A Washington State father suspected of killing his three daughters remained at large Tuesday as authorities warned that the military veteran could pose a “significant risk.”
The Wenatchee Police Department said Travis Decker, 32, is wanted on first-degree murder charges in connection with the killings.
The girls, ages 5, 8 and 9, were found dead Monday after authorities discovered Decker’s pickup truck near a campground roughly 130 miles east of Seattle, according to a department news release.
Decker was not with the truck, the department said. His daughters’ bodies were found during a search of the immediate area.
Additional details about their deaths or a possible motive were not immediately available.
Authorities began searching for the girls after their mother filed a civil complaint Friday night when Decker did not bring them home after a planned visitation, the department said.
The department sought an AMBER alert from state police that night, according to the release, but their request “did not meet the required criteria.”
A spokesperson for Washington State Patrol did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The agency issued an Endangered Missing Person Alert Saturday, the department said.
Decker’s truck was seen traveling west from Wenatchee on Friday, the department said, and authorities continued searching for the girls over the weekend.
With the assistance of the FBI, law enforcement officers narrowed their focus to an area near Leavenworth, roughly 17 miles east of the area where Decker’s truck was found the next day at 3:45 p.m., the department said.
Authorities initially obtained a warrant for three counts of custodial interference against Decker. He is now wanted on three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, the department said.
The department described Decker as former military with extensive training. It isn’t clear if he is armed. Due to safety concerns, the department warned anybody who sees Decker not to contact or approach him.
