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Travis Decker declared dead before DNA confirmation on remains: US Marshals Service
The U.S. Marshals Service has declared Travis Decker, the 32-year-old father accused of allegedly killing his three daughters this summer, to be dead, according to a court filing obtained by ABC News.
“The United States Marshals Service has advised the Defendant TRAVIS CALEB DECKER is deceased,” according to the document, which was filed to dismiss the case and quash the arrest warrant for Decker.
Decker, an Army veteran, was previously wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping.
Wenatchee Police Department via AP – PHOTO: Undated photo of Travis Caleb Decker who the police are asking the public for help in locating the Washington state father who is wanted for murder after his three young daughters were reported missing and then found dead.
His daughters — Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5 — had left home for a planned visitation with him on May 30, and never returned, officials said. Three days later, the girls were found dead near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, following a search, police said.
Decker had been on the run since, sparking a multi-agency manhunt.
The declaration of Decker to be dead comes after the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced on Sept. 18 that remains located in a remote wooded area were believed to be the fugitive father.
Travis Decker timeline: How an ‘active dad’ ended up allegedly murdering his 3 daughters
While officials are still waiting on DNA testing to confirm whether the remains are Decker’s, the sheriff’s office said last week “preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker.”
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told ABC News on Wednesday that they are not dropping their charges on Decker and will wait until DNA confirms the remains found belong to the father.
Morrison said he will make an announcement when they receive confirmation from the DNA results.
Chelan County Sheriff’s Office – PHOTO: The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office released photos of Travis Decker in a wanted poster.
The remains were found on Sept. 18 in Leavenworth, Washington, when a drone carrying out a search found an “anomaly,” which was later discovered to be a shirt, consistent with what Decker had been wearing around the time of the killings.
Authorities also found U.S. Ranger shorts, chewing tobacco and a bracelet.
Morrison told reporters last week all indications are that Decker died in that location a while ago.
Travis Decker search: Police footage shows father accused of murdering kids 3 days before disappearance
“We are praying that the remains found are confirmed to be Travis’s. We continue to be grateful for law enforcement’s efforts in this case and are forever appreciative of the entire world’s love, compassion, and support for Whitney,” Arianna Cozart, the attorney for Whitney Decker — Decker’s ex-wife and mother of the three girls killed — said in a statement last week.
Decker’s daughters were each found with plastic bags over their heads and their wrists were zip-tied, according to court documents previously obtained by ABC News.
Wenatchee Police Department – PHOTO: Three young sisters, Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8 and Olivia Decker, 5 have been missing since May 31 after leaving for a “planned visitation” with their father, according to the Wenatchee Police Department.
An autopsy determined the girls’ cause of death to be suffocation and the manner of death was homicide, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said on June 9.
Decker’s truck was recovered at the scene but he was not found
The U.S. Marshals Service was previously offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Decker’s arrest.