Sheriff warns father of three murdered Wenatchee girls ‘We’re going to make sure we find you’

Three missing sisters from Wenatchee were found dead at a campground west of Leavenworth, Washington, the Wenatchee Police Department confirmed. The girls were 5, 8, and 9 years old.

Their father, Travis Decker, 32, is wanted for murder and kidnapping. He could be anywhere in the nation, authorities said during a news conference Tuesday evening.

“We will not rest until Travis is located,” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said.

Morrison addressed Decker directly.

“Travis, if you’re listening, this is your opportunity to turn yourself in. Do the right thing, do what you need to do, and take accountability for your actions,” Morrison said. “We’re not going to go away, we’re not going to rest, and we’re going to make sure we find you. You will be brought to justice.”

Travis Decker is approximately 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds. He has black hair in a ponytail style and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a light shirt and dark shorts. His vehicle, a 2017 GMC Sierra, has a WA license plate reading D20165C. Decker is allegedly homeless, according to the Wenatchee Police Department.

The three sisters’ father, Travis Decker, 32, is wanted for murder and kidnapping. (Photo courtesy of the Wenatchee Police Department)

“At approximately 3:45 p.m. (Monday), a Chelan County deputy located Decker’s vehicle near the Rock Island Campground accessed by Icicle Road,” the Wenatchee Police Department stated in a press release. “The vehicle was unoccupied. Additional law enforcement officers responded and searched the immediate area. During the search, the bodies of the three missing girls were discovered. Decker was not located.”

Nancy Castro, general manager for the Blue Elk Inn in Leavenworth, told KIRO Newsradio she was appalled after hearing the news.

“It’s really sad. I mean, I was in shock. Very sad,” she said. “I am a mom as well, and I wouldn’t want that for anybody to happen. I mean, I just read the story and I got the chills. I was really sad and just started to cry.”

Girls’ mother asks for Travis Decker to be evaluated for anger management, domestic violence

In an exclusive interview with KIRO 7 Monday, the girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, said there have never been any problems with visitations in the past. Whitney and Travis were married for seven years, but had been divorced for several years. The divorce was civil, according to Whitney Decker.

“No. Travis has really struggled since he left the military, and his mental health can be hard sometimes…and I think this is an effect of that, and I don’t personally think that he’s dangerous,” Whitney Decker told KIRO 7. “I think that he is impulsive and he loves his children very much.”

However, as KIRO 7 browsed through court documents Tuesday, it was revealed that Whitney Decker’s opinion on Travis Decker’s mental health changed throughout the years.

In 2024, Whitney Decker’s attorneys filed a modification to the parental schedule, noting Travis Decker was “transient” and that he “neglected his parental duties towards a child” and “has a long-term emotional or physical problem that gets in the way of his ability to parent.”

Whitney Decker then requested Travis Decker to be evaluated for anger management and domestic violence. She also asked that he be enrolled in counseling with a licensed mental health counselor at least twice a month, KIRO 7 reported, citing court documents.

“Since our separation, it has become increasingly clear that Travis has been struggling to maintain stability in his life,” Whitney Decker wrote.

She added that a “lack of stability” led to a “negative impact on our children,” the media outlet stated.

Whitney Decker also wrote, “Travis also has some emotional/mental health issues that were the primary catalyst to the end of our marriage. His borderline personality disorder and narcissism became rampant.”

Travis Decker, according to court documents, was living in the armory in Wenatchee after his RV was repossessed, which made Whitney Decker uncomfortable. Travis Decker said he understood her concerns, but it was also important that the girls understand how the world works and how they could learn from his condition, KIRO 7 stated.

However, the court agreed with Whitney Decker and moved forward with a stricter parenting plan. Travis Decker was allowed to visit every other weekend, and on Friday, May 30, Whitney Decker reported that Travis Decker had not returned with the girls, according to KIRO 7.

Court documents further detailed Travis Decker’s erratic behavior toward his children, including outbursts “where he has burst into my home against my objections and yelled for the girls,” Whitney Decker wrote.

On August 30, 2023, Travis Decker said he “didn’t want the girls this weekend, even though it was his weekend. Said the girls walk on eggshells because of how he reprimands the dogs.”

On December 19, 2023, “Olivia FaceTimed (Whitney) screaming, crying that Travis was nowhere in sight. Paityn had to go find him, and he was with the dogs. Told me Paityn was unattended in the armory with Olivia playing on the lay pull-down machine and smashed Olivia’s fingers. Wasn’t comforting her. Olivia and Paityn were crying uncontrollably. Come to find out they had been sleeping in the armory.”

On July 25, 2024, Travis Decker “hitchhiked to my house and asked to stay in the basement with the girls. Three hours late. Said he could pick the girls up from the play, but he was hitchhiking so the stranger would’ve had to pick them up.”

Whitney Decker said that “Travis just keeps getting more and more unstable. He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much, but he has got to get better for our girls. I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all.”

Missing person alert canceled Monday night for Wenatchee sisters

An “Endangered Missing Person” alert for the three young sisters was canceled by the Washington State Patrol (WSP) at 8 p.m. Monday.

The Wenatchee Police Department was previously searching for three sisters, who were listed as missing, after Travis Decker did not return.

Earlier this week, during the search, with the assistance of the FBI, Wenatchee Police and Chelan County Sheriff’s Office detectives believed Decker and the girls were still in Chelan County. On June 2, the search area was narrowed to somewhere between Icicle Road and Chumstick Road near Leavenworth, and Wenatchee Police detectives obtained a warrant for Decker’s arrest.

Decker, a former member of the military, is wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree kidnapping. He was known to live in his own vehicle and would stay at various hotels, motels, and surrounding campgrounds.

“All Wenatchee and East Wenatchee area motels were checked with no results,” the Wenatchee Police Department added.

A reward of up to $20,000 has been offered for information leading directly to his arrest.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio; KIRO 7

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