Manhunt for Washington Father Accused of Daughters’ Murder Fizzles in Idaho

The search for Travis Decker, a 33-year-old former military man and survivalist accused of the horrific murder of his three young daughters, has stalled in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest after a promising lead turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. Authorities believed they had spotted Decker, wanted for killing Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, during a Fourth of July sighting, but the man was just a hiker with a similar build, beard, and tattoos.

The manhunt began after the girls’ mother reported them missing on May 30 following a court-ordered custody visit. Days later, their bodies were discovered at Rock Island Campground, bound and suffocated with plastic bags, alongside Decker’s abandoned truck. Blood on the vehicle’s tailgate matched Decker’s DNA, solidifying him as the sole suspect in this gut-wrenching tragedy.

A Wilderness Ghost
Decker, a skilled survivalist, has eluded a multi-agency dragnet involving the U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol, and cadaver dogs scouring Washington’s rugged wilderness. Despite exhaustive searches by land and air, authorities admit there’s no clear evidence Decker is alive or still in the area. The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office remains relentless, deploying specialized canines and issuing warnings that Decker, charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping, is armed and dangerous.

A Community on Edge
The false sighting in Idaho underscores the challenge of tracking a man trained to vanish. With a $20,000 reward on the table, the public is urged to stay vigilant but not panic—Decker isn’t considered an immediate threat. Still, the case’s grim details and Decker’s ability to evade capture keep the Pacific Northwest on high alert.