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The devastated mother of three young girls, allegedly killed by their father, has publicly expressed her sorrow for the first time in an emotional tribute to her daughters.
Whitney Decker, struggling to hold back tears, spoke at a memorial service for her daughters—nine-year-old Paityn, eight-year-old Evelyn, and five-year-old Olivia—on June 20. This gathering took place over two weeks after police discovered the girls’ bodies at a campground in Washington state.
Their father, Travis Decker, did not bring the girls back following a brief custody visit. He is suspected of their murders and is currently evading capture in the thick forested area.
‘I know that Evie would have loved to ooh and ah over all of your outfits. She would have been amazed by all the color out there and just thought you guys look fantastic,’ Whitney told the crowd who had gathered for the emotional service.
‘Paityn would have sought each and every one of you out to try to find something to give you a compliment for.’
Whitney shed new light on each of her daughters’ personalities, revealing how they coped with her divorce from their father.
‘After my divorce, there were a lot of feelings flowing through my house. As you could imagine, me going through a divorce with three small, tiny women,’ she said.
With the help of a team of therapists and the Children’s Home Society, she and her daughters embraced the ‘three feelings’ technique, in which every night at bedtime, the girls would discuss their emotions.
The heartbroken mom of three little girls who were allegedly murdered by their dad has spoken publicly for the first time in a moving tribute to her daughters
Whitney Decker spoke through tears at a memorial service for her girls, nine-year-old Paityn, eight-year-old Evelyn and five-year-old Olivia on June 20 – more than two weeks after police tragically found their bodies at a Washington state campground
‘Some of the feelings were easier to talk about than others,’ she said.
‘I would ask them what three feelings they felt during that day. No feeling too big or too small, and what was going on when they felt those feelings.’
The girls all had different responses to the technique. Paityn ‘always had more than three.
‘Consistently eager to tell me about every minute of her day. She was always interrupting her sisters to make sure I knew every single one.
‘For Ev, we would talk about her feelings one-on-one right at bedtime because she wasn’t always ready to share them with her sisters.
‘And for Olivia, we were still working on how to describe all of her feelings. But with beyond a shadow of a doubt, one was always happy.’
In turn, one of the girls would ask Whitney to describe her three feelings too, even when she ‘tried to avoid’ sharing.
‘I’m so thankful for the time that I had with the girls. And how the three feelings allowed us to connect when the world slowed down,’ Whitney said.
Prior to his daughter’s death, Decker, pictured in an undated mugshot, argued a judge should give him more access to his girls as he has never hurt them
Whitney spoke about the tragedy at the service, thanking the crowd who had gathered for dressing up for the occasion
‘And it really gave me an inside look into their day. I believe doing this with them allowed them to come into the world with open hearts and kindness.’
Whitney urged her community to try the technique at home in their own lives, to connect deeper with their loved ones.
‘Thank you everyone for being here tonight and the outpouring of love that you have shown me and my family over the past few weeks,’ she said.
‘I truly hope that the legacy of the girls lives in everyone’s heart forever. They were incredible.’
Decker remains on the run, but the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), alongside Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), the Washington National Guard and the US Marshall Service are ramping up their efforts to track Decker down.
He is believed to be discretely roaming the Teanaway Valley and Blewett Pass areas, which are the broader regions near the campground where the girls’ bodies were found.
‘Human, air, and K9 resources have spent countless hours working to ensure that if Decker is in or comes to Kittitas County, we’re there to arrest him,’ the KCSO wrote on Friday.
Authorities are calling upon the community to speak out if they notice anything out of the ordinary that could lead them to Decker’s whereabouts.
He has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls back to their mother, Whitney (pictured with the girls), after a visit
The manipulated images were made based on a photo of Decker posed in front of a landscape wearing a blue shirt and baseball cap, in which he has a beard, mustache and an earring. His hair is grown out to his neck (pictured)
‘We again ask property owners and visitors to be keenly aware of any disturbance or activity at their property, including any missing items or anything out of place,’ the KCSO wrote.
‘If you have cameras anywhere in the Teanaway, Blewett, or Liberty areas, please review them for unusual activity or contact us with permission to do so.’
Decker has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls home and switched off his phone, so he was unreachable.
On June 2, a search party led to the chilling discovery of the sisters’ dead bodies near Rock Island Campground in Chelan County along with Decker’s truck.
Deputies found the girls’ bodies about 75 to 100 yards from Decker’s truck.
An autopsy revealed the girls died from suffocation and police reported their wrists were zip-tied and plastic bags were over their heads when they were found, court documents said.
Police collected ‘a large amount of evidence’ from the truck, including male blood and non-human blood.
The alleged-killer’s dog was found nearby as well and taken to an animal humane society, Fox 8 reported.
Police released chilling new photos of accused child killer Decker (pictured) as the believe the ‘dangerous’ suspect may have changed his appearance to dodge detection
On June 10, a helicopter crew saw someone running off a trail near Colchuck Lake. Police speculate it was Decker
The discovery of the children’s corpses kicked off the massive search for Decker. State and federal authorities believe they may have spotted him hiking in a mountainous area.
Decker has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls back to their mother, Whitney, after a visit (pictured: a wanted poster of Decker)
On June 10, a helicopter crew saw someone running off a trail near Colchuck Lake. Police speculate it was Decker.
The lake is roughly 12 miles from the campground the girls were left near.
Chilling audio from just months before the harrowing murders captured the fugitive father begging for more custody time to go camping with his daughters.
In the recording from a September 2024 custody hearing, Decker makes an eerie promise that no harm would come to the girls if he’s given more time to take them camping in Washington State’s wilderness.
With an extensive combat background, authorities and locals are concerned about Decker still being on the loose.
He joined the Army in 2013. He served in Afghanistan before transferring to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, communications director for the Washington Military Department, confirmed to the Daily Mail.
He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time.
Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge.
He likely has advanced combat training and was an airborne paratrooper who earned the elite rank of ‘Ranger,’ indicating he would have excellent wilderness and survival skills, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social media posts.
Decker is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.
