2nd Batch of DNA Results Link Army Vet Alone to Daughters' Deaths at Campground Crime Scene

Investigators have linked a second source of DNA evidence to Travis Decker in the deaths of his three daughters earlier this year.

On June 2, authorities found the bodies of Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn, 9, at the Rock Island campground near Icicle Road in Leavenworth, Washington. The girls were reported missing after their father, Decker, now 33, failed to return the girls to their mother following a scheduled visitation on May 30.

The girls were found with plastic bags over their heads; a DNA analysis by the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed Decker's DNA matched the DNA profiles obtained from the plastic bags, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a news release on Tuesday.

In June, autopsies determined that the cause of death for each of the girls was suffocation, and the manner of death was homicide.

Zip ties found "in the immediate area of the bodies" also tested positive for Decker's DNA, the news release said.

Now, the sheriff's office is waiting for more evidence to be tested by the crime lab, according to Chief Ryan Moody with the sheriff's office.

A previous DNA analysis of crime scene evidence also implicated Decker. Items taken from the scene matched blood samples also found at the campsite, the sheriff's office said July 1.

The sheriff's office hasn't received new information regarding Decker's whereabouts or if he's dead or alive, according to the news release, but they continue to communicate with local, state and federal law enforcement partners to coordinate search efforts.

Decker was a member of the Army National Guard and served in the U.S. Army from 2013 to 2021 as an infantryman, according to a National Guard spokesperson. During his enlistment, he deployed to Afghanistan.

The girls' mother, Whitney Decker, filed for divorce from Decker in November 2022. In Chelan County Superior Court filings, she described his struggles with mental health and said he had borderline personality disorder.

At the time the girls went missing, Decker was allowed visits every other weekend -- Fridays through Sundays -- in the Wenatchee Valley, but they were not permitted to be overnight.

In a court declaration, Whitney Decker said the girls' father struggled to maintain stability and housing since their separation, and that his mental health issues were affecting their daughters.

As part of a parenting plan, he was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation related to anger management. The evaluation should've been completed within 30 days, but court records show he never completed the evaluation.

Decker's whereabouts remain unknown.

He's 5-foot-8 with black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a tan or green shirt and dark shorts.

The U.S. Marshals Service is still offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Decker's arrest. He is wanted on three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping.

Officials continue to ask the public to report any sightings or suspicious activity by calling 911 or contacting the nearest U.S. Marshal's office or the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at (800) 336-0102 or USMS Tips at usmarshals.gov/tips.

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