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Travis Decker: Military veteran wanted over murder of his three young daughters found dead

Police have made a chilling find during the manhunt for military veteran Travis Decker who is wanted over the murder of his three young daughters.
Peta RasdienBy Peta Rasdien
Travis Decker, 32, is on the run from police who are hunting him over the gruesome deaths of his daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5. Credit: Facebook/CNN

Human remains have been found during the manhunt for a military veteran wanted over the murder of his three young daughters.

In a bombshell update nearly four months after Travis Decker, 32, went missing, police say they believe they have found his body.

He was on the run from police who say he was responsible for the gruesome deaths of his daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, whose bodies were discovered at a Washington campground.

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The girls’ remains were found with plastic bags over their heads and zip ties around their wrists.

Decker had collected the girls for a scheduled visit on May 30, but when he failed to return them at the agreed time, their mother, Whitney, raised the alarm.

A search for the girls ended in tragedy three days later when they were found at a campground close to their father’s white 2017 GMC Sierra truck, which had two bloody handprints on the tailgate.

“While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker,” officials said.

Whitney Decker with her girls Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5. Credit: Supplied

The Sheriff’s office said it was in contact with the Decker family and “providing them with support and updates as the investigation proceeds”.

Arianna Cozart, the attorney for the girls’ mother Whitney Decker, said: “We are praying that the remains found are confirmed to be Travis’s. We continue to be grateful for law enforcement’s efforts in this case and are forever appreciative of the entire world’s love, compassion, and support for Whitney.”

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Decker was wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping.

Over the past four months, officers painstakingly searched vast, remote areas in the hope of locating Mr Decker or evidence that could bring answers.

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