Fugitive dad Travis Decker confirmed dead as DNA matches remains found in Washington state: officials

Authorities have confirmed the human remains found in the Washington wilderness belong to the military veteran believed to have killed his three young daughters at a local campground earlier this year.

The discovery marks the end of a three-month-long manhunt for Travis Decker, a military veteran and wilderness survivalist who vanished after authorities discovered the bodies of his three daughters – Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5 – at a Chelan County campground on June 2.

“Certainly pay respects to the deaths of Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia, we wanted to show honor to them, let them know we haven’t forgot about them,” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said in a news conference Wednesday, according to FOX 13.

Decker was an Army infantryman from March 2013 to July 2021, according to FOX 13. He had been deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, and possessed extensive training in wilderness navigation. He was facing state charges of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, along with a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. 

This week, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss Decker’s federal case after the U.S. Marshals Service declared he had been found dead. However, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office did not confirm Decker’s death until the DNA test results were returned. 

“To Whitney, we apologize it’s taken this long to get the closure we were looking for in this case,” Morrison said. “But I hope you can rest easier at night knowing Travis is accounted for. He is deceased, our DNA results confirmed that and this will bring a close to our case.” 

Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed to this report.