Federal authorities have called off a search in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest after confirming the man spotted over the weekend was not Travis Decker, the Washington state fugitive wanted in connection with the deaths of his three young daughters.
The search began Saturday after a family reported seeing a man near the Bear Creek area who resembled Decker — matching his height, build, hair, beard, and distinctive tattoos on his arm and calf. The tip led the U.S. Marshals Greater Idaho Fugitive Task Force to launch a multi-agency operation with support from local, state, and federal law enforcement.
However, on Wednesday afternoon, authorities located the individual in question and determined he was not Decker.
“He was cooperative and confirmed he had been hiking in the Bear Creek area over the weekend,” said Supervisory Deputy Michael Leigh in a statement. “Investigators were able to verify his identity and rule him out.”
Travis Decker has been on the run since June 2, when a sheriff’s deputy discovered his abandoned truck and the bodies of his three daughters — 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia — at a campground near Leavenworth, Washington. The girls had been reported missing after Decker failed to return them to their mother’s home in Wenatchee following a scheduled visit.
On June 10, Washington authorities reported a possible sighting of Decker near a remote alpine lake in the Cascade Range. Hikers claimed they saw a man hiking alone who appeared unprepared for the rugged terrain, but no confirmed trace of Decker has been found.
Decker, a former soldier, remains at large. The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his arrest.
