Travis Decker Confirmed Dead After 3-Month Search for Father Accused of Killing His 3 Daughters

The remains of Travis Decker, the Washington state father accused of killing his three daughters, have been positively identified.

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison announced Thursday, Sept. 25, that DNA tests confirmed the remains belong to Decker.

“It’s a big day for the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office and all our federal partners,” Morrison said, “as we can finally bring a close to this dark chapter in Chelan County and pay respects to Peyton, Evelyn, and Olivia.”

Morrison added, “We wanted to show honor to them and let their family know that we never forgot about them.”

Addressing Whitney Decker, the mother of the victims, Morrison offered an apology. “To Whitney, we apologize that it has taken this long to achieve the closure we’re all seeking in this case. I hope you can rest easier knowing Travis is accounted for. He is deceased, and our DNA results confirm that. This brings closure to our investigation.”

The coroner’s office is still determining when and how Decker died, a process Morrison said could take months. He also confirmed that no other suspects are being investigated.

Human remains believed to be those of the 32-year-old U.S. Army veteran were discovered in a remote wooded area south of Leavenworth, Wash., on Sept. 18, according to a previous statement from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office obtained by PEOPLE.

Morrison told PEOPLE that a drone spotted a T-shirt, which led authorities to the “well-decomposed” remains less than a mile from where Decker’s daughters were found. Until that point, officials were uncertain whether Decker was alive or dead.

Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris initially refrained from officially declaring Decker deceased, despite the U.S. Marshals Service doing so on Sept. 24.

“Other agencies can speak about their investigation into Mr. Decker and locating human remains, and can state that based on circumstantial evidence the remains are his,” Harris said in a statement to PEOPLE. “The Chelan County Coroner’s Office does not have that luxury. We must rely on scientific methods to establish positive identification, including DNA, fingerprints, dental or skeletal radiographs, or visual identification.”

The three young sisters—Olivia Decker, 5, Paityn Decker, 9, and Evelyn Decker, 8—had not been seen since leaving home for a scheduled visitation with their father, the Wenatchee Police Department reported.

Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia were later found slain in a remote area of the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County on June 2, three days after failing to return to their mother, Whitney, in Wenatchee, Wash., following a court-approved visit with their father.

Federal authorities involved in the extensive search noted that Decker had researched “how to relocate to Canada” days before disappearing. Officials also described him as knowledgeable in wilderness survival, and there were two potential—but unconfirmed—sightings of him during the wide-ranging search.

Whitney’s attorney, Arianna Cozart, told PEOPLE that Decker “was a present and active father up until the end” but had mental health struggles that “led to the crumbling of their marriage in 2022.”

In a September 2024 court filing viewed by PEOPLE, Whitney alleged that Decker had “neglected his parental duties towards a child” and “has a long-term emotional or physical problem that gets in the way of his ability to parent.” The couple’s custody agreement was revised, limiting Decker to weekly visitation without overnight stays, though Whitney reportedly never suspected him of causing harm.