Manhunt is ‘closing in’ on Travis Decker, dad accused of killing 3 daughters – National

The manhunt for Travis Decker, the Washington state father accused of killing his three young daughters, appears to be narrowing.

On Wednesday, June 11, Chelan County police said they were “closing in” on Decker, nine days after Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead at a campground after attending a planned visit with their dad.

“We believe we are closing in on his trail,” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told reporters, according to People magazine.

“There is nowhere that he’s going to be able to go that we don’t have units waiting for him,” adding that Decker “is surrounded, Washington state knows who he is … he’s got a lot of ground to cover, eventually he’s going to tire and he’s going to make a mistake.”

Later, he said that Decker will be the one “to dictate how this ends.”

Morrison’s remarks were made a day after his office announced that they believe they spotted Decker near a remote alpine lake in Washington state, after receiving a tip from hikers who said they saw a lone person who appeared to be ill-prepared for the conditions.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post Tuesday that tracking teams responded immediately, and a helicopter crew spotted a hiker near Colchuk Lake, in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments.

The off-trail hiker ran from sight as the helicopter passed, the sheriff’s office said. Teams later found a trail, and K-9 teams tracked the person to the area of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead, south of Leavenworth.

Authorities did not say when they spotted the subject, but late Monday night they issued an alert for residents in the Ingalls Creek and the Valleyhi community to lock homes and vehicles and to be on the lookout for Decker.

Decker, 32, has been the subject of a massive manhunt ever since June 2, when his truck was discovered at a campground outside Leavenworth. His daughter’s bodies were found close by, their hands zip-tied and bags over their heads.

Police have warned that as a former member of the U.S. Army, Decker has been trained in survival skills and navigation, giving him the tools to survive in Washington’s unforgiving wilderness for a long time.

Last week, it was reported that a U.S. Marshals Service affidavit said that Decker had searched “how does a person move to canada,” “how to relocated to canada” and “jobs canada,” in the days leading up to his daughters’ deaths.

The affidavit noted that the children’s remains were found “relatively close to the Canadian border and approximately 11 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, a well-established trail that leads directly to Canada.”

Decker has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, one count of kidnapping and a charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The affidavit pointed out that the charges against Decker “are all very serious violent felonies which all carry significant prison sentences if convicted,” and that “those facing significant prison sentences have a propensity” to flee.