What began as a routine custody visit in late May ended in one of the most heartbreaking crimes Washington State has seen in years — the deaths of three young sisters and the disappearance of their father, now the subject of an intense nationwide manhunt.
On May 30, 2025, nine-year-old Paityn Decker, her eight-year-old sister Evelyn, and five-year-old Olivia left their home in Wenatchee, Washington, for a scheduled court-mandated visitation with their father, Travis Decker. He was supposed to return them by 8 p.m. to their mother, Whitney Decker. But the girls never came home.
By nightfall, Whitney’s calls to Travis went unanswered, his phone going straight to voicemail. Concern turned to fear as midnight passed with no sign of the girls. The next morning, she reported them missing, triggering a search that would grip the nation and end in unimaginable tragedy.
A Timeline of Horror
May 30 — The Pickup
Travis Decker arrived at Whitney’s home around 5 p.m. to collect the girls for his visitation. By all accounts, it was a normal exchange. Whitney later told investigators that Travis seemed calm, but distant — “like something was weighing on him.” The court had granted Travis partial visitation rights despite ongoing concerns about his mental health. A veteran with PTSD and borderline personality disorder, he’d been ordered to attend therapy and anger-management classes.
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