A terrible event has shaken the state of Washington in recent days. Three girls, declared missing since last Friday after going with their father on a scheduled parental visit, have been found dead as reported by Efe following reports from authorities, who are searching for the man as a suspect in kidnapping and murder.
The bodies of Paityn Decker, 9 years old; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were found Monday afternoon near Rock Island campsite in Chelan County, near the Washington-Canada border, as reported by the Wenatchee Police Department.
The girls were last seen when their father, Travis Decker, picked them up last Friday afternoon to spend time with them.
The girls' mother informed the police that the man had not returned the girls at the scheduled time, leading to a search that ended on Tuesday when they were found near Decker's vehicle. The police are now searching for the man suspected of three counts of kidnapping and three charges of the girls' murder.
Decker, 32 years old and a U.S. Army veteran, did not have a fixed residence and was sleeping in his vehicle.
Wenatchee Police Department Captain Brian Chance explained to the press that the area where the girls were found "is a remote area and everything points to the father being involved" in the girls' death.
Chance warned that Decker's military experience could help him evade capture and makes him dangerous. Authorities have not disclosed the causes of the girls' deaths.