Decker is yet to be found over a month after his three daughters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 were found dead on Monday, June 2
NEED TO KNOW
- A family has potentially spotted missing father Travis Decker, who is accused of killing his three young daughters, in a forest in Idaho, according to reports
- Decker hasn’t been seen or heard from since his three young girls — Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5 — were found dead on Monday, June 2
- On Saturday, July 5, a family camping in the Bear Creek area of the Sawtooth National Forest saw a man matching Decker’s description, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing the U.S. Marshals Service Greater Idaho Task Force
A man resembling missing father Travis Decker, who is suspected of killing his three young girls over a month ago, has reportedly been spotted in Idaho amid the ongoing manhunt.
On Saturday, July 5, a family camping in the Bear Creek area of the Sawtooth National Forest saw a man matching Decker’s description, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing the U.S. Marshals Service Greater Idaho Task Force.
The family described the man in question as being a 5-feet 8-inches to 5-feet 10-inches white male, who was wearing a black mesh cap, black gauged earrings, a cream-colored T-shirt and black shorts, ABC affiliated-station KOMO News stated.
The outlet noted that the family had said the man had a long ponytail, an overgrown beard and mustache, and was wearing either Converse or Vans low-top shoes.
According to Idaho News 6, the man was also wearing a black Garmin watch and carried a black JanSport backpack.
A U.S. Marshals spokesperson said that the family had noted that the person they’d spotted didn’t want to make eye contact and didn’t respond when spoken to, per the outlet.
The spokesperson also told Idaho News 6 that cabin owners in the area had been told about the alleged sighting.
The U.S. Marshals Service and the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
The reports come after Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on Monday, June 2.
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The girls were discovered deceased at 3:45 p.m. local time after authorities located their father’s car near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington state, the Wenatchee Police Department previously said in a release on Tuesday, June 3. They hadn’t been seen since heading off with their father for a planned visitation on Friday, May 30.
In a Monday, June 9 press release shared with PEOPLE, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed an autopsy had been completed by the medical examiner.
“The cause of death was determined to be suffocation and the manner of death was determined to be homicide,” the release stated.
As the manhunt for Decker continues, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison spoke to PEOPLE about the possibility of the suspect being found still alive.
Travis Decker; Olivia, Paityn, and Evelyn Decker.
Wenatchee Police Department; GoFundMe
On Tuesday, July 1, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said the Washington State Crime Lab had confirmed that the DNA in the blood previously found on the tailgate of Decker’s truck matched the DNA profile they believed to be the U.S. Army veteran’s.
Law enforcement said Decker’s abandoned truck was discovered in a remote area of the Rock Island Campground in Washington state on June 2 — a discovery that led them to the bodies of Decker’s three young girls. Also found at the scene were Decker’s wallet and cellphone.
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Morrison told PEOPLE that investigators believe the “fingerprint” of blood found on the truck came from an injury, though the severity of that injury remained unclear.
The sheriff said, “I would imagine most likely if he were to have died, it would’ve been from falling; an injury maybe got infected to the point where it did cause him, you know, some further issues or he drowned.”
He added, “There’s certainly a lot of possibilities and if we do find him deceased, of course we’re going to do a full autopsy on him just to get confirmation on his cause of death.”
Decker is wanted on first-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
A GoFundMe page set up to help the girls’ mother, and Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney Decker, with expenses and legal costs amid the tragic loss had raised over $1.2 million as of Monday, July 7.
If you 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. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
