Authorities find remains they think are fugitive Travis Decker, accused of killing his 3 daughters in Washington state, officials say

Authorities in Washington state have found remains they believe are those of Travis Decker, the fugitive father accused of killing his three young daughters earlier this year before disappearing into the wilderness. 

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday night that, “While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker.”

The 32-year-old Decker, a former Army soldier with extensive survival skills, was accused in May of killing his three daughters, 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker. 

A search for Decker began on May 30 after the girls’ mother reported that Decker had not returned them on time to her home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles east of Seattle, following a planned visit. 

Three days later, their bodies were found down an embankment at a campsite in the Cascade Mountains. Their wrists were bound with zip ties, and an autopsy determined the girls’ cause of death was suffocation, authorities said. 

A search for Decker has been ongoing since then. DNA testing confirmed Decker was the sole suspect in their murders. 

Photos showing how he may have changed his appearance were released in June, and a reward of up to $20,000 was being offered for information leading to his arrest. 

Earlier this month, the FBI said it had found bones that might have be Decker but then determined the bones weren’t from a human.