Chelan County coroner: No way to determine Travis Decker cause of death

Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris told KIRO Newsradio it is impossible to determine how murder suspect and fugitive, Travis Decker, died or when.

Harris said Decker’s torso and cranium remain missing. Therefore, they cannot determine whether he committed suicide or suffered from a fall, and the lack of other remains rules out any toxicology reports.

“There were a few leg bones, a couple of arm bones, some vertebrae, some ribs, and a foot, and they were scattered in about five different locations, at an elevation of about 4200 feet,” Harris said. “Unless another hiker finds a cranium and the forensic anthropologist can examine it and determine that he may have fallen, or if there is a bullet hole in his skull.”

Earlier this week, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said the remains investigators found included most of Decker’s remains, but not all of them. He described them as skeletal, including part of a spinal column, feet, and other bones.

During a press conference Thursday, Morrison said Decker suffered injuries in the time after he allegedly murdered his three daughters at the Rock Island Campsite near Leavenworth. However, he did not comment on the nature of those injuries or what may have caused the injuries.

“He succumbed to those injuries, whatever those injuries were,” Morrison said during a news conference. “We’re going to hear back from our coroner’s office if they are able to get a cause of death or a time of death.”

Harris now said there’s no way to determine whether Decker suffered any injuries.

“Not without any further bone parts that we can look at, no, we have no idea,” he explained.

After investigators found bloody handprints left by Decker on his truck at the original crime scene, speculation grew about a possible attack or bite from Decker’s dog that was eventually rescued and taken to an area humane shelter.

However, Harris said, “the anthropologist did look at the few bones he had, and he could not see any fractures in them, didn’t see any animal activity, like any teeth marks in the bones.”

Travis Decker’s remains found on Grindstone Mountain

The remains were found on September 19 on Grindstone Mountain, about 0.74 miles from the crime scene at the Rock Island Campground outside Leavenworth, where Chelan County deputies discovered the bodies of 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia Decker on June 2.

During Thursday’s press conference, Morrison thanked Washington State Patrol Forensic and Operational Psychologist Dr. Stacy Cecchet, who specializes in criminal behavioral analysis, for analyzing several pieces of evidence and pointing investigators toward the Grindstone scene.

“She had highlighted an area of interest on Grindstone Mountain, she even ‘guestimated’ about what elevation we were looking at,” Morrison said. “She brought a different perspective that we had received from the FBI or the Marshal’s Service.”

In a post on LinkedIn, Dr. Cecchet said, “I am honored to have supported the Washington State Patrol and partner agencies in the Travis Decker case. While the outcome is deeply tragic, I am grateful to have played a role in bringing some measure of closure to the Decker family and the community through this collaborative effort.”

After an initial look at the conditions of the remains and how spread apart they were, Morrison said investigators now think Decker may have died days or even hours after the deaths of his daughters.

“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,” Morrison said. “We’ll look at the time frame once we hear back from the Coroner’s Office, and hopefully, we can get a clearer picture of what was the cause of death.”

U.S. Marshals Service declares Decker dead

The U.S. Marshals Service declared Decker dead on Tuesday. In the motion, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, Marshals and federal prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss an arrest warrant for Decker based on DNA results from clothing found near the skeletal remains found by investigators.

However, Morrison said he believed the Marshals’ conclusion was premature because not all DNA results were back from the Washington State Patrol’s Crime Lab—including the skeletal remains that were discovered. By Thursday, those results confirmed DNA from the clothing and bones did match Decker.

Decker had been on the run since May 30 after, investigators said, he kidnapped and murdered his daughters during a court-ordered custody visit. The massive manhunt that followed led tactical teams to areas around Blewitt Pass, the Teanaway Valley, and Snoqualmie Pass in neighboring Kittitas County. Investigators said they never found any signs during those searches that Decker was dead or alive.

While investigators still wait for a complete identification of the remains, they are also waiting for an official cause of death. Morrison told KIRO Newsradio he hopes their findings finally bring the case to a close and, hopefully, closure to family and friends—especially the girls’ mother, Whitney.

“If anything, we hope she will sleep better at night, she wouldn’t be looking over her shoulder,” Morrison said. “But we understand nothing we do is going to reverse this travesty and bring her daughters back.”

Morrison said Decker’s remains will be released to his family at an appropriate time in the future.

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