Prosecutors seek dismissal of arrest warrant as Decker is dead

Federal prosecutors asked a judge on Tuesday to drop the arrest warrant for Travis Caleb Decker after the U.S. Marshals Service informed them that the man wanted in the killings of his three young daughters is deceased. Remains and clothing believed to belong to Decker were recovered last week in a remote wooded area of central Washington, but state crime lab officials have not yet completed DNA testing to confirm the identity, and local law enforcement cautioned that the investigation is not finished.

Investigators had searched for more than three months after the bodies of Decker's daughters—9 year old Paityn, 8 year old Evelyn and 5 year old Olivia—were found in early June at the Rock Island Campground near Leavenworth. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said an autopsy determined the girls died from suffocation and had been bound with zip ties and had plastic bags placed over their heads. The children had been reported missing on May 30 after Decker did not return them following a scheduled custody visit, authorities said.

In a court filing, U.S. Attorney S. Peter Serrano and assistant U.S. attorney Caitlin Baunsguard said they were moving to dismiss the federal case after...