Federal authorities conducted an extensive grid searcht his week in the area where a Washington state Army veteran suffocated his three young daughters, months after Travis Decker killed the girls and vanished into the wilderness.
Officials said that several items were found in the search, which covered nearly 250 acres in the rugged terrain near Leavenworth, and that those items were being examined to determine if they can be helpful to the investigation, KOMO reported.
Decker, 32, took his three daughters — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — on a scheduled visitation on May 29, as CrimeOnline reported. Because of his disturbing past behavior, he was not allowed overnight visits, but he did not bring the girls back to their mother that night. When she reported them missing, law enforcement did not issue an Amber Alert despite those behavior issues.
As the days passed, concerns heightened, and the girls were ultimately found dead on June 2 with plastic bags over their heads near the Rock Island Campground.
Decker’s truck was nearby, but he was long gone. DNA testing has since confirmed that Decker is the sole suspect in the girl’s murders.
The FBI coordinated this week’s grid search, which took place from Monday through Wednesday, KOMO said. More than 100 personnel worked the operation, but officials did not say why they waited nearly three months for an extensive grid search of the area.
“A search of this magnitude and detail has not previously taken place in this area,” FBI officials said. “We not only accomplished our goal of covering the entire area intended for this operation, but we also searched beyond the primary search perimeter.”
No signs of Decker have turned up since he killed his daughters and fled, but law enforcement has been tracking multiple tips and potential sightings, none of which have borne fruit. Law enforcement says they just don’t know if he’s alive or dead at this point, but they had previously stressed his wilderness experience.
The Wenatchee World reported that bones were found in this week’s search, but it’s unknown if they were animal or human bones.
“It was inconclusive at the time if they were animal or human, so it was sent off to Central Washington University in their anthropology department to do a confirmation,” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told the newspaper.
Morrison added that the FBI would be returning to the area next month to expand this week’s search.
“We certainly have not lost sight of the importance of this case, what it means to not only the family, but to our community … we are trying our best to make sure that this does not just disappear and fade away into memory,” he said.
The US Marshals Service has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker.
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[Featured image: Decker children/Facebook]
