A KEY mystery surrounding the death of Travis Decker, the dad accused of killing his three daughters, will never be answered, according to the coroner.
The 32-year-old’s remains were found near the Washington campground where the little girls were murdered following a 111-day manhunt.
A key mystery still remains about the death of Travis Decker who is accused ot murdering his three daughters[/caption]
Little Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were all found dead at a campground in Washington on June 2[/caption]
But despite death investigators determining that the skeletal remains belonged to Decker, they won’t be able to rule how he died.
Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris said it will be impossible to verify the details surrounding the dad’s death until they find more clues.
“There were a few leg bones, a couple of arm bones, some vertebrae, some ribs, and a foot, and they were scattered in about five different locations, at an elevation of about 4,200 feet,” Harris told radio station KIRO.
“Unless another hiker finds a cranium and the forensic anthropologist can examine it and determine that he may have fallen, or if there is a bullet hole in his skull.”
Authorities in Chelan County, about two and a half hours east of Seattle, have been spearheading the search for Decker since the sisters were found dead on June 2.
Mike Morrison, the Chelan County sheriff, said that Decker was injured after allegedly murdering his daughters, but he didn’t give any details about the injuries.
“He succumbed to those injuries, whatever those injuries were,” Morrison said in a news conference.
“We’re going to hear back from our coroner’s office if they are able to get a cause of death or a time of death.”
But after a week of investigating, Harris said their report was inconclusive.
“We have no idea,” he said when asked about the cause of death.
EERIE EVIDENCE EXPLAINED
Bloody handprints were found on Decker’s car which was abandoned alongside the bodies of Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5.
There was speculation that the veteran may have been attacked by his dog, which was later found and sheltered.
However, Harris said that an anthropologist didn’t see any signs of animal activity or “teeth marks in the bones.”
Decker’s remains were found on Grindstone Mountain, off the Icicle River drainage, at an elevation of 4,000 feet and about 0.74 miles away from his daughters.
They were outside the search area that was initially established following the killings.
Officials found Decker’s remains outside of the initial search area that was established[/caption]
A makeshift memorial was set up for the girls[/caption]
HORROR CRIME
Decker, who was estranged from his wife, picked up his daughters for a scheduled play day at her home in Wenahatchee, Washington.
They were supposed to spend three hours together, but Decker and the girls never returned.
Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney Decker, reported her daughters, but an Amber Alert was never issued because authorities determined the girls weren’t in danger.
Whitney later told officials that Decker was homeless and suffered from PTSD, but never had a history of being violent with the girls.
The sisters were suffocated to death and found with bags on their heads and zip ties around their wrists.
After the skeletal remains were determined to be Decker’s, Morrison issued a formal apology to Whitney for the amount of time it took to get answers.
“I hope you can rest easier at night knowing that Travis is accounted for,” he said.
Timeline of the missing Decker girls
Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 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:
May 29: Cell phone activity shows that the girls’ dad, Travis Decker, drove to the Rock Island Campground and left.
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.
May 31 : WPD issues an Endangered Missing Persons Alert.
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.
June 3: 9:30 am – Cops notify the public that they are still searching for Decker.
2 pm – WPD tells the public that the three girls were found dead and that Travis Decker is still on the loose.
June 8: Federal authorities take over search efforts.
June 9: Autopsy results confirm three girls were murdered by suffocation.
June 13: An affidavit revealed Whitney described Travis as having “recent mental health concerns.”
“She provided the examples of randomly leaving or waking her up by screaming at her in the middle of the night,” it read.
“She also said near the end of the marriage he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder that she believes he currently does not take medications for.”
June 17: New audio of Travis in court fighting for custody of his daughters is released.
“I understand that my current position when I’m by myself isn’t ideal, but my daughters aren’t a part of that,” he said in September 2024.
“I only get to see them over the weekends and camping is something that the four of us have done since the three of them were in diapers.”
June 20: Memorial is held where Whitney speaks publicly about girls for first time.
July 5: A family spotted a man believed to be Travis Decker in the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho.
July 9: US Marshals call off the search in Sawtooth National Forest after locating and questioning the man believed to be Travis Decker and confirming it isn’t him.
August 25: FBI agents announce they are conducting a two-day grid search of the heavily wooded area near Rock Island Campground.
September 18: 3:15 pm – Human remains believed to be those of Travis Decker are recovered in Icicle Creek drainage, police say.
