Prosecutors have asked a judge to drop the arrest warrant for suspected child killer Travis Decker after the U.S. Marshals Service said he was dead.
Remains and clothing believed to belong to Decker were found in a wooded area in central Washington State last week, but DNA results are still pending. Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told the Seattle Times the results are expected this week.
Morrison said the Marshals Service announcement could be premature and the case is not closed. He added that the DNA test should disprove a theory that Decker had killed a person and switched clothes to slow down his searchers.
Authorities have been looking for Decker since his three daughters — 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn and 5-year-old Olivia — were found dead at a campground near Leavenworth, about 120 miles east of Seattle, in June.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said an autopsy determined the girls — who were found with plastic bags over their heads and hands bound with zip ties — died from suffocation.
A widespread manhunt was launched to search for Decker, an Army veteran skilled in wilderness survival, but the shift focused to recovering his body after several weeks.
The remains believed to be Decker were found less than a mile away from the campground where his daughters were discovered, in an elevated area where searchers had to repel in from a helicopter.
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office photo via AP
In this handout photo provided by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputies participate in the search for Travis Decker (inset), at an undisclosed location in Washington state, Friday, June 6, 2025. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office photo via AP)
The 32-year-old had been with the girls on a scheduled visit but did not bring them back to his ex-wife, Whitney Decker. They were reported missing May 30 and found several days later.
The girls’ mother had previously filed a petition to restrict Decker from having overnight visits with them until he found housing.
With News Wire Services
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