FBI grid search at Rock Island Campground in WA over triple homicide

Nearly three months into the investigation surrounding the deaths of three young girls in Washington state, federal investigators are leading a large-scale grid search near the Rock Island Campground outside Leavenworth, as authorities say there is still no evidence whether the father, Travis Decker, is alive or dead. The operation, conducted by the FBI with multiple local and federal partners, has closed parts of the campground and surrounding roads while search teams comb rugged forest terrain for clues and possible sightings.

The case centers on the three sisters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, whose bodies were found June 2 inside and near Decker’s abandoned pickup at the Rock Island Campground in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Medical examiners ruled their deaths as homicides by asphyxiation, with plastic bags covering their heads and several cable ties found nearby. DNA testing matched Decker to evidence at the scene, including the bags and the cable ties, confirming him as the sole suspect in the murders. Authorities say the dogs left at the site and the truck’s contents, including Decker’s wallet and cellphone, support the focus on Decker as the person of...