Travis Decker Confirmed Dead After 3-Month Search for Father Accused of Killing His 3 Daughters

The remains of Travis Decker, the Washington state father accused by police of killing his three daughters, have been found.

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said in a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 25, that the remains found “come back as a positive match for Travis Decker.”

“It’s a big day for the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, all of our federal partners that we can finally bring a close to this dark chapter of Chelan County [and] certainly pay respects to the deaths of Peyton, Evelyn, Olivia.”

“We wanted to show honor to them. Let them know that we never forgot about them. We haven’t forgotten about their family,” Morrison continued.

Morrison went on to apologize to Whitney Decker, the mother of the victims.

“To Whitney, we apologize that it’s taken this long to get the closeness and the closure that we’re looking for in this case, but I hope that you can rest easier at night knowing that Travis is accounted for,” said Morrison. “He is deceased. Our DNA results confirm that, and this will bring a close to our case.”

Morrison confirmed that the coroner’s office is looking to see when and how he died. The results could take “months,” per Morrison. He also confirmed that there are no other suspects.

Human remains believed to be those of the 32-year-old U.S. Army veteran were found in a remote wooded area south of Leavenworth, Wash., on Sept. 18, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office previously said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. 

Morrison told PEOPLE that a drone spotted a T-shirt that led Washington state authorities to the “well-decomposed” remains less than a mile from where Decker’s daughters were found dead. Authorities said that prior to the discovery, they weren’t sure if Decker had been alive or dead.

Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris hesitated to declare Decker dead at first, despite the U.S. Marshals Service doing so on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

“Other agencies can speak about their investigation into Mr. Decker and locating human remains, and can state that based on circumstantial evidence that the remains located are his,” he said in a statement to PEOPLE. “The Chelan County Coroner’s Office does not have that luxury.”

“We must rely on scientific methods to establish positive identification,” continued Harris. “Those methods include, DNA, fingerprints, dental or skeletal radiographs, or visual identification.”

Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found slain in a remote area of the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County on June 2 — three days after the sisters were never brought back to their mother Whitney in Wenatchee, Wash., following a court-approved visit with their father.

Federal authorities also involved in the intense search claimed Decker searched online for “how to relocate to Canada” days before he disappeared. He was also described by authorities as being well-versed in wilderness survival and there were two potential sightings of him amid the wide-ranged search. Officials later said neither were confirmed to be him.

Whitney’s attorney, Arianna Cozart, previously told PEOPLE that Decker “was a present and active father up until the end” but noted he had mental health struggles that “led to the crumbling of their marriage in 2022.”

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Whitney alleged in September 2024 court filing viewed by PEOPLE that Decker had “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 rewrote the couple’s custody agreement, with the father no longer having overnight stays with the girls and limited weekly visitation. However, Cozart said Whitney never suspected him of causing harm.