{"id":71822,"date":"2025-06-04T14:17:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T18:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/?p=71822"},"modified":"2025-06-04T13:12:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T17:12:33","slug":"sisters-who-vanished-while-visiting-homeless-dad-are-found-dead-near-campground-as-cops-hunt-for-father","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/family\/sisters-who-vanished-while-visiting-homeless-dad-are-found-dead-near-campground-as-cops-hunt-for-father\/","title":{"rendered":"Sisters Who Vanished While Visiting Homeless Dad Are Found Dead Near Campground as Cops Hunt For Father"},"content":{"rendered":"

The three\u00a0young sisters who vanished while visiting their troubled and homeless father<\/a>\u00a0have been found dead, police confirmed Tuesday \u2014 as they continued hunting the dad for their kidnapping and murders.<\/p>\n

The bodies of the Decker sisters \u2014 Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 \u2014 were found late Monday close to their father\u2019s truck near a campground in Wenatchee, where SWAT teams and even a Homeland Security helicopter had frantically searched the area, KIRO 7 reported.<\/p>

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The girls\u2019 AMBER alerts were canceled late Monday without explanation, before police confirmed the deaths Tuesday with \u201csincere and deep heartfelt condolences to the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

The search continued for their 32-year-old dad, Travis Decker, who had collected them from their mother\u2019s house for a planned visitation on Friday \u2014 then went missing with them in his white 2017 GMC Sierra truck.<\/p>\n

Decker is described as a military veteran with extensive training.<\/p>\n

Hours before the bodies were found, a warrant was issued for Decker\u2019s arrest on three counts of first-degree custodial interference.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the charges were updated to three counts each of kidnapping and first-degree murder, police confirmed to Fox13.<\/p>\n

Decker, who is homeless and divorced from his children\u2019s mother, was known to stay at campgrounds and hotels in the local area with his dog, according to police.<\/p>\n

After picking up the girls Friday, Decker and his truck were seen later that weekend in the west end of Leavenworth, triggering a police search in the wooded areas around the town, NCWLIFE reported.<\/p>\n

The bodies were found on\u00a0Rock Island Campground<\/a>, about 18 miles west of the town of Leavenworth, at around 5 p.m. on Monday.<\/p>

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SWAT teams and federal agencies \u2014 including Homeland Security and the US Forest Service \u2014 then descended on the area and began the search for Decker.<\/p>\n

The Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team came to process the scene and search Decker\u2019s truck on Monday.<\/p>\n

The girls\u2019 mother, Whitney Decker, had issued a heartbreaking appeal for their safe return Monday, hours before the bodies were found.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want the girls back home safe and sound \u2014 that is the most important thing to me,\u201d she said in the emailed statement sent to NCWLIFE.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am concerned about the safety and wellbeing of my girls and their dad. This is an unimaginable situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she had never had problems before when her ex had the kids \u2014 and didn\u2019t think his battles with mental health would make him \u201cdangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTravis has really struggled since he left the military and his mental health can be hard sometimes,\u201d she told Kiro7 before her daughters turned up dead. \u201cI think that he is impulsive and he loves his children very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

A heartbreaking letter has been sent out to parents, students and staff by the Wenatchee School District on Tuesday. All three girls attended Lincoln Elementary School.<\/p>

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Describing the \u201cincredibly difficult situation,\u201d Superintendent Kory Kalahar said that counseling services were being provided on campus for all children and staff who need support.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo allow our students, staff, and families the space and privacy they need to mourn and begin healing, we respectfully ask that you do not come to the school campus except for regular school business,\u201d the letter, seen by Fox13, continued.<\/p>\n

Authorities have issued a description of Decker and have asked the community to help find him.<\/p>\n

He is described as 5-foot-8 tall, 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts.<\/p>\n

Although it is unknown whether Decker is currently armed, he may pose a significant threat if approached, authorities added.<\/p>\n

Anyone who believes they may have seen Decker since Friday or knows his current whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately.<\/p>\n

Due to safety concerns, the public is urged not to attempt to contact or approach Decker.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on NYPost.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

×<\/span><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The bodies Evelyn, Paityn and Olivia Decker were discovered near a campground in Wenatchee, Washington.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":71831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"2normal","fbia_status":""},"categories":[626],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSisters Who Vanished While Visiting Homeless Dad Are Found Dead Near Campground as Cops Hunt For Father - FamilyToday<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The three young sisters who vanished while visiting their troubled and homeless father have been found dead.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/family\/sisters-who-vanished-while-visiting-homeless-dad-are-found-dead-near-campground-as-cops-hunt-for-father\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sisters Who Vanished While Visiting Homeless Dad Are Found Dead Near Campground as Cops Hunt For Father\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The three young sisters who vanished while visiting their troubled and homeless father have been found dead.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/family\/sisters-who-vanished-while-visiting-homeless-dad-are-found-dead-near-campground-as-cops-hunt-for-father\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FamilyToday\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-04T18:17:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-04T17:12:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2025\/06\/Decker-Girls_credit-Whitney-Decker-Facebook-Inset-Wenatchee-Police-Department.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sharon Kirk\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"BN Media, LLC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/famtoday\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2020\/03\/bnmedia-logo-lg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2020\/03\/bnmedia-logo-lg.png\",\"width\":1315,\"height\":311,\"caption\":\"BN Media, LLC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/\",\"name\":\"FamilyToday\",\"description\":\"Here today, better tomorrow.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/family\/sisters-who-vanished-while-visiting-homeless-dad-are-found-dead-near-campground-as-cops-hunt-for-father\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2025\/06\/Decker-Girls_credit-Whitney-Decker-Facebook-Inset-Wenatchee-Police-Department.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2025\/06\/Decker-Girls_credit-Whitney-Decker-Facebook-Inset-Wenatchee-Police-Department.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Whitney Decker \/ Facebook | Inset: Wenatchee Police Department\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/family\/sisters-who-vanished-while-visiting-homeless-dad-are-found-dead-near-campground-as-cops-hunt-for-father\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/family\/sisters-who-vanished-while-visiting-homeless-dad-are-found-dead-near-campground-as-cops-hunt-for-father\/\",\"name\":\"Sisters Who Vanished While Visiting Homeless Dad Are Found Dead Near Campground as Cops Hunt For Father - 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