Cops: Dad Wanted for Killing Daughters May Be Off-Grid

A manhunt is underway for a father believed to have kidnapped and killed his three young daughters in Washington state, and authorities think his survivalist skills may be aiding his time on the run. Meanwhile, a preliminary report filed with Chelan County Superior Court indicates that 5-year-old Olivia Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker, and 9-year-old Paityn Decker died of asphyxiation, per FOX 13.

• That outlet reports that Travis Decker's vehicle was found with two bloody handprints on or in it, near where the girls' bodies were discovered at a Rock Island campground. Decker, 32, is known to have been homeless in the past and living in motels, at campsites, or out of his vehicle.
• In court documents, the mother of the girls, Decker's ex, claimed that he'd been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which she suspected he wasn't medicated for. According to their parenting plan, Decker was supposed to attend anger management classes and other counseling, but he hadn't signed off on the plan and refused to follow its directives.

• Authorities believe Decker, who's now wanted on first-degree murder charges, may have pinpointed where he was going to hide off-grid before the girls were killed, per USA Today. He's said to have received mountain survival training and also served in the US Army. "It sounds like at times he would go out and would be [living] off-grid for sometimes up to two and a half months," Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told reporters on Tuesday. "So we understand that that's a possibility, that he could have scoped out this area before, put supplies out there, and has the ability and the knowledge to survive for a long period of time."
• As for his military background, the AP reports that Decker joined the Army in 2013, transferred to the Washington National Guard in 2021, and went part-time there in 2023 or 2024—but a state Military Department rep says he'd stopped going to required monthly drills more than a year ago, and so a disciplinary discharge had been in the works for him.
• People reports that police have released doorbell footage and video from the days before his daughters were killed. There's now a $20,000 reward being offered for information leading to Decker's arrest, though authorities warn he could be armed and dangerous, so no one should approach him if spotted. Instead, call 911 with any info.
• A GoFundMe set up for the girls' mother "to help cover final expenses, support time off from work, and give her space to heal without financial pressure" had raised more than $800,000 as of Thursday morning.

(More murder suspect stories.)