The search for Travis Decker is still ongoing, but authorities have confirmed that bones found near a Washington campsite, once thought to be his, are not human.
The FBI’s Seattle Division shared a press release on Wednesday, Sept. 3, saying that remains discovered near the Rock Island Campground close to Leavenworth on Aug. 25 and 26 do not belong to the missing father.
Decker has been missing since late May, when he picked up his three young daughters — Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5 — from their mother Whitney Decker’s home.
Days later, on June 2, the girls were found dead at the campsite after being reported missing during a planned visit with Decker. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(470x0:472x2):format(webp)/decker-sisters-1-062425-5cbf8a06d59a47da98e1ede9a3effb8d.jpg)
In the press release, W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, said, “Central Washington University has reviewed the bones and assessed that they are not human.”
He added, “While we do not anticipate further updates related to this specific search, the investigation continues.”
Herrington also noted that the “extensive search” for Decker has been going on for about three months.
During this time, officials have been working to “discover signs of his whereabouts” and to “find any other evidence of the murder of his three daughters.”
“In two days, the search team cleared almost 250 acres by carefully covering rough terrain on foot, and further efforts can build on the knowledge we gained through the electronic mapping of the area,” Herrington said.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told the Seattle Times, “I think it just further shows that we’ve done a thorough search of the area.” He added, “We’ll continue to expand out and search additional areas when we have resources available.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(712x529:714x531):format(webp)/travis-decker-060225-1a786deebf774202a74787c445a5e6b5.jpg)
Morrison also said that current teams will get help this month, though he did not name the agency that will assist. “I don’t know if they want to make themselves public yet,” he said. “We’ll have some additional state resources coming out here next week to do an assessment of some of their specialists.”
The girls were found dead with plastic bags over their heads, and at least one was restrained with zip ties, according to an affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. A medical examiner later determined they died of asphyxiation.
Authorities stated in an Aug. 19 press release that the former military man is the “only suspect involved in committing these homicides.”
The United States Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads directly to Decker’s arrest. He is still considered armed and dangerous.
