Officials looking for a Washington state father wanted for the murders of his three young daughters have released recent Ring camera footage and photos of him as they seek help from the public in finding him.
The video and images are from the days leading up to 32-year-old Travis Decker’s visitation with his daughters on Friday, which is when they went missing.
“These are the most recent photos and videos we have that reveal his last known appearance,” the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Chelan County Sheriff’s Office
The girls’ mother had reported to Wenatchee police on Friday that Decker did not return them on time following the planned visit, which she told them was out of the ordinary. She had tried to call him multiple times, but the calls went straight to voicemail, she said.
On Monday, the bodies of the three girls, ages 9, 8 and 5, were found at a campground in central Washington. Decker’s unoccupied pickup truck was also found.
Decker, a former Army soldier, is well-versed in wilderness survival and able to spend days at a time off the grid with little equipment, police said.
When the girls were reporting missing Friday, Washington State Patrol was contacted to request an Amber Alert, but officials said the information provided did not meet the required criteria.
“In this case, it was a parent with custodial privileges, and the children had not been returned home on time. But that’s a rather common occurrence and not something where you just automatically assume abduction,” Washington State Patrol spokesperson Chris Loftis said, adding there was no indication Decker would harm the girls.
The girls’ mother had told police Decker was experiencing some mental health issues when she reported her daughters missing, according to a court document. It wasn’t clear if that was conveyed with the request for an Amber Alert.
An endangered and missing person alert was activated Saturday, which generates a flyer that is distributed statewide, Wenatchee Police Captain Brian Chance explained at a news conference Tuesday.
Decker is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping, according to police in Wenatchee.
contributed to this report.
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