The sheriff leading the hunt for Travis Decker, the dad accused of murdering his three daughters, fears that “misguided” sympathizers might try to help him on the run.
Chelan County Sheriff Michael Morrison gave the troubling warning as the 32-year-old homeless veteran is still being hunted nearly three weeks after his young daughters were found tied up and suffocated near his car at a camp in Washington state.
Asked if Decker might be getting help on the run, the sheriff told NewsNation: “I’m not quite sure. You’re certainly looking at the potential that he could have staged some supplies beforehand.
“There’s some that may be sympathetic to his cause, which I think would be misguided,” he added, without elaborating on exactly how they might be involved.
“I mean, he’s accused of murder — not just once, but three times — and he is a danger,” the sheriff stressed of the troubled dad.
“So, for those that might have sympathy towards him, please allow the opportunity for us to do our job,” he said, suggesting the sympathizers were somehow interfering.
Decker, 32, is still being hunted three weeks after he took his three daughters for a parental visit on May 30 and never returned them to their mother’s home in Wenatchee, Washington.
The bodies of Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn, 9, were discovered with plastic bags over their heads and zip ties around their wrists near Decker’s abandoned vehicle on June 2.
Decker had been battling for more time with the girls, with chilling audio emerging this week of him insisting he had never put them in danger.
Sheriff Morrison said it is their “hope” that they can capture Decker alive “to face justice.”
“We want to make sure that [his daughters’] voices are heard … and that their killer is faced with justice,” he added.
Authorities previously said that “a large amount of evidence,” including human male blood and nonhuman blood, was collected from Decker’s truck close to Rock Island Campground in a remote spot in Washington state.
Decker’s dog was also found abandoned at the scene and turned over to the Humane Society, authorities said.
It comes after authorities were forced to debunk a TikTok video portraying Sheriff Morrison claiming that Decker had been arrested after a standoff with police.
“Our Office was notified of a TikTok video that was released, which portrays Sheriff Morrison and claims Mr Decker has been taken into custody after a long standoff,” Chelan County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday evening.
“To be clear, Mr Decker is not in custody and CCSO had no part in making the video,” the statement continued.
A $20,000 reward is being offered by the US Marshals Service for any information leading directly to Decker’s arrest.
He is considered armed and dangerous, and the public has been warned not to approach him, but instead to call 911 immediately or contact their nearest US Marshals Office.
