Sheriff Says Someone ‘Sympathetic’ to Travis Decker Is Possibly Helping Him Evade Law Enforcement 

Nearly two months into the manhunt for Travis Decker — the Washington father accused of killing his three young daughters — authorities believe someone sympathetic to him may be aiding his escape.

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison tells PEOPLE there’s a strong possibility that Decker is receiving help. “Certainly, there’s the potential he could have someone that’s more sympathetic to him and is providing assistance,” Morrison said. “We’ve made it clear that’s not a wise decision, but people make their own choices.”

The search for Decker began on June 2, when his daughters — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — were found asphyxiated at the remote Rock Island Campground in Chelan County. Decker’s pickup truck was discovered at the scene, but the 32-year-old combat veteran was gone.

Decker had picked the girls up on May 30 for a scheduled visit but never returned them to their mother, Whitney Decker. That night, she reported them missing, prompting an urgent multi-agency search.

After weeks of air and ground operations across multiple counties, including searches in the rugged Wenatchee Mountains, officials recently scaled back the effort due to a lack of new leads. “There is insufficient information to suggest he is alive, nor that he is deceased,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on July 25.

Still, Morrison isn’t ruling out the possibility that Decker is alive. “Unless he’s accounted for, there’s still the potential he could be alive and actively evading us,” he said. “With the weather being mild right now, it’s possible for someone to survive outdoors for a while.”

However, Morrison noted there have been no reports of missing supplies, food, or gear — items Decker would likely need if he were living off the land. “The chances he’s foraging or trapping and surviving entirely on his own are pretty slim,” he said.

He also raised the possibility that Decker may have left the area with assistance. “There are roads in that region. It’s possible someone unknowingly — or knowingly — gave him a ride,” Morrison said. “He may have even hitchhiked out.”

Authorities previously revealed that Decker had researched “how to relocate to Canada” online, according to a U.S. Marshals affidavit. He remains wanted on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping.

While the most recent search — in the Blewett Pass area — turned up no new leads, Morrison says the department isn’t giving up. Two earlier sightings, one in June and one in July, were later determined to be false alarms.

“We’re frustrated,” Morrison admitted. “We want closure — for the community, and especially for the family. We’ve put enormous resources into this, and while we were hopeful for a resolution by now, we’re prepared for a longer process.”