(NewsNation) — Authorities have linked Travis Decker, accused of killing his three daughters in Washington state, to blood found on a truck near the crime scene, as search efforts enter their second month.
According to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, DNA was taken from personal items believed to belong to Decker, which were found at the crime scene, and matched blood samples found on the tailgate of Decker’s truck.
“We know, positively, that all of the DNA samples recovered belong to the same, male, subject, who we believe is Mr. Decker,” Undersheriff Dan Ozment said in a statement. “With this evidence, along with the other evidentiary items found at the scene, we do not have any reason to believe there are any other suspects.”
Is Travis Decker still alive?
A manhunt has been underway since police said they found the asphyxiated bodies of Decker’s daughters, aged 5, 8 and 9, near a campsite on June 2, along with Decker’s abandoned vehicle. Decker, 32, picked up the girls May 30 for a court-mandated parental visit but did not return them to the Wenatchee home of their mother, Whitney.
Authorities said they have no evidence to suggest whether Decker is dead or alive. Search efforts will continue until he is arrested or his body is recovered.
“Until he is taken into custody, or recovered, we will continue these efforts,” Ozment said.
Search teams, including K-9 units, checked the nearby Crystal Creek drainage area from the enchantments through Ingalls Creek last week, the update continued. Investigators said drones are also being flown over the area and volunteers continue helping with the search.
Travis Decker’s ex-wife wants him found ‘dead or alive’
Whitney Decker said she hopes he’ll be found “dead or alive.”
Her attorney, Arianna Cozart, said she’s doing as well as can be expected. Above all, she wants a conclusion to the search for her ex-husband — “that he’s found, dead or alive,” the attorney said.
“Either way, it’s hard,” Cozart said. “She knows that if he is found alive, he’ll never be able to answer the questions that she might have to a point where it would give her any peace.”
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $20,000 for information leading to his arrest. Anyone with information on Decker’s whereabouts or the murders should call 911 or reach out to the nearest U.S. Marshals office.
NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield and Jeff Arnold contributed to this report.