A mother has come forward to say that her father choked her three daughters, but her commando ex-husband is still at large.<\/p>\n
Whitney Decker says she knew her daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were in \u201csubstantial danger\u201d after Travis Decker\u2019s visitation on Friday because he had forgotten to return them.<\/p>\n
She said that after begging authorities to send out an Amber Alert via her lawyer, she was told that the case did not meet the requirements.<\/p>\n
Twenty miles from their home in Washington state, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia were found dead on Monday at a Leavenworth campground. Their wrists had been tied with zip ties, and they had all been suffocated by plastic bags.<\/p>\n
Travis, an Afghan veteran, is wanted on suspicion of their murder. According to reports, he suffers from \u201ccomplicated PTSD\u201d and \u201cadditional mental health concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is still at large after vanishing into the forest. He is viewed as dangerous due to his extensive military experience and violent tendencies.<\/p>\n
According to Arianna Cozart, Whitney\u2019s attorney, this \u201cwas a tragedy that could\u2019ve been absolutely\u201d avoided had authorities intervened.<\/p>\n
In a devastating statement released early Thursday morning, Cozart said she thinks \u201csomething broke inside\u201d Decker and that he \u201cwould not have done what he did if he was himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe obviously had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,\u201d according to Cozart, who was quoted by the Seattle Times.<\/p>\n
According to Cozart, Decker was diagnosed with complicated PTSD and borderline personality disorder after leaving active military service.<\/p>\n
The attorney, speaking for Whitney, also said that Decker was uncharacteristic for not returning his girls after a scheduled visitation.<\/p>\n
Cozart argued that his \u201cdeclining mental health\u201d and \u201cout-of-character behavior\u201d should have caused \u201cenough concern\u201d to warrant an Amber Alert.<\/p>\n
Although Decker \u201cdidn\u2019t issue an overt threat,\u201d she feels that authorities should have recognized the sisters were \u201cmissing\u201d and in \u201csubstantial danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Cozart, \u201cit could have made a huge difference, but we may never know if it could have meant the difference between life and death for those girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
The father of three has not been seen since he picked up Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia from their mother\u2019s home in Wenatchee, Washington State, for a three-hour visit on Friday.<\/p>\n
Decker, 32, was spotted on a Ring doorbell approaching a home in dark shorts and a light-colored T-shirt in the days prior to his visitation with his girls. He had a goatee and a moustache, and his long hair was pushed back.<\/p>\n
Authorities published images of the wanted suspect on Tuesday night in an attempt to familiarize the public with his appearance.<\/p>\n
In a police press release, Under Sheriff Dan Ozment stated, \u201cThese are the most recent images and videos we have that show his last known appearance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sheriff\u2019s office is currently working with the US Border Patrol, the Wenatchee Police Department, and Homeland Security investigations to locate Decker, who is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the United States Marshals Service declared that it would compensate up to $20,000 for any information that might lead to Decker\u2019s capture.<\/p>\n
Court documents state that when Whitney reported her girls missing on Friday, she \u201cexpressed concern\u201d about his alleged deteriorating mental health and unusual behavior.<\/p>\n
Whitney notified the authorities. Decker was given a borderline personality disorder diagnosis, according to court documents, and he believes he did not take any medication for it.<\/p>\n
The documents showed that the father of three had not followed through on his parenting plan, which included seeking mental health therapy and anger management counseling.<\/p>\n
In the September divorce proceedings, Whitney claimed that his inability to \u201cmaintain stability\u201d since their separation was starting to have an impact on their daughters.<\/p>\n
She claimed that, despite her protests, he would sometimes have the children sleep at an armory while he was in the National Guard, according to the Seattle Times.<\/p>\n
She also said that Decker, who was prone to \u201coutbursts\u201d and would come into her house and shout for the girls, would sometimes not pick up the phone after promising to do so.<\/p>\n
Whitney once claimed that her youngest daughter, Olivia, called her in tears and said she couldn\u2019t find her father while she was visiting Decker. Then, with welts between her legs, Evelyn went home.<\/p>\n
In the court document, Whitney stated, \u201cI do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all.\u201d \u201cOn the contrary, I have gone above and beyond to make that relationship possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut for our girls\u2019 safety, I can\u2019t have them living in a tent or in his truck with him, in extremely hot and cold temperatures, and sometimes unattended in what is effectively a homeless shelter with dozens of strange men.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitney did tell authorities that her ex-boyfriend loved his girls and that she did not believe he was dangerous.<\/p>\n
According to a police affidavit, she stated that the girls had a \u201cgood relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him\u201d and that he had never failed to return the girls.<\/p>\n
When Decker went to pick up the girls on Friday, she said he was \u201cout of character\u201d and \u201cquieter than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n
He had also reportedly been talking about selling his dog because of housing and money issues.<\/p>\n
Decker was ordered to be held without bail after a court issued an arrest warrant for him on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Authorities arrived at the Rock Island Campground on Monday night after finding Decker\u2019s truck.<\/p>\n
The bodies of the girls were found between 75 and 100 yards from the truck by Chelan County Sheriff\u2019s Office deputies. The girls\u2019 wrists were zip-tied, and police believe they were asphyxiated to death, according to court documents.<\/p>\n
Authorities claim that Decker\u2019s truck had two bloody handprints on the tailboard and personal items like food, blankets, car seats, and a wallet on the center console.<\/p>\n
Decker was absent, but there were signs of recent activity at the campground as well, including a tent and a cooler a short distance away.<\/p>\n
Decker served in Afghanistan for two years after joining the US Army in 2012.<\/p>\n
He was an airborne paratrooper who attained the prestigious rank of \u2018Ranger,\u2019 suggesting that he would possess exceptional wilderness and survival skills, and he probably has advanced combat training as a result.<\/p>\n
In 2021, Decker moved to the Washington Army National Guard, where he became a sergeant.<\/p>\n
However, a little more than a year ago, he ceased going to the required monthly drills, and the Guard was going through a disciplinary discharge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"