Human Remains Found Suspected to Be Travis Decker’s: Police

Police believe they have found the remains of Travis Decker, the man wanted after allegedly killing his three young daughters and leaving their bodies at a remote campsite in Washington state.

The remains were discovered in a wooded area south of Leavenworth, Wash., the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday, Sept. 18.

“While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker,” the sheriff’s office said. They added that authorities are “currently processing the scene” with the Washington State Patrol response team and will conduct a DNA analysis.

The sheriff’s office said they have been in contact with the Decker family and are offering support and updates, asking for privacy and respect for the family during this difficult time.

Arianna Cozart, the attorney for the girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, told ABC News Thursday, “We are praying that the remains found are confirmed to be Travis’s. We continue to be grateful for law enforcement’s efforts in this case and for the love and support shown to Whitney.”

Decker, 32, has been the focus of a widespread police manhunt since his three daughters were reported missing on May 30 and found dead three days later. A $20,000 reward was offered by the U.S. Marshals Service for information leading to his arrest.

The bodies of Decker’s daughters—Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5—were found in the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County on June 2 with plastic bags over their heads, according to a probable cause affidavit. A medical examiner determined they died by asphyxiation.

Decker’s pickup truck was found near the campsite with bloody handprints. DNA from the truck and plastic bags matched the profile authorities believe is the U.S. Army veteran’s.

The father of three has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping, PEOPLE previously reported. He was also facing custodial interference charges after the girls were initially reported missing. Authorities said in an Aug. 19 press release that Decker is the “only suspect involved in committing these homicides.”

Travis was known to be skilled in wilderness survival, and authorities suspected he may have tried to flee to Canada after reportedly searching online for “how to relocate to Canada,” according to a U.S. Marshals Service affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

There were at least two possible sightings of Decker: one on June 10 near Highway 97 in Washington and another on July 5 in the Bear Creek area of the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho, though officials could not confirm either sighting.

On Sept. 3, the FBI’s Seattle Division confirmed that remains found near the Rock Island Campground in late August were not those of Decker.

At the time of the killings, Whitney, 35, and Travis were divorced with a parenting plan set through Chelan County court. In a September 2024 court filing, Whitney claimed Decker had “neglected his parental duties towards a child” and had long-term emotional or physical problems affecting his ability to parent.

Cozart previously told PEOPLE that Decker “was a present and active father up until the end” but struggled with mental health issues that contributed to the end of his marriage in 2022.

At a memorial service for the sisters on June 20 in Wenatchee, Wash., Whitney spoke publicly for the first time, saying, “I’m so thankful for that time I had with the girls.” She remembered their “warm and open hearts” and added, “I truly hope that the legacy of the girls’ lives lives on in everyone’s heart forever. They were incredible.”