Aerial search for Travis Decker appears to slow as investigation continues in Chelan County

Nearly three weeks after the bodies of three young girls were discovered at a remote campground west of Leavenworth, the once-intense search for their father and suspected killer, Travis Decker, appears to have slowed its fervent pace.

Over the weekend, the U.S. Marshal’s Office, which recently took over search operations, did not fly King County Sheriff’s Office helicopters or the Washington State Patrol’s infrared-equipped Cessna, which flew repeated nighttime missions during the first week. Marshals were also using drones to look for signs of Decker. However, emails to Department of Justice officials to confirm if those flights continue have gone unanswered.

The shift doesn’t necessarily suggest a reduction in urgency or available leads as investigators continue the manhunt into increasingly remote terrain. However, it could signal a new tactic after the U.S. Forest Service reopened multiple trails in and around that area of the Cascade Mountain Range. Last week, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said more hikers will mean more eyes to possibly spot Decker or other evidence and more tips for law enforcement to respond to quickly.

“Our tactics continue,” Morrison said during a recent press conference. “We’re just heading in a different direction.”

The search for Travis Decker

Monday marked the beginning of week three in the official search for Decker, a former Army Ranger believed to have received survival training during his military service. Authorities have scoured hundreds of square miles across mountainous terrain, lakes, and rivers near Leavenworth and the Enchantments—a popular rugged area of tall peaks and picturesque alpine lakes. While the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it has handed over all active search operations to federal agencies, while local deputies and prosecutors remain in charge of the criminal investigation.

“All we need is one mistake and one favor—I hope he’s watching,” Morrison said. “Mr. Decker is going to be the one to determine how this is going to end. We’ve encouraged him time and time again to give up and to give up peacefully.”

Details released last week shed light on the crime scene. Autopsies confirmed that the three girls—discovered at a secluded campsite 18 miles west of Leavenworth—died by suffocation. Investigators classified the case as a triple homicide. Deputies reported finding each girl with a plastic bag over her head, along with more plastic bags strewn around the campsite and inside Decker’s abandoned truck.

Authorities uncover items at the scene 

Authorities said they recovered personal items from Decker’s vehicle, and blood samples taken from the site matched his DNA. Other samples collected were determined to be non-human. Decker’s dog was also found at the campsite and has since been turned over to a local humane society.

Flight tracking data from Sunday, a week ago, showed a Washington State Patrol Cessna circling the Enchantments—an isolated alpine region south of the crime scene—from about 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The next morning, helicopters from King County and the Washington National Guard resumed sweeps of the area, which has remained closed to the public for more than a week. Still, the frequency and visibility of such flights have declined from earlier in the search, when air activity was nearly constant day and night.

At one point, investigators said Decker may have been planning to flee the country. A federal affidavit filed by U.S. Marshals revealed Decker had recently searched Google for how to “relocate to Canada” and looked up jobs there just four days before picking up his daughters from their mother’s home in Wenatchee.

Decker was supposed to return the girls that same day, but he never showed up. A judge had revoked his overnight custodial rights in September 2024 due to homelessness and unpaid child support. Authorities launched a search when the family reported the girls missing, leading to the discovery of their bodies the following Monday.

“We have not given up,” Morrison said. “We remain committed. We will not stop.”

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