WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) — Forensic tests confirmed that human remains found on a remote mountain in Washington state this month were those of Travis Decker, a former soldier wanted for killing his three young daughters last spring, officials confirmed Thursday.
His remains were discovered on a steep, remote, wooded slope part way up Grindstone Mountain in central Washington, less than a mile (1.6 km) from the campsite where the bodies of 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker were found on June 2, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said.
Law enforcement teams had been searching more than three months for Decker, 32, before the sheriff’s office announced last week it had located human remains believed to be his. Sheriff Mike Morrison said Thursday that DNA tests on clothing found at the scene as well as from the remains matched Decker.
The sheriff said investigators wanted to honor the girls’ memory by solving the case, and he apologized to their mother, Whitney Decker, that it took so long.
“I hope you can rest easier at night knowing that Travis is accounted for,” Morrison said.