A man in central Washington state is wanted for murder after his three young daughters were reported missing and later found dead.
Authorities have asked the public for help locating 32-year-old Travis Decker, who is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping, according to police in Wenatchee.
Police said it is unknown whether Decker- described as a former soldier with “extensive training”- is armed.
On Friday, the girls’ mother reported that their father had failed to return them after a scheduled visitation. The children, aged 9, 8 and 5, were last seen in Decker’s care. Over the weekend, authorities began searching both for the girls and for Decker, who was believed to be living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra with Washington plates.
On Monday, the truck was found near Rock Island Campground. Officers located the bodies of all three children nearby.
It is not known how long the girls were with Decker before their mother contacted police, said Captain Brian Chance.
“What prompted her to call us was that he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion,” he said.
Chance confirmed that Decker and the girls’ mother are divorced. He declined to give further details about the cause of death or Decker’s current employment.
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