Travis Decker, a 32-year-old man from Pewaukee accused of killing his three daughters in Washington in June, has been confirmed dead by DNA testing, authorities say.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office in Wenatchee, Washington, held a news conference Sept. 25 announcing the findings.
“We’re coming full circle. We’re looking at about four months ago, we were just sitting here, breaking this news about this tragic situation, of the deaths of Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia.” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said at the conference. “Today I stand before you again with news that we have received our DNA results back from the Washington State Patrol’s Crime Lab … We are glad to say that those remains do come back as a positive match for Travis Decker.”
The update came after the sheriff’s office announced Sept. 18 that human remains found in a remote wooded area south of the town of Leavenworth, Washington, were believed to be Decker, but that DNA analysis hadn’t been completed.
Then, in a federal court document filed Sept. 24, prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss the complaint and federal arrest warrant, due to the U.S. Marshal’s Service finding that Decker was found dead. However, the sheriff’s office said in a news release that same day that it would make no announcement confirming Decker’s death until the DNA analysis was completed.
Decker had been sought by law enforcement for nearly four months, after his three daughters — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — were found dead June 2. Their bodies were located at the Rock Island Campground near Leavenworth, about 40 miles west of Wenatchee, in the vicinity of Decker’s truck.
The girls likely died of asphyxiation, USA TODAY reported.
Authorities began searching for the three girls after their mother reported that Decker didn’t return them home May 30, per a custody arrangement.
At the news conference, Morrison said the sheriff’s office doesn’t know how or when Decker died, but will share updates if the department receives them from the coroner’s office.
Decker’s remains were located on an area of Grindstone Mountain during law enforcement’s fourth search of the large wilderness area around where the girls’ bodies were found, Morrison said.
Decker grew up in Pewaukee and graduated from Pewaukee High School. He had been living in Washington state, authorities say.
At the time of the girls’ disappearance, Decker was living primarily out of his pickup truck, and occasionally at motels and campgrounds, according to police.
According to federal court records, Decker had military training and experience living in the wilderness, at one point living off-the-grid in the backwoods for 2½ months.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Travis Decker confirmed dead by DNA testing, authorities say