no evidence (e.g. blood) of his torso.

IMO.

I'm sorry if this has been answered, but do we know if he had a weapon, specifically a gun?

 

[sunspun]

They need to look up for the head and torso.

makes perfect sense... low-hanging fruit, hungry/curious wildlife, and hanging is one of the most common methods of suicide, especially if no firearm is present

 

[Gemmie]

Confirmation it's TD...good news for everyone IMO. It looks like he never made it far from where he murdered his daughters.

<snipped>

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison: "Based off the information we have, it appears that the potential of him going directly up Grindstone Mountain shortly after the event or within that day would be pretty consistent. But again, we'll look at the timeframe once we are back in the coroner's office and, hopefully we can get a clearer picture on what was the cause of death.

Travis Decker 'case closed:' Here's what Chelan County sheriff said about DNA match

BBMFF

Not sure that we'll be able to.

The world will likely never know how Travis Decker, the alleged murderer of his three daughters and subject of one of the most substantial manhunts in Washington state history, came to his end in the remote, rugged terrain of the Cascade mountains south of Leavenworth.

Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris confirmed Friday that Decker’s torso and cranium have not been located, which are instrumental in proving a cause of death.

Remains scattered, cause of death unclear in Travis Decker case

The search for Travis Decker ends without clear answers as his remains are found scattered in the Cascade mountains.

www.king5.com

 

[Gemmie]

“The biggest questions are when, and how did he die? Based on the limited skeletal remains that were obtained, that answer will most likely never be known,” Harris said.

Investigators found Decker’s remains in five different places, separated by hundreds of yards. An anthropologist revealed that none of the bones exhibited fractures, something that would indicate a fall. Due to the weather and animal activity in the area, no biological tissue or material was recovered.

Remains scattered, cause of death unclear in Travis Decker case

The search for Travis Decker ends without clear answers as his remains are found scattered in the Cascade mountains.

www.king5.com