LEAVENWORTH, WA, nearly three months after the tragic murders of Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker, investigators have launched an intensified search for their father, the only suspect in the case, while their grieving mother pleads for closure.
‘We will find him’: FBI grid search targets rugged terrain
Just days earlier, the FBI closed multiple Washington campgrounds in connection with the manhunt.
On August 25, FBI agents began a sweeping two-day grid search near the Rock Island Campground, where the girls’ bodies were discovered on June 2. The renewed effort covered a quarter-mile radius around the site, with nearly 100 officers combing the dense wilderness near Icicle Creek and even diving into previously inaccessible parts of the waterway.
“There was no new information that prompted this,” said Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison. “It’s just due diligence — making sure we’re checking our boxes.”
Morrison emphasized that while no fresh leads have surfaced, the team is determined to rule out the possibility that Travis Decker might still be hiding, or deceased, in the area.
Mother’s heartbreak and frustration grows
In an emotional update, Sheriff Morrison revealed that he had spoken directly with the girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, the night before the new search began.
“She’s frustrated,” he said. “Of course, she wants the kind of closure where we can locate Travis and bring him to justice.”
Whitney had previously told media she hoped Decker would be found “dead or alive” — a sentiment Morrison acknowledged is shared by many in the community still reeling from the crime.
No sign of Decker — but the search isn’t over
Despite the massive operation, no evidence confirming Decker’s whereabouts has yet been found. FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Peter Orth warned that environmental factors make the task increasingly difficult.
“As time goes on, the elements bury, carry away, and erode the very items we’re looking to find,” he said.
Sheriff Morrison admitted it could be years before Decker is located but vowed that the search will continue. “If it’s not me wearing this uniform, it’ll be another Chelan County Sheriff,” he said. “We will find him — in one fashion or another.”
Earlier this month, investigators confirmed through DNA evidence that Travis Decker is the sole suspect in the case. Autopsies conducted on June 9 determined that his daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, died by suffocation. They were last seen on May 30 during a custody visit with their father and were found dead at Rock Island Campground on June 2.
