Coroner Clears Up Misconceptions About Travis Decker’s Remains As Questions Remain

Travis Decker has been declared dead by the U.S. Marshals Service, though local authorities are taking a more cautious approach to the federal agency’s announcement.

Shortly after the 32-year-old father of three was declared deceased on Wednesday, Sept. 24, Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris issued a statement to PEOPLE “in an effort to clear up some confusion and mitigate the numerous phone calls and emails” his office had received regarding the case.

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

Harris’s statement came shortly after a federal prosecutor filed a motion to dismiss the complaint against Decker and quash his arrest warrant, following notification from the U.S. Marshals Service that Decker is deceased.

Decker is accused of killing his daughters — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — after they disappeared on May 30, 2025, during a “planned visitation” with their father. Their bodies were discovered three days later, turning Decker into the focus of a nationwide manhunt.

On Sept. 18, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office reported to PEOPLE that human remains, believed to belong to Decker, were found in a remote wooded area south of Leavenworth, Wash.

In his Wednesday statement, Harris emphasized that the remains would be sent “to the state forensic anthropologist for his evaluation” and “for DNA comparison.”

“With the assistance of the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab is going to expedite the testing of a sample of the bones to establish a positive DNA match,” Harris said, adding that updates on the investigation would be provided as they become available.

“Bear in mind, that the cause and manner of death may never be known,” the coroner concluded.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office also told PEOPLE, “We have not received DNA confirmation on the remains found last week.”

Sheriff Mike Morrison confirmed to ABC News that charges against Decker would remain in place until the human bones are positively identified as his.

In June, at a memorial service for the girls, Whitney Decker, their mother, delivered an emotional tribute. “I truly hope that the legacy of the girls’ lives lives on in everyone’s heart forever,” she said, adding, “They were incredible.”