Still on the run: Search for Travis Decker shifts into Kittitas County

(The Center Square) – After more than two weeks searching the Central Washington state wilderness, authorities have yet to find and capture Travis Decker, the Wenatchee man wanted for the kidnapping and murder of his three young daughters.

Decker, 32, has been charged with kidnapping and killing his daughters, 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evelyn and 9-year-old Paityn. The girls’ bodies were found at the Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth on June 2, asphyxiated to death.

Multiple local and federal agencies are assisting in the manhunt, with the U.S. Border Patrol taking the lead in the search. Earlier this month, Gov. Bob Ferguson activated the Washington National Guard to aid law enforcement in the search for Decker.

There is a $20,000 reward for any information leading to Decker, who authorities say has extensive military training, including service in the U.S. Army and Washington National Guard. Decker is considered armed and dangerous.

The focus of search efforts appears to be shifting south from Chelan County to neighboring Kittitas County.

The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook Sunday morning: “KCSO deputies and Kittitas County Regional Tactical Response Team members are still active in the border areas of our county nearest the last believed location of suspected murderer Travis Decker.

“We ask everyone, especially in the northern reaches of our county, to be alert for suspicious people or circumstances. If you see Travis Decker, call 911 immediately. If you believe you have intelligence about him or this investigation in our county, call Kittcom at 509-925-8534.”

According to court documents, there were plastic bags over the girls’ heads and zip ties on their wrists. Decker, divorced from the children’s mother, picked up his girls for a regular visit. The girls were first reported missing on May 30 after Decker failed to return them to their mother as part of their court-ordered visitation plan.

The horrifying crime has drawn national attention and put a spotlight on the complexity of family court cases and Decker’s declining mental health before his three daughters were found dead.