Horror as human remains found in woodland after dad accused of murdering 3 daughters

The body of a 32-year-old former soldier wanted on kidnap and murder charges related to the deaths of his three daughters has been found in a remote area of woodland, according to police. Authorities in Washington state launched a manhunt for Travis Decker after the bodies of Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia, five, were found with plastic bags over their heads in his truck in June. A post-mortem confirmed that the three children had been suffocated to death.

The 32-year-old had been due to drop them off at their mother Whitney Decker's home in the city of Wenatchee three days before their bodies were found, following a scheduled visit. After a three-month search effort, the remains of Decker's body was found on a hillside less than a mile from where the truck had been parked last week, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said.

Sheiff Mike Morrison said on Thursday that DNA tests on clothing found at the scene, as well as from the remains, matched Decker. The time and cause of his death has not yet been determined.

The girls' mother warned police that Decker had become increasingly unstable and was living in his truck before his disappearance. She had also petitioned for his overnight visit privileges to be withdrawn until he found somewhere permanent to live, Sky News reports.

Decker was understood to have joined the US army in 2013 and served in Afghanistan for four months in 2014. He began working for the Washington National Guard in 2021, before going part-time and gradually failing to attend drills.

Police previously suggested that his experience and training in navigation and survival, including two months spent living off the grid, could have helped him evade the large-scale manhunt launched by state and federal agencies.

The US Marshals Service also offered a reward of up to $20,000 (£17,400) for his capture.

Sheriff Mike Morrison said investigators had been determined to solve the case in honour of the girls' memories and apologised to Ms Decker that it took them so long to track their father down.

"I hope you can rest easier at night knowing Travis is accounted for," he told her.