U.S. Marshals Declare Travis Decker Deceased Amid Awaited DNA Confirmation

The U.S. Marshals Service has declared Travis Decker, accused of murdering his three daughters, deceased. This declaration was made in a motion filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, seeking to dismiss Decker's arrest warrant and criminal case.

The motion states, "The United States Marshals Service has advised the Defendant TRAVIS CALEB DECKER is deceased."

However, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office has indicated that this declaration may be premature. Sheriff Mike Morrison stated that their office is awaiting DNA analysis to confirm the identity of remains found last week near Leavenworth. "Our office is not ready to make that classification yet, as we're awaiting the second set of results back from Washington State Patrol," Morrison said.

The remains were discovered less than a mile from the Rock Island Campground, where the bodies of Decker's daughters—Olivia, 5; Evelyn, 8; and Paityn, 9—were found in early June. The girls had been reported missing after Decker failed to return them to their mother following a scheduled visit on May 30. Their deaths were ruled homicides by suffocation.

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office continues to await DNA confirmation to officially identify the remains. Sheriff Morrison emphasized the importance of this verification before making a formal declaration regarding Decker's status.