Authorities in Washington state believe they have found the remains of Travis Decker, the father accused of killing his three young daughters earlier this year before disappearing into the wilderness.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday that, “While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker.”
The 32-year-old Decker, a former Army soldier with extensive survival skills, was accused in May of killing his three daughters, 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker.
A search for Decker began on May 30 after the girls’ mother reported that Decker had not returned them on time to her home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles east of Seattle, following a planned visit.
Three days later, their bodies were found down an embankment at a campsite in the Cascade Mountains. Their wrists were bound with zip ties, and an autopsy determined the girls’ cause of death was suffocation, authorities said.
A search for Decker has been ongoing since then. DNA testing confirmed Decker was the sole suspect in their murders.
Photos showing how he may have changed his appearance were released in June, and a reward of up to $20,000 was being offered for information leading to his arrest.
Earlier this month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation thought that they may have possibly found bones during a search operation, but after they were examined, they were determined not to be human.
