Travis Decker Was Missing for Months After His 3 Daughters Were Found Dead. Here's What Happened Next

Travis Decker was confirmed dead by authorities on Sept. 25, 2025, but a cause of death "will most likely never be known"

NEED TO KNOW

• On May 30, 2025, Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia Decker were reported missing after a “planned visitation” with their dad, Travis Decker
• The young sisters were found dead days later, on June 2
• After an ongoing search for Travis, he was confirmed dead by authorities on Sept. 25

It's been one year since the Decker sisters were found dead on June 2, 2025.

On May 30, 2025, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8 and Olivia, 5, vanished during a "planned visitation" with their father, Travis Decker. They were found dead three days later.

"They were the kind of children that everyone rooted for, looked for, looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts," family friend Amy Edwards said at a June 2025 memorial event. "They are cherished, not just by the family, but by our entire community who watched them grow, perform, learn and love. We ache with the love we still carry for them, and we always will."

There was a long search for Travis, who was facing charges related to his daughters' deaths. In September 2025, it came to an end when his remains were found in a secluded and wooded area outside of Leavenworth, Wash.

However, "based on the limited skeletal remains that were obtained" his exact cause of death "will most likely never be known," according to a statement from Chelan County Coroner Wayne E. Harris.

From when the young girls went missing to the search for their father, here's a complete timeline of the Travis Decker case.

2022: Travis Decker and Whitney Decker get divorced

In an emailed statement to PEOPLE in June 2025, attorney Arianna Cozart, who represents Whitney — Travis' ex-wife and the mother of the young girls — gave some insight into the former couple's relationship.

She shared that Travis and Whitney were married for a little over seven years, but ultimately split in 2022 as a result of "his mental health struggles, including his feelings of isolation, paranoia and Borderline Personality Disorder."

Cozart noted that Travis, who was an Army veteran, was seeking mental health care but was unable to obtain it.

September 2024: Whitney Decker files a parenting plan

In a September 2024 parenting plan filed in Chelan County Superior Court and viewed by PEOPLE, Whitney sought to limit Travis' time with their young daughters.

In a separate filing, also viewed by PEOPLE, Whitney claimed that Travis 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."

According to the parenting plan filing, Travis was granted visitations with his daughters for three hours on Fridays and eight hours every other weekend, as long as he stayed in Wenatchee Valley, Wash.

In the filing, Whitney also requested that Travis undergo an anger management and domestic violence evaluation, as well as a comprehensive psychiatric assessment by a licensed psychiatrist to determine any potential diagnoses. The filing stated that if Decker didn't follow through with these things, the "mother will have the choice to further limit visitation."

May 26, 2025: Travis Decker allegedly searches "how to relocate to Canada" online

On May 26, Decker allegedly conducted online searches about how to move to Canada, according to a U.S. Marshals Service affidavit obtained by multiple outlets.

Per the outlets, Travis searched "how to relocate to Canada" and "how does a person move to Canada," and also allegedly looked through a Canadian job site.

May 30, 2025: The Decker sisters are reported missing following a "planned visitation" with their father

The Decker sisters were last seen on May 30, 2025, after leaving their Washington home for a "planned visitation" with their father.

According to Wenatchee Police Department's statement, the "visitation was part of a parenting plan," noting that he had "gone outside the parameters of it which is not normal and cause for alarm."

Per The New York Times, their mother reported them missing on May 30 around 9:45 p.m. Travis was supposed to drop them off back home by 8 p.m. that night, but that didn't happen.

"It was late enough that she felt the need to call police because it was out of the ordinary," Capt. Brian Chance of the Wenatchee Police Department said, per the outlet.

According to the affidavit, his ex-wife told the police she was concerned because Travis was "experiencing some mental health issues," per The New York Times.

Per Wenatchee Police Department's statement, Travis was "homeless and living in his vehicle or at various hotels/motels or at campgrounds in the area."

May 31, 2025: The Wenatchee Police Department releases an endangered persons alert

On May 31, the Wenatchee Police Department released an endangered missing persons alert and said that the young girls were "believed to be missing and unable to return home on their own," explaining that they headed out with their dad around 5 p.m. the day before and hadn't been heard from or seen since then.

The statement also noted that the investigation had "not met AMBER Alert criteria" at the time.

June 2, 2025: The young girls are found dead

On June 2, 2025, Washington State Patrol announced that they had canceled the endangered missing persons alert. Though officials did not immediately say why the alert was canceled, they announced the next day that the three young girls had been found dead on June 2.

In a press release, the Wenatchee Police Department shared that authorities located their father's car near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Wash., and found Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia dead at 3:45 p.m. on June 2. Travis, however, was not located at the scene.

Fox 13 Seattle reported that his vehicle was found "with two bloody handprints" nearby where the girls' deceased bodies were located. The outlet also reported that various personal items were found inside, including blankets, food, car seats and a wallet "on the center console."

According to court documents obtained by Fox 13 Seattle, Travis' cell phone activity reportedly showed "he drove to and left the same campground a day prior to the kidnapping."

June 3, 2025: Travis Decker faces three counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping

After the girls' deaths were announced on June 3, police said in a press conference that Travis had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping, on top of the custodial interference charges he was already facing.

Per The New York Times, Morrison said at a news conference that authorities had no leads on his location and believed "he could be anywhere within the nation."

"We are searching anywhere and everywhere for him," Morrison explained.

June 5, 2025: Whitney Decker's lawyer says that Travis Decker showed "no red flags" before his daughters' deaths

Cozart spoke to ABC News on June 5 and said Travis showed "no red flags" before his daughters' disappearance.

She went on to say that the system "failed" Travis, who struggled with mental health issues — including PTSD — and was unable to receive help through veterans' resources.

"The courts didn't fail these girls. It wasn't the judge and it wasn't Whitney; it was our system," Cozart said. "[Whitney] feels like the system really let Travis down. If somebody would have provided Travis with the help that he needed, those girls would be alive."

The attorney continued, "He had some mental health issues and some instability in his life that really led to the restrictions as far as overnight visitation or him taking them out of the area, but other than that, he loved those girls very much and him and Whitney were able to communicate on a regular basis, not just as co-parents, but as friends."

June 6, 2025: Whitney Decker's lawyer tells PEOPLE she thinks Travis Decker died by suicide

In Cozart's emailed statement to PEOPLE, the attorney said she thinks Travis likely died by suicide.

“[Travis] probably killed himself up there somewhere," she said.

Cozart went on to describe Travis as "a present and active father up until the end," sharing that he attended their "soccer games, dance, and theater productions."

"Although Travis was struggling with his own mental health, he was a good co-parent, always communicating frequently with Whitney up until Friday evening when the girls went missing," she continued.

June 8, 2025: The CCSO hands over the search efforts for Travis Decker to federal authorities

On the evening of June 8, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office handed over the search efforts for Travis to federal authorities.

"We had reached a point where we need to rest our local resources," the CCSO wrote in a statement, per KOMO News. "Our command staff continues to be engaged with the search command while we give our teams time off to rest and recuperate and be ready to rejoin the search for, and capture of, the suspect."

June 9, 2025: Police release the autopsy results for the Decker sisters

After an autopsy was completed on June 6, authorities shared the official causes of death for the three young girls in a press release on June 9.

"The cause of death was determined to be suffocation and the manner of death was determined to be homicide," the release stated.

As of June 9, the GoFundMe campaign that was set up to help Whitney with expenses and legal costs amid the loss of her daughters has surpassed $1 million.

June 13, 2025: A court affidavit reveals Whitney Decker's statements on Travis Decker's mental health

An affidavit obtained by PEOPLE revealed that Whitney described Travis as "experiencing mental health issues” and that he was homeless at the time.

She stated that Travis had recently been cited for driving without insurance, with authorities noting that he had left the scene of a crash on May 4 before he was involved in a different car accident on May 27 that led to traffic infractions.

According to the affidavit, on June 2, the day his daughters' bodies were found, Travis' boss mentioned he'd had "recent mental health concerns." He failed to show up to work that day.

Whitney also told investigators about "moments of power or control he used,” and though their parenting plan required Travis to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling, he had yet to do so.

“She provided the examples of randomly leaving or waking her up by screaming at her in the middle of the night," the affidavit stated. "She also said near the end of the marriage he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder that she believes he currently does not take medications for."

June 17, 2025: Court audio of Travis Decker fighting for custody of his daughters is released

In court audio obtained and released by News Nation that is dated Sept. 27, 2024, Travis can be heard claiming that he regularly took his daughters to paid campsites after losing overnight custody.

"We've never done anything that was unsafe or anything that I would not want to put myself in," he said. "I understand that my current position when I'm by myself isn't ideal, but my daughters aren't a part of that. I only get to see them over the weekends and camping is something that the four of us have done since the three of them were in diapers."

June 24, 2025: Whitney Decker speaks out for the first time since the death of her daughters

In a video published by NBC affiliate King 5 Seattle, Whitney gave a speech at her daughters' memorial service.

"I'm so thankful for that time I had with the girls," she said, adding that talking with her daughters about their feelings at bedtime each night "allowed them to come into the world with open hearts and kindness."

She added, "I truly hope that the legacy of the girls' lives lives on in everyone's heart forever. They were incredible."

Sept. 18, 2025: Human remains suspected to be Travis Decker's are found

On Sept. 18, 2025, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a statement to PEOPLE that human remains — which they believed to be Travis' — were found in a remote wooded area south of Leavenworth, Wash.

"While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker," they said, adding that they are working with the Washington State Patrol response team and are "currently processing the scene."

The sheriff's office also added that they are in contact with the Decker family and are "providing them with support and updates as the investigation proceeds and are asking for continued privacy and respect for the family."

Sept. 25, 2025: Authorities confirm Travis Decker's death

In a press conference on Sept. 25, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said that the remains that had been found had "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," Morrison said. "We wanted to show honor to them. Let them know that we never forgot about them. We haven't forgotten about their family,"

He also confirmed that there are no other suspects, and that the coroner is investigating how and when Travis died, though it may take "months" to find those answers.

Sept. 26, 2025: Coroner claims an autopsy on Travis Decker "cannot be done"

Travis' remains were found, but according to Chelan County Coroner Wayne E. Harris, "an autopsy cannot be done."

“Based on the limited skeletal remains that were obtained, that answer will most likely never be known. The torso and cranium are yet to be located, and they may hold the clues necessary to prove a cause of death,” Harris said in a statement at the time.

“Because of the timeframe that has passed, the summer weather conditions and animal activity in the area where the remains were found, no biological tissue or material have been obtained,” he continued.

However, Harris did add that the state anthropologist was able to rule out Travis dying from a fall.

“I realize that this story has been of great interest to many, but in our field of work, answers we seek, are occasionally not often known,” said Harris. “The greatest hope is now the Decker family and the community can begin to heal.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

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