A Routine Custody Visit Turned Into a Community’s Worst Nightmare
In Wenatchee, Washington, the afternoon of May 30, 2025, began without warning of the devastation ahead. For Whitney Decker, it was supposed to be a standard custody exchange. Her three daughters—Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5—were scheduled to spend a few hours with their father, Travis Decker, before returning home that evening.
At 5:00 p.m., Travis picked up the girls. He told Whitney he would bring them back by 8:00 p.m.
They never came home.
As the evening passed and calls went unanswered, worry quickly turned into fear. By the next morning, the girls were officially reported missing, triggering an urgent search that would grip the region and ultimately leave a community shattered.
The Search Ends in Tragedy
On June 2, the search took a devastating turn. Near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, a hiker spotted an abandoned white pickup truck matching descriptions from emergency alerts and contacted authorities.
Inside the vehicle were personal belongings belonging to Travis Decker. Nearby, investigators made a discovery that confirmed the worst fears of the girls’ family and the wider community: Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia were found deceased.
Medical examiners later confirmed the deaths were the result of homicide. What began as a missing-persons case instantly became one of the most heartbreaking criminal investigations the area had ever seen.
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