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 during a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 25, that the remains recovered “come back as a positive match for Travis Decker.”

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

“We wanted to show honor to them. Let them know that we never forgot about them. We haven’t forgotten about their family,” he added.

Morrison also addressed Whitney Decker, the mother of the victims.

“To Whitney, we apologize that it’s taken this long to get the closeness and the closure that we’re looking for in this case, but I hope that you can rest easier at night knowing that Travis is accounted for,” Morrison said. “He is deceased. Our DNA results confirm that, and this will bring a close to our case.”

The sheriff confirmed that the coroner’s office is investigating when and how Decker died, noting that the results could take “months.” He also confirmed there are no other suspects.

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 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 dead. Before the discovery, officials were unsure whether Decker was alive or deceased.

Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris initially hesitated to declare Decker dead, despite the U.S. Marshals Service doing so on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

“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 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,” he continued. “Those methods include DNA, fingerprints, dental or skeletal radiographs, or visual identification.”

Three young sisters in Washington—Olivia Decker, 5, Paityn Decker, 9, and Evelyn Decker, 8—had not been seen since leaving home for a scheduled visitation with their father and were later found dead, according to the Wenatchee Police Department.

Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker were found slain in a remote area of the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County on June 2—three days after the sisters were not returned to their mother, Whitney, in Wenatchee, Wash., following a court-approved visit with their father.

Federal authorities involved in the extensive search revealed that Decker had reportedly looked up “how to relocate to Canada” days before disappearing. Officials also noted he was experienced in wilderness survival and there were two potential sightings of him during the search, neither of which were confirmed.

Whitney’s attorney, Arianna Cozart, previously 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.” She later revised the custody agreement, limiting his weekly visitation and eliminating overnight stays with the girls. Cozart said Whitney never suspected him of causing harm.