Whitney Decker is speaking out after the tragic deaths of her three daughters, Paityn (9), Evelyn (8), and Olivia (5), allegedly at the hands of their father, Travis Decker, a former Army Ranger with a history of mental health issues.
Travis picked up the girls for a scheduled visit on Friday but never returned them. Whitney immediately feared they were in danger and requested an Amber Alert, but authorities declined, saying it didn’t meet the criteria.
On Monday, the girls were found dead at a campground in Leavenworth, Washington. Their wrists were zip-tied, and they had been suffocated with plastic bags. Travis is now wanted for first-degree murder and kidnapping. He fled into the woods and remains at large, considered dangerous due to his military training and unstable mental state.
Whitney’s lawyer says this tragedy could have been prevented had the authorities acted sooner. Travis had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and PTSD and had not followed his parenting plan, which required therapy and anger management. Whitney had raised concerns during their divorce, citing unsafe conditions during visits.
Despite the situation, Whitney had tried to maintain the girls’ relationship with their father, believing he loved them and had never before failed to return them. Now, a nationwide manhunt is underway, and a $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Travis Decker’s arrest.