Travis Decker, the veteran accused of murdering his three daughters at a campsite last month, should now be considered an ‘international threat’, experts warn.
The 32-year-old father recently left the army, and several investigators have spoken with the Daily Mail about how he’s likely to be using his military skills to evade the law.
Travis allegedly used plastic bags to suffocate his children – Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 – at Rock Island Campground in Washington state, located around 120 miles east of Seattle.
He had been embroiled in a custody battle with his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, who tried to restrict his access to the children citing his declining mental health.
She filed a court petition making the argument in September, and called police on May 30 when Travis failed to bring the children back to her house after one visit.
But it was too late. Police said the girls were found dead, on June 2, at the campsite, close to Travis’ truck which had a bloody handprint on the window matching the alleged killer’s DNA. The military veteran was nowhere to be found.
Chelan County Sheriff’s Office found that in the days before, Travis had searched for instructions about how to relocate to Canada and find a job there.
They warned the public that he is on the loose and could be armed. Law enforcers have offered a $20,000 reward for anyone who finds him – dead or alive.
Travis Decker (pictured), the veteran accused of murdering his three daughters at a campsite last month, should now be considered an ‘international threat’, experts have warned
Police believe Travis Decker, who was last seen wearing a tan or green T-shirt with dark shorts, allegedly murdered his daughters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 (pictured above)
Toby Braun, founder of the American Special Investigative Group, told the Daily Mail Travis is a double threat because not only is he trained in combat, but he had also been living rough for several months, which means he’s used to navigating the outdoors.
‘Based on my expertise, I believe the manhunt for Travis Decker should now be considered an international threat requiring joint US and Canadian law enforcement coordination,’ said Braun, who has worked on more than 100 fugitive cases.
‘We’re not looking for someone lost in the woods. We’re tracking someone who knows how to disappear.
‘Decker is not just another suspect on the run. He’s a trained soldier with combat experience in Afghanistan, advanced survival skills and a deep understanding of how to evade capture.
‘He likely knows how to mask his scent to throw off K9 units, avoid aerial detection and move tactically through wilderness terrain.
‘Since he recently separated from the military, he’s also likely familiar with FLIR-equipped drones and helicopters, and how to work around their limitations.’
Travis served in the Army from 2013 to 2021. He was deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, and was an automatic rifleman with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington from 2014 to 2016.
Toby Braun, founder of the American Special Investigative Group, told the Daily Mail Decker is a double threat due to his military skills and knowledge of the outdoors from living rough
He had been embroiled in a custody battle against his ex-wife, Whitney (pictured with her daughters) who tried to restrict his access to the children citing his declining mental state
Braun said Travis likely knows how to make ‘improvised weapons’, adding that based on his knowledge of similar cases, he believes he’s most likely still alive.
‘This situation now poses a public safety threat that goes beyond state or even national boundaries,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘I believe the reward for Decker’s capture should be significantly increased and made applicable on both sides of the US and Canadian border.
‘We need to incentivize information sharing across jurisdictions and keep the public fully informed. Canadian authorities must be integrated into this operation and utilize resources.’
Braun added that he believes Decker is still alive because K9 units still ‘haven’t located a trackable scent’.
‘The murders occurred near Rock Island Campground in the Cascade Mountains, approximately 300 to 350 miles from the Canadian border,’ he said.
‘While some of the terrain can be unforgiving, thick brush, steep ridgelines, unpredictable weather – but as an outdoorsman myself who is very familiar with the area, I can tell you that this is certainly navigable for someone with Decker’s background.
‘An experienced outdoorsman carrying gear and basic supplies could reasonably cover that distance in three to five days.
‘Even without food, the area is nutrient-rich this time of year, and there is plenty of access to fresh water.
Travis Decker (pictured) has an extensive combat background and served in Afghanistan
The 32-year-old Army veteran has been missing for a month and stands accused of murdering his three young daughters (pictured)
On June 2, a search party led to the chilling discovery of the sisters’ dead bodies near Rock Island Campground (pictured) in Chelan County along with Travis Decker’s truck
‘Given that Decker had a 72-hour head start before law enforcement found the crime scene, it’s plausible he reached or crossed the border before the search perimeter was ever established.
‘If he intended to take his own life, the most likely place would have been at the scene of the crime.
‘The fact that he didn’t, and that he had previously searched online about relocating to Canada, tells me this was premeditated – not a man who just snapped.
‘This guy is evil, and he needs to be captured.’
Chelan County Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail they believe a hiker may have spotted Travis on June 10 close to the Aasguard Pass trail just off Highway 97.
‘When this person was spotted, he tried to avoid other hikers on the trail. This is obviously suspicious,’ a spokesman for the office said.
‘We’ve had a lot of people reporting that they have seen him, but this was the only one which seemed feasible.’
Experienced FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer said she believes Decker allegedly killed the children to ‘get back at his wife’ amid their acrimonious custody battle.
‘I see him as a family annihilator,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘The most famous case for that was the (Alex) Murdaugh case.
‘When their life is crashing down from a financial standpoint, and family relationships are falling apart… when they feel alienated, they try to take everyone down with them.
‘What better way to punish and hurt a spouse than to take her children from her?’
Experienced FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer (pictured) said she believes Travis allegedly killed the children to ‘get back at his wife’ amid their acrimonious custody battle
Authorities and locals have been concerned about military man Travis Decker being on the loose
Prior to his daughter’s death, Travis Decker, pictured in an undated mugshot, argued a judge should give him more access to his girls as he has never hurt them
‘I have 25 years’ experience investigating these kinds of cases,’ she added.
‘These sorts of custody battles can lead to the most horrific crimes and bring out the worst in humanity because the children become pawns who can be hurt or kidnapped.’
She also mentioned Travis’ survival skills making tracking him down a ‘huge challenge’ for law enforcement.
‘If he is alive, I definitely think he is using what he learned in the military to survive,’ Coffindaffer said.
‘He is likely to be wearing camouflage so he is not found. He could have surveilled the area so he knows where caves, shelter and streams would be for fresh water.
‘He also understands the capabilities the people looking for him have and likely how to avoid flares which use heat to detect people.’
Coffindaffer said she believes Travis is most likely dead despite apparently fleeing the scene of the killings, because ‘military men often choose to kill themselves in their own privacy’.
She cited the high-profile case of Robert Card, the veteran who killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 25, 2023, before he was found dead two days later inside a tractor-trailer with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
An autopsy revealed the girls died from suffocation and police reported their wrists were zip-tied and plastic bags were over their heads when they were found (pictured: Paityn Decker)
Tactical teams (pictured during the manhunt) have scoured the Cascade mountains near the city of Leavenworth, Washington, for weeks and have searched hundreds of square miles
Forensic Psychologist, Dr John C. Brady, agreed with Coffindaffer’s assessment that Travis is most likely dead.
Dr Brady told the Daily Mail he believes Travis was most likely experiencing PTSD and ‘probably doesn’t know why he killed his children’.
‘He likely reached a mental state of confusion and negative emotions so acute that he’s unable to make sense of his own actions,’ the psychologist added.
‘Over-arching apocalyptic delusion, if that’s what he was overcome by, would almost necessitate taking his own life.
‘It’s possible that he’s still living, but if so, he’s likely tormenting himself about what he’s done.’
Police are not sure whether Travis is alive, but they won’t stop hunting for him until he’s brought to justice or his body is found.
