Travis Decker: Dad hunted over murder, kidnapping of three daughters

Headshot of Peta Rasdien
Peta Rasdien
The Nightly
Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were all found dead.
Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were all found dead. Credit: Facebook

A desperate search for three sisters who went missing after a visitation with their dad has ended in tragedy, with the little girls found dead.

Their father, Travis Decker, a US veteran with extensive military training, is now the subject of a large-scale police hunt.

He collected daughters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, for a scheduled visit on May 30, but mother Whitney Decker raised the alarm with police after he failed to return them at the agreed time.

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After a three-day search, the girls were found dead on Monday, close to their father’s truck near the Rock Island campground in Wenatchee, Washington State.

Mr Decker is now wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping.

Travis Decker is a highly trained military veteran.
Travis Decker is a highly trained military veteran. Credit: Supplied

Police say Mr Decker is homeless and has been living in his car, or at various hotels/motels or at campgrounds around Wenatchee.

It is unknown if he is armed but police say he may pose a significant risk and should not be approached. A SWAT team has been mobilised to help with the manhunt.

Whitney Decker with her girls Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5.
Whitney Decker with her girls Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5. Credit: Supplied

Hours before her girls were found, Ms Decker had issued a heartbreaking appeal for their safe return.

“I just want the girls back home safe and sound — that is the most important thing to me,” she said in a statement to NCWLIFE.

“I am concerned about the safety and wellbeing of my girls and their dad. This is an unimaginable situation.” I am pleading for everyone to look out for them.”

Amy Edwards, a friend who set up a GoFundMe for the girl’s devastated mother, wrote that she had taught them at a drama group known as the Short Shakespeareans.

“Their light touched so many, and the pain of this loss is immeasurable,” she wrote.

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