Dad at Center of Manhunt Had 'Outbursts,' Was Getting 'More and More Unstable' Before Murders: Docs

Travis Decker, 32, is currently wanted on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree kidnapping, per the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, who IDed him as a suspect in the deaths of his daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5.

In a press release on Tuesday, the Wenatchee Police Department reported that the girls had been found after their father's vehicle, a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup, was located near a campground in Chelan County, Washington. The girls from Wenatchee were first reported missing after their father failed to return them after a planned three-hour visitation on Friday, May 30.

The search for Decker comes after years of apparent coparenting and custody issues between Decker and the girls' mother, Whitney. The pair were reportedly married for seven years, but have been divorced for several. KIRO 7 broke down the legal filings in their case, noting that it seemed there were no concerns about Decker's behavior initially.

He was reportedly first given custody of the girls every other weekend in 2023, before, in 2024, Whitney asked for a change in the schedule. The outlet, citing legal docs, said Travis was listed as "transient" at the time, with Witney saying he "neglected his parental duties towards a child" and "has a long-term emotional or physical problem that gets in the way of his ability to parent."

She also reportedly wanted him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, as well as one for anger management and domestic violence, and for him to undergo counseling.

That same year, she reportedly filed another doc stating, "Since our separation, it has become increasingly clear that Travis has been struggling to maintain stability in his life." She also called out his "lack of stability" for having a "negative impact on our children," and wanted to limit overnights until he was no longer homeless.

"Travis is able to attend events for our daughters, he is engaged and demonstrates a genuine love for them," she reportedly wrote, before adding, "Travis also has some emotional/mental health issues that were the primary catalyst to the end of our marriage. His borderline personality disorder and narcissism became rampant."

In the docs, she reportedly claimed she was told he was living in an RV, before learning Decker, an Army vet, was actually having the girls spend the night with him at an armory, surrounded by "a bunch of strange men."

Whitney detailed one concerning instance from December 2023 in which she allegedly received a FaceTime from one of her daughters from the armory, "screaming crying" that their father wasn't around, after her fingers had apparently been "smashed" using workout equipment.

Whitney also accused him of having "some outbursts where he has burst into my home against my objections and yelled for the girls," writing that "Travis just keeps getting more and more unstable." While she noted "he has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much," she added that he "has got to get better for our girls," who she didn't want to keep him from.

Eventually, Whitney was reportedly allowed to limit visitation and Travis was supposed to seek counseling for mental health and anger management, but never did. Per the docs, Whitney "believes he currently does not take medication."

While he was reportedly granted visitation every other weekend -- on Fridays from 5-8pm, Saturdays from 11am-7pm and Sundays from 9am-5pm -- he never returned home with the girls this past Friday night. That evening, Whitney said Travis "was quieter than usually which was out of character."