WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON — What began as a routine custody visit ended in one of the most horrifying tragedies to strike Chelan County in recent memory. Three young sisters—Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5—were found dead near Rock Island Campground after visiting their father, 32-year-old Travis Decker. Authorities have since launched a nationwide manhunt, describing Decker as armed, dangerous, and possibly attempting to flee the country.
The case has shaken the entire Wenatchee community—a small, tight-knit town now struggling to comprehend how a father once described as “devoted” could commit such a monstrous act.
A Visit That Should Have Been Routine
On May 30, 2025, Travis Decker arrived at his ex-wife’s home to pick up the girls for a court-approved visitation. The plan was simple: he’d return them by 8 p.m. that evening. But when the time came and went, and his phone went straight to voicemail, their mother, Whitney Decker, immediately sensed something was wrong.
She contacted police that night, reporting the girls missing. Investigators noted early concerns over Travis’s mental health—records showed he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and had exhibited increasingly erratic behavior in recent months.
By the next morning, the Decker family’s nightmare was just beginning.
The Search Begins
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