DNA ties Travis Decker to deaths of his three daughters

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced late this summer that DNA testing by the Washington State Crime Lab directly ties Travis Decker to the deaths of his three daughters, whose bodies were found near a remote campground in early June. Investigators say DNA from Decker was found on the plastic bags covering each child’s head and on at least one of the cable ties recovered at the scene, and they emphasize that he remains the sole suspect as the manhunt for him continues with no confirmed information about his status.

The case began when Decker disappeared during a scheduled visit with his children on May 30. His ex-wife reported the three girls missing after he failed to return them for the planned drop-off in Wenatchee, Washington. A three-day search followed, culminating in the discovery on June 2 of Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, near the Rock Island Campground along Icicle Creek in Chelan County. Autopsies determined that all three children died from suffocation and that their deaths were homicides. Investigators have long said the scenes showed multiple plastic bags placed over each child’s head, with two of the victims restrained by two separate bags and the...