The manhunt for suspected triple murderer Travis Decker has intensified as police reveal they think he’s hiding in the woods along the Canadian border.
Investigators are now actively searching the Pacific Crest Trail in Okanogan County, Washington for Decker – who is accused of killing his three daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants on properties and electronic devices believed to be linked to Decker which ‘resulted in new leads and critical information’.
Officers urge locals, specifically those in remote areas of Okanogan County, to lock all doors and windows while Decker, 32, remains at large.
Decker, a former Army paratrooper, is considered dangerous, given his extensive military training and propensity for violence.
He has not been seen since Friday when he picked his daughters up from their mother’s home in Wenatchee, roughly 112 miles away from Okanogan County.
Their bodies were found at a campsite in Leavenworth, 20 miles from their home, on Monday. Their wrists had been bound with zip ties and each of them had been suffocated with a plastic bag.
Investigators, so far, have found no traces of Decker other than his abandoned truck which was found about 100 yards away from where his daughter’s bodies.
The manhunt for suspected triple murderer Travis Decker has intensified as police reveal they think he’s hiding along the Canada border
Investigators are now actively searching the Pacific Crest Trail in Okanogan County, Washington for Decker
But true crime obsessed social media users have done their own deep dives into Decker and believe a photo he shared to Facebook in April could be a clue to his whereabouts.
Social media users want authorities to search Bull River Campground, which is located in western Montana, roughly 300 miles away from his daughters’ home.
Decker’s online presence is borderline nonexistent with the picture of Bull River being ‘one of the only things posted’ on his account, amateur sleuth Rose pointed out in a tweet that has now been viewed more then 17,000 times.
‘Maybe they should check the Bull River in Montana while searching for Travis Decker,’ she added.
Decker was reportedly diagnosed with complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder after leaving active military service.
His ex-wife Whitney says she knew her daughters were in ‘substantial danger’ when Decker failed to return them after his visitation on Friday.
Whitney, speaking through her lawyer Arianna Cozart on Thursday, said that she begged police to issue an Amber Alert but was told the case did not meet the requirements.
But Whitney has now alleged this ‘was a tragedy that could’ve been completely’ avoided had officials intervened.
She believes ‘something broke inside’ of Decker and that he ‘would not have done what he did if he was himself’, Cozart revealed in a heartbreaking statement early Thursday morning.
‘He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,’ Cozart told the Seattle Times.
‘We may never know if it could’ve meant the difference between life and death for those girls … but it could’ve made a huge difference,’ Cozart told the newspaper.
Mother-of-three Whitney Decker (pictured with her daughters) said today through her lawyer that she begged police to issued an Amber Alert after they failed to return home on Friday but was told the case did not meet the requirement
The girls’ mother had hoped they were missing in the woods with their father before the devastating discovery
Court documents state that when Decker’s ex-wife Whitney Decker reported her daughters missing on Friday, she ‘expressed concern’ over his alleged deteriorating mental state.
Whitney told police Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and believes he did not take medication for the condition, according to court documents.
The father-of-three was supposed to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of a parenting plan, but there was no sign he had followed through, the documents show.
Whitney stated in September divorce proceedings that he had been ‘struggling to maintain stability’ since they separated and it was beginning to affect their daughters.
She said that at times he would have the girls sleep at an armory while he was in the National Guard, despite her objections, according to the Seattle Times.
She also said Decker – was prone to ‘outbursts’ and would come into her house yelling for the girls – would sometimes fail to pick up after promising to do so.
In one instance, Whitney wrote that her youngest daughter, Olivia, called her crying during a visit with Decker and said she could not find her father – before Evelyn came home with welts between her legs.
Travis Decker is accused of suffocating his three daughters. He remains on the run and is considered dangerous
Authorities also released photos of Decker from before he went missing, showing him with sunglasses that obscured his eyes and tattoos all down his arm
‘I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all,’ Whitney wrote in the court filing. ‘To the contrary, I have bent over backwards to facilitate that relationship.
‘But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him, both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.’
But still Whitney reiterated to authorities how she did not believe her ex was dangerous and said he loved his daughters.
She said the girls had a, ‘good relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him,’ and noted that he had never failed to return the girls before, according to a police affidavit.
She said when Decker went to pick up the girls Friday, he was ‘quieter than usual’ which was ‘out of character’ for him.
He had also allegedly been talking about getting rid of his dog due to housing and financial struggles.
On Tuesday, a judge issued a warrant for Decker’s arrest and ordered he be held without bail.
The children’s lifeless bodies were discovered in a campsite in rural Washington state
Authorities swarmed the Rock Island Campground on Monday evening after finding Decker’s truck.
Chelan County Sheriff’s Office deputies found the girls’ bodies about 75 to 100 yards from the truck. Police believe the girls died from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents state.
Decker’s truck had two bloody handprints on the tailgate, and inside were personal items including blankets, food, car seats and a wallet on the center console, police said.
The campground also showed signs of recent activity, with a tent and a cooler located a short distance away, but Decker was nowhere to be found.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
