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The search for a father-of-three accused of killing his children has narrowed in on a remote mountain path in Washington State after hikers tipped off police.

Travis Decker, 32, is accused of eliminating his children, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, whose bodies were found at a campsite in Leavenworth, after he stopped working to return them to their mother in Wenatchee following an arranged three-hour visit.
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A suggestion from hikers has actually given police brand-new hope on discovering Decker alive after witnesses reported an only person who appeared to be ill-prepared for the conditions.

The Chelan County stated Tuesday that tracking teams reacted immediately, and a helicopter crew found an off-trail hiker by themselves near Colchuck Lake, in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments.

As authorities look for Decker, who is believed to be psychologically unstable, locals have actually been alerted that he could be unsafe due to his military background.

Late Monday night an alert was released to locals in the Ingalls Creek and the Valleyhi community to lock homes and lorries and to be on the lookout for Decker.

'Residents and visitors are urged to secure homes and vehicles, stay watchful, and report any suspicious activity to 911,' an alert said.

'A heightened law enforcement presence will persist as a precautionary measure.'

Travis Decker, 32, is implicated of eliminating his children, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, after he failed to return them back to their mom following an arranged three-hour check out in Washington on Friday

Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputies found the women' bodies about 75 to 100 backyards from Decker's truck at a campsite. Police believe the women died from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents said

The vast land surrounding Colchuck Lake is now an area of interest to authorities

Decker signed up with the Army in 2013. He served in Afghanistan before moving to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, interactions director for the Washington Military Department, verified to the Daily Mail.

He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time.

Decker stopped attending mandatory month-to-month drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard remained in the process of a disciplinary discharge.

He likely has advanced fight training and was an air-borne paratrooper who made the elite rank of 'Ranger,' indicating he would have excellent wilderness and survival abilities, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social media posts.

It is unknown if the veteran is presently armed, however local law enforcement cautioned people from approaching him.

Authorities swarmed the Rock Island Campground on Monday night after discovering Decker's truck.

Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputies discovered the women' bodies about 75 to 100 lawns from the truck. Police think the ladies passed away from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents stated.

Decker's truck also had two bloody handprints on the tailgate, and inside were individual items consisting of blankets, food, safety seat, and a wallet on the center console.

The camping site also showed indications of recent activity, with a tent and a cooler situated a brief distance away, but Decker was no place to be discovered.

Decker attempted to repair the broken marriage with his ex-wife Whitney (pictured with children) simply a week before he apparently suffocated and eliminated their 3 young daughters in Washington State

The siblings' lifeless bodies were discovered at a camping site in Leavenworth recently, about 20 miles from their home

The ladies' mom, Whitney Decker, who is divorced from the veteran, told cops that he had actually selected the women up around 5pm but had actually not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went directly to voicemail, court files said.

Detectives stated she 'expressed concern because Decker supposedly has actually never ever done this before and ... is currently experiencing some psychological health concerns.'

She also told law enforcement officials that Decker was identified with borderline personality disorder and thinks he did not take medication for the condition, according to court files.

The father-of-three was supposed to look for mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of a parenting strategy, however there was no sign he had actually followed through with the plan - which he declined to sign, the court files show.

Still, Whitney informed police she did not think her ex threatened and stated he enjoyed his children.

She stated the ladies had a 'excellent relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him,' and kept in mind that he had actually never failed to return the ladies before, according to a cops affidavit.

Whitney included that when Decker went to select up the women for the visit on Friday, he was 'quieter than normal' which was 'out of character' for him.

He had actually likewise apparently been talking about getting rid of his pet dog due to housing and financial battles.

When Decker failed to return with the women that night, Whitney reported them missing.

'What triggered her to call us was that ... he was late returning the girls and had actually not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his common fashion and so this ran out the regular,' Captain Brian Chance said.

A helicopter crew identified a rogue hiker off-trail near Colchuck Lake (pictured) in the popular Cascade Range backpacking location named The Enchantments

Snohomish County Sheriff's Special Operations, in coordination with the Snohomish County Region 1 SWAT group and Air Support Unit, have actually come together in a unified effort to support the Chelan County Sheriff's Office

Her lawyer, Arianna Cozart, stated in a statement on her behalf to the Seattle Times that 'something broke inside' her children' dad.

'He clearly had some sort of break and whatever that he had been coping with, everything that had actually been suppressed within him for so long as far as injury, simply triumphed,' the statement read.

The statement added that Whitney thought an Amber Alert should've been provided after the women disappeared due to Decker's intricate PTSD and borderline personality disorder.

Chilling warnings everybody missed before 'killer' daddy Travis Decker 'murdered his 3 children'

Washington State Patrol was gotten in touch with to ask for an Amber Alert, however it did not satisfy the required criteria, Wenatchee Police stated.

The doing not have criteria were suspected kidnapping and impending peril of death or severe injury, stated Chris Loftis, director of public affairs for the state patrol.

'In this case, it was a parent with custodial privileges, and the children had not been returned home on time. But that's a rather typical event and not something where you simply immediately assume abduction,' he said.

He added that there was no sign Decker would damage them.

'We're people too, you understand, so the loss of a child, the loss of 2 kids, the loss of 3 children is ... ravaging,' Loftis said. 'Everybody always aims to how we can improve.'

Wenatchee detectives called the patrol with extra information that caused the issuance of an Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA).

State authorities later dropped the EMPA without releasing a public reason. The following day, the Wenatchee Police Department announced the women' deaths.

Whitney likewise specified in September divorce procedures that he had actually been 'struggling to keep stability' because they separated and it was starting to affect their daughters.

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office warned that Decker could be equipped and not to approach him

The search for 32-year-old Decker heightened today, as more than 100 Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) officers searched numerous square miles of the Rock Island Campground in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Park in the Cascade Mountains

She stated that at times he would have the women sleep at an armory while he was in the National Guard, despite her objections, according to the Seattle Times.

She also stated Decker was vulnerable to 'outbursts' and would enter into her home shouting for the ladies, whom he would in some cases stop working to get after promising to do so.

In one circumstances, Whitney wrote that her youngest child, Olivia, called her sobbing throughout a visit with Decker and said she might not discover her daddy - before Evelyn came home with welts between her legs.

'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all,' Whitney composed in the court filing. 'To the contrary, I have bent over in reverse to assist in that relationship.

'But I can not have our girls remaining in what is basically a homeless shelter, at times not being watched, with dozens of unusual men or remaining in a camping tent or living in his truck with him, both in extreme temperature levels and unknown areas for their safety.'

The girls' maternal granny similarly composed that Decker would drop off the girls at irregular times, and they would sometimes be upset or crying when they returned home.

'They are all pleased, clever, well-adjusted ladies with the exception of when Travis brings them back to me after his visitations,' she wrote, according to the Seattle Times.

On Tuesday last week, a judge issued a warrant for Decker's arrest and ordered that he be held without bail.

Decker deals with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with his child's deaths

A GoFundMe was launched for Whitney as she grapples with the awful deaths of her daughters

Decker is described as 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, with black hair worn in a ponytail and brown eyes.

He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe established for Whitney had actually raised over $1 million since Tuesday night.

'These ladies held true light in this world and it is a darker place without them. I will miss seeing their sweet little faces,' a note on the fundraising page read.

'Send Whitney all of your prayers, love and support. Take some time to today to tell somebody you love them.'