Sheriff reveals more ties to discovered human remains and Travis Decker

Human remains, thought to be those of Travis Decker, were discovered in a remote location south of Leavenworth, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office reported.

On Friday afternoon, Sheriff Mike Morrison confirmed in a press conference that the clothing, a distinctive bracelet, and chewing tobacco found with the body belonged to Decker.

Travis Decker is accused of killing his three young daughters, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia, at a campground near Leavenworth, leading him to become the center of a months-long, nationwide manhunt.

A massive, multi-agency search led to the discovery of the human remains. Those involved with the search included the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Forrest Service, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.

“While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker,” the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office wrote in its announcement.

Clothing and other personal items linked to Decker were found with the remains, Ryan Moody, Chief of Special Operations in the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, told KIRO Newsradio Thursday night. The remains were found earlier this week on Grindstone Mountain, a few miles from where the girls’ bodies were found.

“Was it a surprise? Yes and no,” Moody said. “I’d say we were always hopeful that we would find him. But, you know, after this long, you try not to get your hopes up.”

The Sheriff’s Office is currently processing the scene, assisted by WSP’s crime scene response team, which will be followed up with DNA analysis.

“It was a huge relief,” Moody said. “Especially to see it in, like, my detectives’ eyes — the amount of work and the amount of stress that they’ve gone through, and just the day-to-day, constant work that they’ve put into this, along with all our other partners who put just as much work into it. And most importantly, the reason we do it is for the closure for Whitney, and for her to be able to kind of move on.”

Whitney is the girls’ mother.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office has contacted the Decker family with their findings.

Authorities were prepared for years-long investigation to find Travis Decker

Authorities were prepared to search for years to find Travis Decker.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference last month that revealed the FBI was leading a major search effort near Leavenworth for Decker.

Peter Orth, spokesperson for the FBI Seattle Field Office, said authorities were conducting a detailed grid search in an area that spans about a quarter mile around the campsite, where the bodies of Decker’s three young daughters were found.

“Nearly 100 FBI and partner agencies personnel on the ground to participate in this search operation,” Orth said. “We (had) specialty teams from the federal government and local partner agencies all deployed for this operation.”

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said federal, state, and local agencies combed the rugged terrain near the scene of the crime at Rock Island Campground.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

Contributing: Luke Duecy, KIRO Newsradio

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