PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Investigators believe they’ve spotted the man accused of murdering his daughters amid an ongoing manhunt in Washington State, authorities said.
Related video above: Last sighting of Travis Decker before 3 girls found dead
Travis Decker has been missing since May 30. He is accused of murdering his three daughters, who were found dead near a campsite with his truck on June 2.
A “lone hiker” was spotted by a hiking party near Enchantments, a tip that led to a helicopter crew locating an off-trail subject before running from sight near Colchuck Lake, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on Facebook Tuesday afternoon. They believe this person is Decker.
Court documents reveal grim details as search for father accused of killing daughters continues
The hiking party that saw the man said he “appeared to be ill prepared for trail and weather conditions, and appeared to be avoiding others,” officials said.
“Teams later picked up a trail and deployed K9s to the area, tracking the subject to the area of Ingalls Creek Trailhead on HWY 97,” the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities are now alerting any hikers who have been in the Enchantments area, west of Wenatchee, in the past week and saw something suspicious to contact the sheriff’s office with any information.
Officials said anyone residing in the area or staying in cabins should lock their doors and cars and check footage from cameras.
“If you have any cameras, including trail cameras in the area, please check them or submit a tip to the US Marshal’s tip line with a location of the camera for law enforcement to check,” the sheriff’s office said.
Federal authorities joined the manhunt for Decker last week. On Monday, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced search efforts were turned over to federal authorities on Sunday evening to give local resources a chance to rest.
