LEAVENWORTH, Wash – Law enforcement officers will swarm the mountains near Leavenworth this week in a coordinated search for the man accused of killing his three daughters in late May.
The FBI’s Seattle office and the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office held a news conference Monday, saying nearly 100 specialists from the FBI and other agencies are conducting a grid search for Travis Decker near the Rock Island Campground where the girls’ bodies were found.
9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn and 5-year-old Olivia were found in the campground 17 miles from Leavenworth.
Their heads were covered plastic bags and their hands were ziptied. Investigators said last week only Decker’s DNA was found at the scene.
Law enforcement has said in recent weeks and again Monday they had no idea if Decker was dead or alive.
Over the weekend, the FBI asked the U.S. Forest Service to close several campgrounds, roads and trails in the area, including the Rock Island Campground where the girls’ bodies were found.
Monday, agents said the search is being conducted on U.S. Forest Service land and that the targeted effort “will again cover rugged and heavily forested terrain.”
“The areas being searched are extremely challenging with steep hillsides, dense brush, minimal cell service, and unpredictable conditions,” said Chelan County Sheriff Michael Morrison in a news release sent in conjunction with the press conference.
Right now, the search is focusing on a quarter mile around the campground. That could expand if investigators deem that necessary.
“This has been a painstaking and difficult task, and I want to personally commend all involved for their dedication,” Sheriff Morrison said.
The FBI said people in the area and in the state of Washington that this case is a priority.
Sheriff Morrison thanked the girls’ mother and their family and friends for their patience in bringing Travis Decker to justice.
“We will not relent, we will not give up until Travis is accounted for or taken into custody,” Morrison said.
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