WENATCHEE, Wash. — It’s been one month since Chelan County Deputies say Travis Decker kidnapped and killed his three daughters, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia.
Decker is now on the US Marshal’s “Top 15 Most Wanted” list.
Special local and federal teams are still searching parts of Chelan and Kittitas counties for any signs of him, although there is currently no sign of Decker, dead or alive.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison tells us this is not what they were hoping for at this stage of the investigation.
“It’s emotionally challenging, and now we are just frustrated that we are not getting the results we want,” Morrison said.
On May 30th, Chelan County deputies say Travis Decker picked up his three daughters from their Wenatchee home. Three days later, the girls were found dead. The autopsy shows they were suffocated and thrown down a remote Leavenworth campground embankment.
“Going on 20 years, I don’t think I have had a single situation that has almost prompted tears to come up,” Morrison said.
Within minutes, a massive manhunt was launched for the ex-army ranger father accused of brutally killing his three little girls
Decker’s military and outdoors experience led officers into the remote wilderness of the Enchantments.
New information shows Decker may not be as prepared as they thought.
“I wouldn’t give him too much credit, saying he’s a superhero or a special forces veteran, Morrison said. He failed out of Ranger School three times... that doesn’t make him elite,” said Sheriff Morrison.
Still, resources have been pouring into the Blewitt Pass area for weeks. On June 10, the SWAT team was confident after a man was spotted running from the search helicopter.
“We found some campsites and some sites that were swept up like someone was trying to cover they were there,” Morrison said.
But those tactical teams went home empty-handed.
“He can get lucky, he can have things go his way, we just need to persevere, not give up,” Morrison said.
Now, as leads dwindle, creative thinking is necessary.
“We’ve gone as far as to consider ‘do we bring in a predator drone from the Feds to fly over this area’, looking at the same technology that was tracking down Osama Bin Laden and other international individuals that are of high interest to our country,” Morrison said.
Investigators are also studying other notorious manhunts from the past few decades.
“We all know Eric Rudolph [Atlanta Olympics bombing] and that took five years, and of course we all know about the Green River Killer, that took while, so we just continue to do what we have to do,” Morrison said.
Meanwhile, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia’s community is forever scarred by painful memories, and their mother, Whitney Decker, is left with unimaginable grief and no answers.
“I am so thankful for the time I had with the girls; I truly hope the legacy of the girls lives in everyone’s heart forever. They were incredible,” Whitney said.
Her heartbreak is the driving force for these teams to keep searching.
“Paityn Evelyn and Olivia - their deaths certainly rocked us, but it continues to motivate us. We want to find closure for the family, we want to be their voice and make sure Travis is held accountable, and given his opportunity in court,” Morrison said.
Sheriff Morrison says he doesn’t regret anything so far.
“Going through and checking things twice, did we do everything we were supposed to do, did we put forth the best effort, is there something we may have missed?” said Morrison.
The search for Decker isn’t cold. Deputies say there are state, national, and international leads still coming in.
Sheriff Morrison says whether Decker is found alive or dead, what matters is that he’s found; that way, this community can begin to heal.
Watch KIRO 7’s interview with Sheriff Morrison live at 5 p.m. on Monday.
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