Travis Decker, a 32-year-old man from Pewaukee accused of killing his three daughters in Washington, has been declared dead by the U.S. Marshals Service in court papers written to a federal judge, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told USA TODAY on Sept. 24 that he had read the court affidavit filed to the prosecutor’s office, but said his office was still awaiting DNA results to confirm the identity.
“I will confirm he is deceased when they say his clothing and remains match DNA found at the scene,” Morrison said.
On Sept. 19, the sheriff’s office said human remains were found that are believed to be Decker in a remote wooded area south of Leavenworth, Washington.
Preliminary findings suggested they belong to Decker, the sheriff’s office said, and a DNA analysis was to be conducted.
Decker had been sought by law enforcement for more than three 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 girls after their mother reported that Decker didn’t return them home May 30, per a custody arrangement.
Decker grew up in Pewaukee and graduated from Pewaukee High School. He had been living in Washington, authorities said.
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.
Authorities said Decker had military training and went to mountain survival school. When a warrant for his arrest was issued June 3 and a manhunt started, police warned people that it was unknown if he’d be armed.
In late July, law enforcement in Washington announced they were scaling back the manhunt, after they received a decrease in leads and had conducted thorough searches of the wilderness area surrounding the crime scene.
Then, in late August, the FBI announced a two-day grid search operation found “several items” that would be examined to determine if they were tied to Decker or the girls’ deaths. The search covered more than one million square meters, or 247 acres, and was the first time a search of that magnitude had been completed in that area for the case, according to the FBI’s Seattle field office.
Natalie Neysa Alund of USA TODAY contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Travis Decker declared dead by US Marshals; DNA analysis isn’t done