The search for Travis Decker, the Wenatchee man accused of killing his three young daughters nearly two months ago, will use fewer law enforcement resources due to diminished tips and leads.
The Chelan County sheriff's office said in a news release Friday that the search effort will go forward but with a reduced footprint," as law enforcement agencies have conducted "exhaustive" searches in the area for Decker.
"As of today, Mr. Decker has still not been located, and there is insufficient information to suggest that he is alive, nor if he is deceased, Sheriff Mike Morrison wrote in the release.
Decker has been charged with aggravated murder and kidnapping in Chelan County for allegedly killing his three daughters, Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia — 9, 8 and 5, respectively — after he failed to return them to their mother’s home in Wenatchee in accordance with a custody agreement. The girls’ bodies were found 50 yards away from Decker’s truck up Icicle Road near Leavenworth. They died of suffocation, autopsy reports said.
The search for Decker has spread authorities across state and international borders as law enforcement checked tips in Idaho, Montana and Canada, and worked with agencies across the nation to follow up on possible sightings.
The search has repeatedly hit dead ends. It intensified in June when a hiking party reported they’d seen a lone hiker in the Enchantments who was ill-prepared for the trail and seemed to be avoiding others. This month, federal authorities in Idaho scoured the Sawtooth National Forest after receiving a tip that Decker was spotted, but it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
Friday's news release stated teams recently searched the Blewett Pass area, but evidence gathered there was inconclusive in determining whether any of the information was directly associated with Decker.
The sheriff's office asked recreationists to be vigilant as bear hunting season opens next month and to report any suspicious people or activities to 911 immediately. Anyone who comes across something is asked to mark their location using GPS or take a photo if it is safe to do so, the release said.
Material from The Seattle Times archives was used in this report.
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