After nearly four months of searching, Chelan County officials confirmed Thursday that human remains found on Grindstone Mountain belong to Travis Decker, the man accused of killing his three daughters earlier this summer.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said the Washington State Patrol crime lab matched DNA from remains discovered Sept. 19 to 32-year-old Decker. Clothing recovered from the same area also belonged to him.
“Those remains do come back as a positive match for Travis Decker,” Morrison said during a press conference. “We can finally bring a close to this dark chapter in Chelan County.”
Decker was declared deceased in US Marshals’ court filings on Wednesday, but Morrison held back confirmation until DNA results returned. He said he made the unusual request for the crime lab to test both the remains and the clothing to eliminate rumors swirling online.
“This is Mr. Decker’s remains. The clothing matches, the remains match. That is the end of the conversation,” Morrison said.
The discovery marks the end of the largest manhunt in Chelan County history. For months, local, state, and federal agencies scoured 2,900 square miles of rugged terrain by ground and air.
Investigators say questions remain, including how and when Decker died. The county coroner is conducting further analysis, which could take several months.
The remains were found at 4,000 feet on Grindstone Mountain surrounded by Decker’s personal belongings. He had been wanted since June 2, when the bodies of his three daughters—Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5—were discovered near Icicle Creek. Each girl’s cause of death was ruled suffocation, with the manner of death determined to be homicide.
Morrison said while Decker’s mental health history, including PTSD and borderline personality disorder, had come to light, investigators may never know why he committed the crimes.
“I don’t think it really matters what his reasoning was,” Morrison said. “Based off the evidence we have, he committed murder. It’s inexcusable, it’s inexplainable.”
He said he hopes the confirmation brings some measure of closure to the girls’ mother, Whitney, and her family.
“This is not going to bring Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia back,” Morrison said. “If anything, we just hope Whitney would sleep better at night, not looking over her shoulder.”
Morrison also thanked the community for their patience and support throughout the search.
“You never wavered from your support for us,” he said. “We’re grateful for that, and we hope you can also rest easy at night knowing that Mr. Decker is accounted for.”
Authorities will now move to formally close the criminal case against Decker.
