Search for Travis Decker, Pewaukee native suspected of killing daughters in Washington, scaled back
Police in Washington say they’ll scale back their manhunt for Travis Decker, a Pewaukee native suspected of killing his three daughters.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a July 25 news release that the search “continues with a reduced footprint while the criminal investigation remains ongoing.”
The sheriff’s office cited a decrease in leads and tips about Decker’s location. It said police and search and rescue organizations have done extensive searches of the wilderness area around the crime scene.
The Wenatchee Police Department provided this photo of Travis Decker, a Pewaukee native being sought in connection with the death of his three daughters in Washington State. The search for Decker was continuing June 3, three days after the girls’ mother reported the girls missing and one day after their bodies were found near a campground.
Police have been searching for Decker since he didn’t return his three daughters to their mother May 30. The three girls — Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5 — were found dead days afterwards in the vicinity of Decker’s truck near the Rock Island Campground, about 80 miles east of Seattle.
The search efforts have used swift water teams, K-9 teams, airplanes and searches on foot. The sheriff’s office said it doesn’t know if Decker is alive or dead.
Police issued a warrant for Decker’s arrest in early June on three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.
According to police, at the time of the girls’ disappearance, Decker had been living out of his pickup truck or staying at campgrounds and motels. Authorities said he also has extensive military training and went to mountain survival school.
Decker graduated from Pewaukee High School, where he was a member of 2010 wrestling team and wrestled in the state finals that year.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Decker’s arrest. Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 800-336-0102 or USMS Tips at usmarshals.gov/tips.
How to support the Decker family
You can donate to support Whitney Decker, the mother of Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia via GoFundMe. As of July 27, the fundraiser has raised almost $1.3 million.
More: While authorities search for Travis Decker, family and friends deal with daughters’ deaths
Where to find help for domestic violence
If you are seeking help with domestic violence, you can call the following numbers to reach advocates who can help with safety planning. Calls to advocates are confidential and do not involve law enforcement.
-
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
-
The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at 414-933-2722.
-
The Milwaukee Women’s Center offers a 24-hour crisis line at 414-671-6140.
Find additional culturally specific and multilingual resources here.
Maia Pandey, Alex Groth and Cailey Gleeson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this story
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Search for Travis Decker, suspected of killing daughters, scaled back
