Bloody handprints found near bodies of 3 missing girls killed on visit with dad Travis Decker as cause of death emerges
GRAPHIC details have emerged about the killing of three young sisters, whose bodies were found in a rural campground on Monday.
Travis Decker, 32, has been charged with kidnapping and killing his daughters and is still on the run after police found his bloody truck near their bodies.
The Decker sisters who were allegedly murdered by their dad, Travis Decker, likely died of asphyxiation.
Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were found dead at a campground in Washington state on Monday after their mom reported them missing on Friday.
Cops are still searching for Decker, who is accused of killing his daughters during a planned custody visit on Friday.
Near where the girls' bodies were found, cops located Decker's white 2017 GMC Sierra truck, which he was reportedly living out of at the time of the gruesome crime.
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His car was found abandoned with two bloody handprints, police records show.
It's unclear who left the handprints.
Personal items like car seats, blankets, food, and a wallet were left on the center console of the truck.
Cops said the campsite showed signs of being recently used as a tent was set up with a cooler.
Decker's cell phone activity showed he went to the same campground a day before the kidnapping, police records said.
The girls' bodies were found at around 5 pm on Monday near the Rock Island Campground in Wenatchee, which is about three hours east of Seattle.
Police found the girls' wrists zip-tied and plastic bags over their heads, according to a police court affidavit obtained by NCWLIFE Channel.
They were wearing the same clothes they had on when they left their mom's home.
Decker picked his daughters up from their mom and his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, at around 5 pm on Friday for a scheduled three-hour visit.
In interviews with police, Whitney recalled that her ex-husband was "quieter than usual" during the exchange, which was "out of character" for him, according to police records.
She also told cops that he had been considering getting rid of his dog due to housing and financial struggles.
Timeline of the missing Decker girls
Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead at a campground after they were last seen on a custody visit to their dad.
Below is a timeline of events:
Thursday, May 29
Cell phone activity shows that the girls' dad, Travis Decker, drove to the Rock Island Campground and left.
Friday, May 30
5 pm - Travis Decker picks the three girls up from their mom, Whitney Decker.
8 pm - Travis Decker is supposed to return the girls but doesn't. Whitney Decker calls him and it goes to voicemail.
9:45 pm - Whitney Decker calls the Wenatchee Police Department to report her daughters missing.
Travis Decker's truck is seen driving westbound on Highway 2.
Washington State Patrol is contacted for an Amber Alert but said the situation didn't match their criteria.
Saturday, May 31
WPD issues an Endangered Missing Persons Alert.
Monday, June 2
3:45 pm - Travis Decker's truck is found empty at Rock Island Campground with two bloody handprints and items inside.
5 pm - Cops search the area and find the bodies of the three girls.
Tuesday, June 3
9:30 am - Cops notify the public that they are still searching for Decker.
Crime scene processing is expected to conclude.
Decker, a former military member, and Whitney had been divorced since 2022 and had a parenting plan in place for the three young girls.
Before the girls' bodies were found, Whitney told local media that there had never been any problems with visitation in the past.
"Travis has really struggled since he left the military and his mental health can be hard sometimes," Whitney told Seattle CBS affiliate KIRO on Monday before the girls' bodies were found.
"I think this is an effect of that, and I don’t personally think that he’s dangerous."
She added, "I think that he is impulsive and he loves his children very much."
Decker is a veteran who cops say is mentally unstable. He had been homeless and living out of his truck and hotels.
When he didn't return the girls at the scheduled time on Friday, Whitney called his cell phone and it went straight to voicemail.
She called the Wenatchee Police Department at around 9:45 pm that night and reported her daughters missing.
Cops are still unable to contact Decker.
Anyone who has seen Decker since Friday is asked to call 911 immediately.
Police warned the public not to approach him because he might be violent and has extensive military training. It's unclear if he's armed.
The three girls attended Lincoln Elementary School in the Wenatchee School District.
A GoFundMe to support Whitney has raised $368,000 so far.
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