This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Search teams in Chelan County are tracking down tips from psychics who claimed to have information that could lead to the whereabouts of the homeless, former soldier, Travis Decker, who has been at the center of a manhunt in Eastern Washington.
“They’ve reached out, and they’ve given some theories,” said Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison in a recent interview with radio station WTMJ in Wisconsin. “And of course, we’ve made an effort to look into some of those, and we appreciate them just being willing to offer their services.”
Psychics aid in the Travis Decker manhunt
Morrison made the comments during a recent interview with WTMJ. KIRO Newsradio emailed Morrison with follow-up questions, including added context around how much weight search teams have been placing on leads generated from psychics.
Chelan Undersheriff Dan Ozment told KIRO that their department has received hundreds and hundreds of tips from around the country concerning their ongoing search for Decker.
“We recognize that any bit of information that comes in, we’re going to process it, assess it, and continue to do what we can to make the best effort possible to bring this case to a close,” said Morrison.
Tuesday, Ozment also dispelled recent rumors circling social media that Decker has been captured. “Our Office was notified of a TikTok video that was released, which portrays Sheriff Morrison and claims Mr. Decker has been taken into custody after a long standoff,” Ozment explained in a press release. “To be clear, Mr. Decker is not in custody and CCSO had no part in making the video.”
While it’s unclear what specific video Ozment referred to, KIRO Newsradio found dozens of videos on TikTok that falsely claimed Decker was captured or arrested at the Canadian border or other areas in Washington State.
Travis Decker manhunt details
On Tuesday, a federal helicopter searched the foothills of the Teanaway Valley in Kittitas County and the Enchantments in Chelan County. The Kittitas search included a government-owned UH-72A Lakota Eurocopter that made multiple circles in a specific area just north of the intersection of state highway 97 and route 970, which is about 5 miles from Cle Elum, Roslyn, and Suncadia, between 8:30 p.m. Monday and 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
On social media, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said their deputies and tactical teams are actively searching for Decker. They are asking residents to be alert for a suspicious person or circumstances, especially in the Teanaway Valley and Blewett Pass areas, to include Red Bridge Road, Teanaway, Swauk, Lauderdale Junction, and Liberty.
The renewed helicopter search comes nearly three weeks after the bodies of three young girls were discovered at a remote campground west of Leavenworth. The once-intense search for Decker, the girls’ father, appeared to have slowed its fervent pace over the weekend. So far, our emails to the U.S. Marshal’s Office, which recently took over search operations, have gone unanswered.
Last week, the U.S. Forest Service reopened multiple trails in and around that area of the Cascade Mountain Range. Last week, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said more hikers will mean more eyes to possibly spot Decker or other evidence and more tips for law enforcement to respond to quickly.
“Our tactics continue,” Morrison said during a recent press conference. “We’re just heading in a different direction.”
Monday marked the beginning of week three in the official search for Decker, a former Army Ranger believed to have received survival training during his military service. Authorities have scoured hundreds of square miles across mountainous terrain, lakes, and rivers near Leavenworth and the Enchantments—a popular rugged area of tall peaks and picturesque alpine lakes.
While the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it has handed over all active search operations to federal agencies, local deputies and prosecutors remain in charge of the criminal investigation.
“All we need is one mistake and one favor—I hope he’s watching,” Morrison said. “Mr. Decker is going to be the one to determine how this is going to end. We’ve encouraged him time and time again to give up and to give up peacefully.”
Travis Decker’s crime scene
Details released last week shed light on the crime scene. Autopsies confirmed that the three girls—discovered at a secluded campsite 18 miles west of Leavenworth—died by suffocation. Investigators classified the case as a triple homicide. Deputies reported finding each girl with a plastic bag over her head, along with more plastic bags strewn around the campsite and inside Decker’s abandoned truck.
Authorities said they recovered personal items from Decker’s vehicle, and blood samples taken from the site matched his DNA. Other samples collected were determined to be non-human. Decker’s dog was also found at the campsite and has since been turned over to a local humane society.
Flight tracking data from Sunday, a week ago, showed a Washington State Patrol Cessna circling the Enchantments—an isolated alpine region south of the crime scene—from about 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
The next morning, helicopters from King County and the Washington National Guard resumed sweeps of the area, which had remained closed to the public for more than a week. Still, the frequency and visibility of such flights have declined from earlier in the search, when air activity was nearly constant day and night.
At one point, investigators said Decker may have been planning to flee the country. A federal affidavit filed by U.S. Marshals revealed Decker had recently searched Google for how to “relocate to Canada” and looked up jobs there just four days before picking up his daughters from their mother’s home in Wenatchee.
Decker was supposed to return the girls that same day, but he never showed up. A judge had revoked his overnight custodial rights in September 2024 due to homelessness and unpaid child support. Authorities launched a search when the family reported the girls missing, leading to the discovery of their bodies the following Monday.
“We have not given up,” Morrison said. “We remain committed. We will not stop.”
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