[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Travis Decker — the former Army soldier accused of committing one of the most unspeakable crimes imaginable in allegedly killing his three young daughters — has been confirmed dead.
After months on the run hiding in the wilderness of rural Washington, Decker’s decomposed remains were discovered last week in a remote area south of the city of Leavenworth.
The site was so isolated that it took investigators three hours on foot to reach it. Authorities used a drone to help locate the remains, which were found scattered across a hillside and included bone fragments, clothing, and personal items spread out in the forest.
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And now, it’s official: DNA testing has confirmed the remains do indeed belong to Decker. Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison confirmed as much during a news conference on Thursday:
“We are glad to say that those remains do come back as a positive match for Travis. We can finally bring a close to this dark chapter of Chelan County.”
Wow.
And while the confirmation might bring some closure, it doesn’t erase the horror. Back in May, the 32-year-old man failed to return his daughters 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia to their mother after a scheduled visit. That sparked a desperate search, and three days later, the girls’ bodies were found at a secluded campsite in the Cascade Mountains next to Decker’s abandoned truck. Autopsy results later confirmed they had been suffocated.
Decker disappeared into the wilderness and hadn’t been seen since. The whole time, prosecutors were preparing to bring him to justice… until now. The US Marshals Service officially notified local authorities Decker was dead after the DNA confirmation, according to CBS News and others, prompting prosecutors to move forward with dropping murder charges.
As for how long Decker had been dead, or what exactly caused his death, the coroner is still working to determine that.
But while this update ends the manhunt, it doesn’t end the grief — and it doesn’t bring back three innocent little girls whose lives were taken far too soon. Rest in peace, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Wenatchee Police Department/Facebook]
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