Three young sisters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, just 5 years old, vanished during what should’ve been a routine visit with their father Travis.
Days later, they were found dead at a Washington campsite — and now, police believe he’s the one who took their lives.
In a devastating tragedy that has rocked Washington State and captured national attention, three young sisters — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5 — were found dead near the remote Rock Island campground in Wenatchee, roughly three hours east of Seattle.
According to the Wenatchee Police Department, the girls had been visiting the area with their father — a visit that turned into a nightmare, as he is currently wanted in connection with their murders.
The father, 32-year-old Travis Decker, remains at large, with law enforcement warning the public not to approach him.
Authorities believe Decker, a military veteran with extensive combat training and serious mental health struggles, suffocated his daughters during what was supposed to be a brief, court-approved visit.
A mother’s worst nightmare
The girls vanished Friday evening after Decker picked them up for a three-hour visitation — a routine exchange their mother, Whitney, had initially not found alarming.
But when 9:45 p.m. came and went without their return, and Decker’s phone went straight to voicemail, panic set in.
“I didn’t think he was dangerous,” Whitney told local station . “His mental health can be hard sometimes, but he loved them.”
Court records, however, painted a more troubling picture. Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, reportedly was not taking his prescribed medication, and had refused to sign a parenting plan that required therapy and anger management.
Whitney had already expressed deep concerns in custody filings, writing that the girls had slept in armories, tents, and even Decker’s truck during visits — sometimes unsupervised and surrounded by strangers. In one especially disturbing instance, their daughter Olivia once called her crying, unable to find her dad. Another time, Evelyn came home with unexplained welts between her legs.
“I’ve bent over backwards to support their relationship,” Whitney wrote in court documents. “But I cannot have our girls living in what is essentially a homeless shelter, or worse.”
A grisly discovery in the forest
After a weekend of worry and increasingly desperate searches, authorities found Decker’s truck around 3:45 p.m. Monday near Rock Island Campground.
Nearby, just 75 to 100 yards from the vehicle, police made the unimaginable discovery: the bodies of Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia.
Each girl had a plastic bag over her head and zip ties around their wrists. The tailgate of Decker’s truck bore two bloody handprints. Inside were haunting remnants of what should have been a family outing: car seats, blankets, food, and Decker’s wallet.
There was also evidence of recent camping activity — a tent and cooler nearby — but no trace of Decker himself.
“We will not rest”
Chelan County officials have now charged Decker with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. A judge has issued a warrant for his arrest and ordered he be held without bail.
“We have no leads specifically showing where he is at,” said Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison in a press conference Tuesday. “Nothing is off the table.”
The search for Decker has become a multi-agency manhunt involving local law enforcement, the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and Homeland Security. Drones are now scouring the rugged wilderness of Icicle Road — a popular hiking and climbing area in the Cascade Mountains.
“Travis, if you’re listening,” Morrison said directly to the fugitive during the briefing, “this is your opportunity to turn yourself in. Do the right thing. Take accountability for your actions. We’re not going to rest.”
A community in mourning
On Tuesday evening, more than 300 people gathered in Memorial Park in Wenatchee for a vigil in honor of the three girls. Children blew bubbles into the sky as music played softly in the background. According to , notes written in marker were taped to folding tables — one from a child named Grace read: “I am so sorry. No one deserves what happened to you.”
Pastor Mike Wilson offered prayers for the family, the investigators, and a mother now left with a gaping void where three bright lights once shone.
“These girls were true light in this world,” for Whitney reads. “And it is a darker place without them.”
By Tuesday night, the fundraiser had already topped $350,000, with thousands of messages of love, heartbreak, and rage pouring in from across the country.
Still on the run
As of Wednesday morning, Travis Decker — described as 5’8”, 190 pounds, with black hair in a ponytail and brown eyes — remains missing. Authorities say he has no permanent residence and often stays in campgrounds or motels. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts.
Law enforcement continues to urge the public: do not approach him — instead, contact police immediately with any sightings or information.
In a world now too familiar with the headlines of domestic tragedy, the story of Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia is a brutal reminder of what can happen when warning signs go unheeded — and of a mother’s unrelenting fight to keep her children safe.
As candles flickered in the Wenatchee twilight, a voice rang out softly:
“Fly high, sweet girls.”
This is heartbreaking. How could their own father hurt these beautiful angels?
Sometimes it’s hard to grasp just how cruel and unfair the world can be. There are no words that can truly capture the heartbreak of a tragedy like this. Rest in peace, sweet little souls. 💔
