The U.S. Marshals said on Tuesday that a man who allegedly killed his three daughters at a Washington campground is deceased.
Federal authorities sought to have their case dropped against Travis Decker, who is presumed dead after human remains were found last week south of Leavenworth.
Those remains have not been positively identified, and Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told The Seattle Times that the lab results may come in today or tomorrow.
According to the Times, Morrison sought various tests from the Washington State Patrol’s crime lab — including a partial spinal column, two femurs, two feet, and clothing discovered alongside the human remains. The clothes undergoing testing are Army Ranger shorts, a shirt, and a bracelet.
The remains were discovered in a wooded area less than a mile from the Rock Island Campground, where 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker, and 5-year-old Olivia Decker’s bodies were found on June 2.
All three girls had plastic bags over their heads — two of the girls had two bags over their heads, and the third had three bags.
Police suspect that Decker killed his three daughters during a planned visitation and then fled. DNA analysis confirmed the former Army soldier was the only suspect in the slayings — as the DNA on the bags only belonged to him or his daughters.
Near the crime scene, Decker’s truck was found abandoned with bloody handprints on the tailgate. Decker’s cellphone allegedly placed him in the vicinity when his daughters were last seen.
An arrest warrant was issued for Decker in June. At the time, he was wanted for three counts of first-degree aggravated murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping.
* Additional reporting by Leigh Egan
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[Feature Photo: Wenatchee police]
