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THE mom of the three girls killed in Washington state three months ago has shared her desperate plea for closure, police said.
Whitney Decker expressed her frustration to police regarding the prolonged search for her former husband, Travis Decker, who is suspected of murdering their three daughters before fleeing.
Travis Decker, 33, has been on the run for almost three months since he reportedly abducted and suffocated the children during a scheduled custody visit on May 30.
Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead at Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth, Washington, on June 2.
On Monday, Mike Morrison of the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office gave an update on the investigation as the FBI initiated a grid search near where the girls’ bodies were discovered.
He mentioned that law enforcement is committed to capturing Decker, though the community, including Whitney, is growing frustrated due to the lack of information about his status, whether living or deceased.
“We understand the frustration,” Morrison said, adding, “We’re feeling it as well.”
He told reporters, “We understand that the girls wouldn’t want us to give up, but I did talk last night with Whitney over the phone.”
Morrison said Whitney has “frustration” with the fruitless efforts.
“Of course, she wants the kind of closure where we can locate Travis and bring him to justice,” Morrison said.
Whitney previously spoke about her wish to find Decker “dead or alive” so that she could have peace.
The sheriff warned on Monday that it could be years before the former soldier is found.
He said investigators are setting up the operation so that it could be taken over by different agencies if necessary.
“If it’s not me wearing this uniform, it’s another Chelan County Sheriff,” Morrison said.
“We will find him, in one fashion or another.”
The FBI’s two-day search included nearly 100 cops bushwhacking the heavily wooded area in a quarter-mile radius of the campground near Icicle Creek.
Timeline of the missing Decker girls
Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead at a campground after they were last seen on a custody visit to their dad.
Below is a timeline of events:
May 29: Cell phone activity shows that the girls’ dad, Travis Decker, drove to the Rock Island Campground and left.
May 30: 5 pm – Travis Decker picks the three girls up from their mom, Whitney Decker.
8 pm – Travis Decker is supposed to return the girls but doesn’t. Whitney Decker calls him and it goes to voicemail.
9:45 pm – Whitney Decker calls the Wenatchee Police Department to report her daughters missing.
Travis Decker’s truck is seen driving westbound on Highway 2.
Washington State Patrol is contacted for an Amber Alert but said the situation didn’t match their criteria.
May 31 : WPD issues an Endangered Missing Persons Alert.
June 2: 3:45 pm – Travis Decker’s truck is found empty at Rock Island Campground with two bloody handprints and items inside.
5 pm – Cops search the area and find the bodies of the three girls.
June 3: 9:30 am – Cops notify the public that they are still searching for Decker.
2 pm – WPD tells the public that the three girls were found dead and that Travis Decker is still on the loose.
June 8: Federal authorities take over search efforts.
June 9: Autopsy results confirm three girls were murdered by suffocation.
June 13: An affidavit revealed Whitney described Travis as having “recent mental health concerns.”
“She provided the examples of randomly leaving or waking her up by screaming at her in the middle of the night,” it read.
“She added that towards the end of their marriage, he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and she suspects he is not currently taking his prescribed medication.”
June 17: New audio of Travis in court fighting for custody of his daughters is released.
“I understand that my current position when I’m by myself isn’t ideal, but my daughters aren’t a part of that,” he said in September 2024.
“I only get to see them over the weekends and camping is something that the four of us have done since the three of them were in diapers.”
June 20: Memorial is held where Whitney speaks publicly about girls for first time.
July 5: A family spotted a man believed to be Travis Decker in the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho.
July 9: The US Marshals called off the hunt in Sawtooth National Forest after locating and interrogating an individual thought to be Travis Decker, confirming it was not him.
August 25: FBI agents announce they are conducting a two-day grid search of the heavily wooded area near Rock Island Campground.
Diving teams also searched a part of the creek that was previously inaccessible.
‘DUE DILIGENCE’
Morrison said there was no new information that led to the ramped up search, but investigators wanted to be sure that Decker wasn’t hiden somewhere in the rugged wilderness near the crime scene.
“If we need to expand out further, we will,” Morrison said.
“It’s just due diligence, making sure that we’re checking our boxes.”
FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Peter Orth said during the press conference that investigators are looking for any evidence that would indicate whether Decker is alive or dead.
“That effort gets more difficult as time goes on,” Orth said.
“The elements bury, they carry away, erode the very items that we’re looking to seek and capture for the investigation.”
Just days before the grid search, the FBI shut down multiple campgrounds in Washington state in the massive search.
Investigators confirmed earlier this month that DNA evidence proved Decker was the only suspect in the murders.
