Authorities are searching for a Washington state father of 3 dead girls

The father of three sisters-ages 9, 8 and 5, is accused of murdering them during a court-approved visit.

A man in central Washington state is wanted on suspicion of murder after his three young daughters were reported missing and then found dead.

Authorities asked the public Tuesday for help finding Travis Decker, 32, who is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping, according to police in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometres) east of Seattle.

Police said it was unknown whether Decker, a former Army soldier with “extensive training,” was armed.

On Friday the mother of the girls, ages 9, 8 and 5, reported that their father did not return them after a planned visit, police said.

Over the weekend authorities looked for the children and for Decker, who was believed to be living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup with Washington plates.

Police said Decker’s unoccupied truck was found Monday near a campground west of the city of Leavenworth, which is about 20 miles (30 kilometres) northwest of Wenatchee. Officers found the girls’ bodies during a search.

Anyone who may have seen Decker since Friday or knows his current location was asked to call 911.

“Due to safety concerns do not attempt to contact or approach Decker,” police said.

The Wenatchee School District said the girls were students of Lincoln Elementary. Counseling services were available, and the district asked people to respect the privacy of students, staff members and families and come to the campus only for regular school business.

The mother told police that Decker picked the girls up around 5 p.m. but had not returned them by 8 p.m., and his phone went straight to voicemail, according to a probable cause affidavit written by a Wenatchee police detective, The Seattle Times reported.

The detective said she “expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and is currently experiencing some mental health issues.”

“What prompted her to call us was that ... he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary,” Capt. Brian Chance said.

Washington State Patrol was contacted Friday night to request an Amber Alert, but it did not meet the required criteria, Wenatchee police said. The following day Wanatchee detectives contacted the patrol with additional information that led to the issuance of an Endangered Missing Person Alert.

The lacking criteria was suspected abduction and imminent peril of death or serious injury, said Chris Loftis, director of public affairs for the state patrol.

“In this case, it was a parent with custodial privileges, and the children had not been returned home on time. But that’s a rather common occurrence and not something where you just automatically assume abduction,” he said, adding that there was no indication Decker, a custodial parent who had the children for a visit, would harm them.

“We’re people too, you know, so the loss of a child, the loss of two children, the loss of three children is ... devastating,” Loftis said. “Everybody always looks to how we can improve.”

The alert systems are constantly evolving and this could prompt further change, Loftis said: “Obviously it didn’t work this time. Obviously we have three children that are dead.”

Decker and the girls’ mother are divorced, Chance said. He did not have details on how the girls were killed or on Decker’s employment.

Decker joined the Army in 2013 and transferred to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Washington Military Department spokesperson Karina Shagren told The Associated Press. He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time.

Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge for him, Shagren said.

“This is an absolute tragedy,” Shagren said. “We are mourning along with the community.”

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, which found the truck, was leading the search in the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest area while other teams followed up on “potential credible information and tips” regarding Decker’s location, the agency said in a statement.

The agency was working with U.S. Marshals to locate and apprehend Decker. A reward of up to US$20,000 was available for information leading directly to his arrest.

Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, The Associated Press