After the suspected suffocation murders of all three of his young daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, during a court-ordered visit in Washington state, Travis Decker went missing one month ago.
The Army veteran is still missing, despite a thorough search, and public frustration is growing. Yet according to one law enforcement expert, a lack of a body suggests he may still be alive.
Todd McGhee, a security analyst and former Massachusetts state trooper, told ABC News that scent-tracking dogs have not found anything close to Rock Island Campground, where Travis Decker’s truck turned up at the beginning of June, along with the bodies of his three daughters. McGhee clarified, “Canines are trained to look for cadavers and sniff for those types of odors.”
“So he’s still maybe on the move.”
Decker’s background in military service, survival skills, and digital footprint (which has suspicious pre-murder searches on Google like “how to relocate to Canada”) has now complicated the case. Still, McGhee’s insight brings new detail.
Law Enforcement Expert Says Travis Decker Could Still Be Alive
After weeks of quiet, the generally held belief that Decker might be dead is currently being gravely questioned. In the words of McGhee, no sign of a body, and the distinct odor of a cadaver reveals otherwise. McGhee said, “He’ll eventually have to surface,” meaning the need for food, shelter, or support. “Those types of things will require him to come out of hiding.”
The discovery of strange forensic evidence (like zip ties, plastic bags for the girls’ heads, bloodied truck panels, and an unexpected lack of regret) adds to the need for action. Immediate action, preferably. While many have been baffled by Decker’s getaway, McGhee is sure that Travis Decker’s Army training has given him the skills he needs to survive off the grid.
How was a homeless guy having an mental health crisis allowed to take his three little girls for a custody visit?!
Heads must roll in Washington State’s family courts, this poor mother, lord have mercy.https://t.co/5rcoirasYX
— Peachy Keenan (@KeenanPeachy) June 30, 2025
Travis had previously gone up to 2.5 months with no contact or help, based on what his father told officials. Authorities have been thinking about widening their investigation to include an international effort.
Decker was looking up ways of moving to Canada on the web in the days before the brutal murders. The probe is still going on and is dangerous, no matter whether he crossed the border illegally or continues to live in the woods.
A Community in Mourning, A System Under Scrutiny
The case has led to greater debate about systemic shortcomings as the chase goes on. Travis Decker was said to lack access to sufficient mental health care through veterans’ services and struggled with PTSD.
Arianna Cozart, the lawyer for Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney Decker, pointed out, “If somebody would have provided Travis with the help that he needed, those girls would be alive.” Whitney, who had sole custody of the girls, had granted supervised visits. She had even talked to Travis for almost twenty minutes on the day of the murders.
He said he would have the kids back by 8:00 p.m. He didn’t.
Three days later, the girls’ bodies were found, and it became clear that they had been choked to death.
Mom of 3 girls allegedly murdered by dad Travis Decker makes first public comments: ‘They were incredible’ https://t.co/ZeygQ33Hq6 pic.twitter.com/N8GSGh51q6
— New York Post (@nypost) June 24, 2025
Whitney Decker referred to her daughters as “incredible” at a recent memorial service, and she added, “I truly hope that the legacy of the girls’ lives lives in everyone’s hearts forever.”
Travis Decker is 5’8″, has brown eyes and black hair, and is currently wanted on three counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping. On June 16, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office issued an updated suspect flyer.
Authorities suggest anyone with information dial 911 right away.
