Search expands for former Army soldier accused of killing his 3 young daughters in Washington state

SEATTLE AP Leadership have closed a wide swath of popular campgrounds and backpacking areas along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington as they search for a former Army soldier demanded in the deaths of his three young daughters Dozens of additional law enforcement officers from an array of agencies joined the inquiry and search Friday for Travis Caleb Decker four days after the girls -year-old Paityn Decker -year-old Evelyn Decker and -year-old Olivia Decker were identified dead at a remote campsite outside Leavenworth The girls mother broadcasted them missing the night of May when Decker failed to return them to her home in Wenatchee about miles kilometers east of Seattle after a scheduled visit Gov Bob Ferguson communicated Friday night that he was ordering the state s National Guard to help with the search saying we will be providing helicopter transportation for law enforcement as they search in remote areas The brutal murder of these young children has shocked our state he added in a report on social media I m committed to supporting law enforcement as they seek justice for Paityn Evelyn and Olivia The Chelan County Sheriff s Office noted in a announcement that there were more than officers involved in the search which covered rugged terrain in the Cascade Mountains of central Washington and more than tips had poured in from the masses Out of an abundance of caution we have been given notice to and are working in conjunction with our surrounding counties in the event Mr Decker moves through the forest into their jurisdiction the message revealed Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March to July and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in according to Army spokesperson Lt Col Ruth Castro From to he was an automatic rifleman with the th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington Last September his ex-wife Whitney Decker wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental wellbeing issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable often living out of his truck She sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with the girls until he revealed housing He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much but he has got to get better she wrote I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter at times unsupervised with dozens of strange men or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety Administration warned people to be on the lookout for Decker and required those with remote homes cabins or outbuildings to keep them locked to leave blinds open so law enforcement can see inside and to leave exterior lights on It was unclear if Decker was armed but the Chelan County Sheriff s Office noted he should be considered dangerous A reward of up to was offered for information leading to his arrest An online fundraising event for Whitney Decker raised more than million and friends Amy Edwards who taught the girls in a theater project called Short Shakespeareans and Mark Belton thanked supporters during a news conference Thursday Their laughter curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us Edwards explained They were the kind of children that everyone rooted for looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts Edwards and Belton stated Whitney Decker hopes the tragedy prompts changes to the state s Amber Alert system as well as improvements in mental strength care for veterans The night the girls were shared missing Wenatchee police questioned the Washington State Patrol to issue an Amber Alert but it declined saying that as a custody matter without an imminent threat the affair did not meet the criteria for one The patrol did issue an endangered missing person alert the next day but those do not outcome in notifications being sent to mobile phones As searches expanded for the girls last weekend a sheriff s deputy exposed Decker s pickup in the area of Rock Island Campground northwest of Leavenworth There were two bloody handprints on the tailgate The girls bodies were discovered down an embankment nearby with evidence that they had been bound with zip ties according to an affidavit filed in endorsement of murder and kidnapping charges against Decker County Coroner Wayne Harris reported Friday that his office was awaiting pathology results to determine when and how the girls were killed Leadership issued closure notices the previous day for that camping area which lies in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest as well as for a large swath of rugged territory to the north That included trails and campgrounds along the Pacific Crest Trail which runs from the Canadian perimeter to Mexico and around Stehekin at the northern end of Lake Chelan