(NewsNation) — Three Washington girls who were reported missing last week were found dead Monday, and a search is ongoing for the girls’ father, police announced.
The girls were discovered just before 4 p.m. local time, police said, after detectives in Chelan County, Washington, gathered information that led them to search an area around Leavenworth, where they hoped to find the girls and their father, Travis Decker.
A Chelan County Forest Service deputy located Decker’s vehicle in a remote area and then found the girls, who were deceased. Police said Decker was nowhere to be found.
Police said on Tuesday that Decker, 32, is being sought on three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. Decker is a former member of the U.S. military and has extensive training.
Police still searching for girls’ father Travis Decker
Detectives and investigators have launched an investigation into the scene where the three girls were found and are working with multiple local, state and federal agencies to find Decker. A regional SWAT team and U.S. Border Patrol agents, as well as Department of Homeland Security agents, are searching for Decker, police said.
Police do not know if Decker is armed, but they warned the public he should be considered dangerous.
“Due to safety concerns, do not attempt to contact or approach Decker,” officials warned.
Decker joined the Army in 2013 and transferred to the Washington National Guard in 2021, according to a spokesperson with the Washington Military Department. He was a full-time member of the National Guard until he reportedly switched to part-time around 2023 to 2024.
Washington Military Department spokesperson Karina Shagren told the Associated Press that Decker had stopped attending mandatory monthly drills about one year ago. The National Guard was reportedly in the process of a disciplinary discharge for Decker.
Decker is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 190 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts. Police said Decker is homeless and lives in his vehicle or various hotels, motels or campgrounds.
3 girls go missing after planned visit with father
The three sisters — ages 5, 8, and 9 — were last seen around 5 p.m. on May 30, when they left home with their father. Their mother eventually reported around 8 p.m. that Decker did not return them after a planned visit, according to police.
A detective said the girls’ mother “expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues.”
Capt. Brian Chance said, “What prompted her to call us was that … he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion, and so this was out of the ordinary.”
Authorities spent the weekend looking for the children and Decker, eventually finding his unoccupied truck near a campground on Monday. The girls’ bodies were found about 100 yards away from the truck.
Police believe the girls died from asphyxiation, according to court documents. They were allegedly found with their wrists zip-tied.
School district officials said the girls were all students of Lincoln Elementary in Wenatchee, Washington. Counseling services are being provided for those students.