Bones discovered in hunt for Travis Decker found to be animal remains
Sep 3, 2025, 3:02 PM | Updated: 3:06 pm
The search for Travis Decker continues in the Wenatchee forest. (Photos courtesy of Wenatchee Police Department and the U.S. Forest Service, via Flickr Creative Commons)
(Photos courtesy of Wenatchee Police Department and the U.S. Forest Service, via Flickr Creative Commons)
A set of bones discovered by the FBI in its recently expanded search for murder suspect Travis Decker has been identified as animal remains.
“During the search, personnel recovered multiple bones, including those that required additional examination to determine if they were animal or human. Central Washington University has reviewed the bones and assessed that they are not human,” W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Herrington said that although there will be no further updates related to the specific search, the investigation into Decker continues.
FBI expands search for Travis Decker
The expanded search included two days of combing through thick brush and rugged terrain about a quarter-mile around the Rock Island Campground, where the bodies of Travis Decker’s daughters were found on June 18, just west of Leavenworth.
“This extensive search was just one step in a three-month process by a variety of agencies to locate Travis Decker, discover signs of his whereabouts, or find any other evidence of the murder of his three daughters,” Herrington wrote in his statement.
The FBI said it recovered several items of potential evidence in connection with the search for Travis Decker, adding that all of the items they’ve recovered are now being analyzed to determine if they are connected to the ongoing investigation.
Whether any of them turn out to be the big break investigators have been hoping for could keep many people waiting, as Herrington noted that final results could take time.
According to the FBI’s Seattle Field Office, a recent two-day grid search wrapped up last week near the Rock Island Campground, 18 miles west of Leavenworth.
“The mission of the search was to locate Travis Decker, discover signs of his whereabouts, or find any other evidence of the murder of his three daughters,” W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office, said.
More than 100 personnel were deployed during the search effort, which covered more than 1 million square meters—or roughly 247 acres—of rugged outdoor terrain. Teams faced extreme heat, with temperatures nearing 100 degrees, as well as dense vegetation and difficult topography.
The operation involved agents from the FBI Seattle Field Office, with support from FBI headquarters and other partner agencies.
Travis Decker’s DNA found at campsite
Earlier this month, Decker’s DNA was found on the murder weapons at the campsite where the girls were found, including multiple plastic bags. Investigators also revealed that blood found on Decker’s pickup truck at the crime scene matched his DNA.
In a one-on-one interview with KIRO Newsradio, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison doubled down on that information to dispel rumors that a second suspect may have also been at the crime scene with Decker at the time of the girls’ deaths or helped him leave the crime scene.
“There was no reason to believe that anyone else was at the crime scene except Travis, Paityn, Evelyn, Olivia, and, of course, the dog. So, we’re going to continue to go based off what we found in the evidence,” Morrison said.
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FBI asks for public’s help to find Travis Decker
Decker remains at large, and the FBI continues to ask for the public’s help in locating him.
“If people do have information, they believe someone else was possibly there or did something, we’d love to see it. We’d love to hear it. So far, it’s been a lot of talk, and nothing has substance behind it. So, Travis is still our suspect. We have probable cause for his arrest, and we look forward to the opportunity to have him standing in front of our courts, or to recover what remains of him,” Morrison said.
The memory of the three girls who lost their lives is what will continue to keep authorities on a track to find Decker, bring him to justice, and bring closure to the girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, and their extended family, Morrison shared.
There is currently a $20,000 reward for any information leading to Decker’s arrest. Tips can be submitted on the U.S. Marshals’ website.
This story was originally published on August 29, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.
Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest
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