While her commando ex-husband is still at large, a mother who claims that her father choked her three girls has spoken out.
Whitney Decker claims that following Travis Decker’s visitation on Friday, she knew her girls, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were in “substantial danger” since he had neglected to return them.
She claimed that after pleading with authorities to issue an Amber Alert through her attorney, she was informed that the case did not fit the criteria.
The deaths of Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia were discovered on Monday at a Leavenworth camping, 20 miles from their home in Washington state. Zip ties had been used to secure their wrists, and plastic bags had been used to suffocate them all.
Travis, a veteran of Afghanistan, is wanted on suspicion of killing them. He is said to have ‘additional mental health concerns’ and ‘complicated PTSD’.
He disappeared into the forest and is still at large. Given his significant military experience and violent tendencies, he is seen as dangerous.
This ‘was a tragedy that could’ve been absolutely’ avoided had authorities stepped in, according to Whitney’s lawyer, Arianna Cozart.
She believes “something broke inside” of Decker and that he “would not have done what he did if he was himself”, Cozart revealed in a heartbreaking statement early Thursday morning.
The Seattle Times quoted Cozart as saying, “He 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.”
After leaving active military service, Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and complicated PTSD, according to Cozart.
Speaking on Whitney’s behalf, the lawyer added that Decker’s failure to return his girls following a planned visitation was out of character.
Cozart contended that his “out-of-character behaviour” and “declining mental health” ought to have raised “enough concern” for an Amber Alert.
She believes authorities should have acknowledged the sisters were “missing” and in “substantial danger”, even though Decker “didn’t issue an overt threat”.
“We may never know if it could’ve meant the difference between life and death for those girls … but it could’ve made a huge difference,” Cozart told the newspaper.
Since he picked up Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia from their mother’s house in Wenatchee, Washington State, for a three-hour visit on Friday, the father of three has been missing.
In the days before his visitation with his girls, Decker, 32, was seen on a Ring doorbell approaching a house wearing dark shorts and a light-colored T-shirt. His long hair was pushed back, and he had a moustache and a goatee.
In an effort to acquaint the public with the sought suspect’s appearance, authorities released pictures of him on Tuesday night.
“These are the most recent photos and videos we have that reveal his last known appearance,” Under Sheriff Dan Ozment said in a police press release.
Decker is accused of three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, and the sheriff’s office is currently collaborating with the US Border Patrol, the Wenatchee Police Department, and Homeland Security investigations to find him.
Additionally, the US Marshals Service announced that it would pay up to $20,000 for any information that could result in Decker’s apprehension.
According to court filings, Whitney ‘expressed concern’ about his alleged declining mental health and out-of-character behaviour when she reported her girls missing on Friday.
Whitney informed the police According to court filings, Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and feels he did not take medication for the disease.
According to the documents, there was no indication that the father of three had followed through on his parenting plan, which called for him to seek anger management counselling and mental health therapy.
Whitney stated in September divorce proceedings that he had been “struggling to maintain stability” since they separated and it was beginning to affect their daughters.
According to the Seattle Times, she said that he occasionally, in spite of her protests, would have the kids sleep at an armoury when he was in the National Guard.
Additionally, she claimed that Decker, who had a tendency to have “outbursts” and would come into her home and yell for the girls, would occasionally not answer the phone after making a commitment to do so.
Whitney once said that while on a visit with Decker, her youngest daughter, Olivia, contacted her in tears and said she couldn’t find her father. Evelyn then returned home with welts between her legs.
“I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all,” Whitney wrote in the court filing. “To the contrary, I have bent over backwards to facilitate that relationship.”
“But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him, both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.”
Whitney nevertheless told officials that she did not think her ex was dangerous and that he loved his girls.
She said the girls had a, “good relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him,” and noted that he had never failed to return the girls before, according to a police affidavit.
She claimed that Decker was “quieter than usual” and “out of character” when he went to pick up the girls on Friday.
Due to housing and financial difficulties, he had also reportedly been discussing getting rid of his dog.
A court issued an arrest warrant for Decker on Tuesday and mandated that he be detained without bail.
After discovering Decker’s truck, authorities descended upon the Rock Island Campground on Monday night.
Deputies from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office discovered the girls’ bodies between 75 and 100 yards away from the truck. According to court filings, the girls’ wrists were zip-tied, and police suspect they were asphyxiated to death.
According to authorities, Decker’s truck included personal belongings like food, blankets, car seats and a wallet on the centre console, along with two bloody handprints on the tailboard.
There were indications of recent activity at the campground as well, including a tent and a cooler a short distance away, but Decker was not there.
After enlisting in the US Army in 2012, Decker spent two years on tour in Afghanistan.
He was an airborne paratrooper who attained the prestigious rank of ‘Ranger,’ suggesting that he would possess exceptional wilderness and survival skills, and he probably has advanced combat training as a result.
In 2021, Decker moved to the Washington Army National Guard, where he became a sergeant.
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.
