WENATCHEE – The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday the discovery of human remains believed to be those of Travis Decker, who has been the subject of a months-long manhunt after the bodies of his three daughters were found near the Rock Island Campground near Icicle Creek due west of Leavenworth.  

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

The remains were found when the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force initiated a search that included CCSO officers, Washington State Patrol officers, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Forest Service officers, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office team members and FBI agents. CCSO has contacted the Decker family and is providing them with support and updates as the investigation proceeds. They are requesting that the public respect the family's need for privacy during this time.  

Travis Decker became a fugitive when the bodies of his daughters, Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia were found having been suffocated using plastic bags and zip ties at the campground. His DNA was found at the scene and he was considered the only suspect in the killings.  

A reward of $20,000 was offered for information leading to Decker’s capture. Erroneous reports were called in from a variety of locations, including Northern Idaho.  

In an interview with NCW Life, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said the discovery of the remains was the result of efforts by his and other departments working together. A drone had identified a location on Grindstone Mountain with materials that were considered anomalous for the area. Two detectives were lowered into the site by helicopters and personal effects associated with Decker were found near human remains. 

“They confirmed it was a shirt and it was consistent with one that we had seen Travis Decker wearing before,” Morrison said. “And it was also shorts and other items that were associated with some of the personal effects that we knew he had, so we wanted to follow up further and collected some items and have since sent it off to the State Patrol Crime Lab to get some DNA analysis done.”  

The sheriff said he hoped it wouldn’t take long for results on the testing to come back, but the lab has a significant workload and will address it in as timely a manner as possible.  

Morrison said the items were found about 7.4 miles away from the campsite where Decker’s daughters were found. The remains were located at about 4,000 feet in elevation. 

While Decker’s identity isn’t confirmed, Morrison said he felt confident that it would be Decker.  

“It’s a high probability it could be Mr. Decker, but until I get DNA results back, our investigative units can continue (investigating and assuming) that he’s unaccounted for,” he said.  

The Chelan County Coroner’s Office will need to work to establish a time of death for the remains, he added.  

Morrison said he appreciated the community’s cooperation and encouragement during the investigation. 

“We know it was frustrating. I've talked about it quite a bit. We would love to have had results within two or three days and found (the remains). We know that’s not always the case; you’re going to have to dig at times. You’re just going to have to persevere and remain focused, and this could become a marathon – it's not always a sprint,” the sheriff said.   

Editor's Note: This story has been updated throughout.