Authorities believe they have tracked Travis Decker, who is accused of killing his three young daughters, to a hiking area in Chelan County, Washington.
“Tracking teams believe they are on Decker’s trail, community support and tips are still needed!” the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Tuesday night.
Authorities believe he may be in the Blewett Pass area.
“We are asking for the public, especially those who live or have cabins in the area, to remain highly vigilant and report any suspicious activity,” the sheriff’s office said.
The children, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on June 2 near a campground east of Seattle after their father failed to bring them home from a visitation. According to an affidavit, the girls had bags over their heads and had been zip-tied. An autopsy attributed their deaths to suffocation.
Decker’s white pickup was found near the girls, according to authorities, who said it had two bloody handprints on it. A large amount of evidence was collected from the scene, along with Decker’s dog, which was turned over to a local animal rescue, authorities said.
An arrest warrant accuses him of first-degree murder and kidnapping.
The manhunt has covered hundreds of square miles by air, land and water, the sheriff’s office previously said. Decker, a military veteran and active member of the Washington State National Guard, was described by authorities as an outdoorsman known to go “off-grid” for months.
Authorities tracked him to the Blewett Pass area after receiving a tip from a hiking party who said they saw a lone hiker in the Enchantments area and that the person appeared to be ill-prepared for the trail and weather. The hiking party also said the person appeared to be avoiding others, the sheriff’s office said.
Tracking teams in a helicopter immediately responded and saw “a lone, off-trail hiker.” The person ran from sight as the helicopter passed, the sheriff’s office said.
“Additional assets were called to the area while they developed a plan to track the individual. Teams later picked up a trail and deployed K9s to the area, tracking the subject to the area of Ingalls Creek Trailhead on HWY 97,” the release states.
Authorities are continuing to search the area.
Last year, a court ordered Decker to seek mental health treatment and domestic violence anger management counseling, according to the affidavit. It says Decker did not seek treatment and refused to sign a parenting plan imposed by the court.
His ex-wife, Whitney Decker, described her relationship with her ex-husband as cordial and said he had never previously failed to return their children, according to the affidavit.
