More gruesome details have emerged in the case of three young sisters found dead at a Washington state campground, with authorities on the hunt for their alleged killer—their father. As the search for 32-year-old Travis Decker continues, court documents seen by NBC News reveal the bodies of 5-year-old Olivia Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker, and 9-year-old Paityn Decker were discovered at a Rock Island campsite with their wrists zip-tied and with plastic bags over their heads. A preliminary report indicates the girls died of asphyxiation.
More clues are also now coming to light as to Decker's parenting and relationship with ex-wife Whitney Decker, who says their divorce was civil and that he's remained communicative with her regarding the children. In fact, other than Travis Decker not wanting to sign off on a parenting plan after he became homeless, Whitney Decker's attorney says, "there were no red flags" leading up to the girls' deaths, per ABC News. However, Arianna Cozart says that Travis Decker, who once served in the US Army, had struggled with mental health issues, including PTSD, and that he'd been unable to find help via services for veterans.
"The courts didn't fail these girls. It wasn't the judge and it wasn't Whitney; it was our system," Cozart said, adding that her client "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." Cozart said that, despite Whitney Decker, who had full custody, filing for restrictions on her ex's time with the girls due to "concerning factors regarding Travis' mental health and stability," he'd been an "active dad" who never missed his girls' extracurriculars and who loved them "very much."
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"[He] and Whitney were able to communicate on a regular basis, not just as co-parents, but as friends," Cozart added. The Seattle Times reports Whitney Decker is now advocating for improvements to the state's Amber Alert system, and for making sure veterans' mental health is tended to. "The more attention we can bring to these issues, the more it will heal her, because she literally cares about nothing else in this moment but fixing these two things," Cozart says. A $20,000 reward has been offered for info leading to the capture of Travis Decker, wanted for first-degree murder and kidnapping. (More murder stories.)
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