Briefing Document: Manhunt for Travis Decker

Date: June 21, 2025 (latest information available)

Subject: Ongoing search for Travis Decker, suspect in the triple homicide of his three daughters in Chelan County, Washington.

I. Overview of the Crime and Initial Discovery

Travis Decker, a 32-year-old military veteran, is charged with three counts of murder and kidnapping in connection with the deaths of his daughters: Paityn (9), Evelyn (8), and Olivia (5).

• Timeline:Friday, May 30, 2025: Decker took his daughters for a scheduled visitation but never returned them.

• Monday, June 2, 2025: The girls' bodies were found near Decker's abandoned truck off Icicle Road near the Rock Island campground west of Leavenworth, in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

• Cause and Manner of Death: The Chelan County medical examiner determined the official cause of death for the girls to be suffocation, and the manner of death is homicide. Reports also state the children were found "with plastic bags over their heads and their hands bound."

II. The Manhunt: Agencies Involved, Challenges, and Tactics

The search for Travis Decker has become a multi-agency, resource-intensive manhunt, complicated by his background and the rugged terrain.

• Lead Agencies:Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO)

• Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO)

• U.S. Marshals Service (now leading the effort, launching a “rapidly advancing manhunt program”)

• Assisting Agencies: Washington Army National Guard (WA ANG), Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Moses Lake Police Department, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Forest Service, Yakima Office of Emergency Management, and Ellensburg Police Department, and even international resources from Australia and Portugal.

• Search Areas:Initially focused on the wilderness near the campground and along the Pacific Crest Trail.

• Expanded to include the Enchantments (now reopened to the public), Teanaway Valley, Blewett Pass areas, Ingalls Creek, and Valley High regions in Chelan and Kittitas counties. Recent flight patterns show aircraft circling rugged slopes east of Leavenworth.

• Challenges in the Search:Decker's Skills: Decker is a "military veteran" with "extensive experience in wilderness survival," capable of "surviving off the grid for months." Authorities believe "he could have scoped out [the] area before, put supplies out there, and has the ability and the knowledge to survive for a long period of time."

• Terrain: The search areas are described as "rugged mountain terrain," "high, undeveloped" wilderness with "nothing but trails."

• Head Start: Decker had approximately a "three-day head start" before the girls' bodies were found.

• Communication Difficulties: Law enforcement has had to overcome "communications difficulties" in the remote areas.

• Search Tactics:Human search teams, K9 units, aerial surveillance (including the Washington National Guard and CCSO Air Support Unit), and ground crews.

• Swift water rescue team was brought in to comb Icicle Creek.

• Shifting resources towards "building a criminal case to ensure Decker can be prosecuted if captured."

• Applying lessons from a similar 2020 manhunt in the same wilderness, emphasizing a "long game" approach and the crucial role of public vigilance.

• Authorities have released new digitally altered photos of Decker to aid in public identification, showing him with various hair lengths and facial hair.

• Status: Decker "remains at large" as of June 21, 2025, over three weeks since his daughters' bodies were found. "We have not given up,” Morrison said. “Our goal remains the same — to ensure justice is brought for the deaths of these innocent girls.”

III. Travis Decker's Background and Mental Health

Before the murders, Travis Decker was reportedly struggling with mental health issues.

• Mental Health Struggles: His ex-wife, Whitney Decker, told investigators he was "experiencing mental health issues" and was homeless, often living in hotels or campgrounds.

• Court Mandates: A parenting plan from September 2024 limited Travis's visitation to eight hours every other weekend and three hours on Fridays, with no overnight stays and visits only in the Wenatchee Valley. The plan also ordered Travis to "seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling" and undergo a "full psychiatric evaluation by a licensed psychiatrist." He reportedly had not followed through with these mandates.

• Diagnoses: Whitney Decker stated that "near the end of the marriage he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder that she believes he currently does not take medications for.”

• Behavioral Red Flags: In the days leading up to the killings, Travis was cited for driving without insurance, involved in a car crash on May 27, and left the scene of another crash on May 4. His boss noted "recent mental health concerns" when he failed to show up for work on June 2.

IV. Public Involvement and Community Response

Law enforcement has heavily relied on public assistance, and the community has shown significant support for the victims.

• Public Safety Warning: Decker is considered "armed and dangerous." The public is urged "not to contact or approach him if seen, but instead to call 911 immediately."

• Information Gathering: Authorities are asking residents and property owners in Chelan, Kittitas, King, Snohomish, and Okanogan counties to "secure their properties by locking all doors, including sheds and outbuildings, and leaving window blinds open and outside lights on." They also request property owners with security or trail cameras to "review their footage or allow deputies access to it."

• Reward: The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker's arrest. Tips can be submitted to 1-800-336-0102 or online at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.

• Community Support: "Chief Deputy Brown with the U.S. Marshals praised the community for its support."

• Victims' Memorial: A public memorial service for Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker was held on Friday, June 20, at 7 p.m. at Rocky Reach Park in Wenatchee.

• GoFundMe: A GoFundMe for the girls' mother, Whitney Decker, has raised over $1.2 million towards a $1.4 million goal.

V. Media Coverage and Public Perception

While the story is highly tragic and locally significant, its national media presence has varied.

• Local vs. National Coverage: Many sources indicate that while the story is widely covered in the Pacific Northwest, it may not receive as much national attention due to its regional nature and the daily occurrence of other tragic events. "I would argue, this story should never haVE been national news, but rather just regional."

• Public Interest: There is a "strong public thirst for information about this crime and this search."

• Comparisons: The manhunt has been compared to other long-term evade-and-capture cases, such as Bradford Bishop and Robert William Fisher, and the Chris Watts case, though the latter did not involve the perpetrator going missing.

• Speculation: There has been some public speculation on platforms like Reddit regarding Whitney Decker and potential sightings of Travis Decker on game cameras.

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