Authorities have provided a new update in the investigation involving the remains of three children that were found.
Travis Decker, the father of the three children, was believed to have been responsible for their deaths following the gruesome discovery.
The 32-year-old man was suspected of murdering the children at Washington’s Rock Island Campground in June.
The case came to light when the children’s mother, Whitney Decker, contacted the police on May 30. Travis had not returned home with their three daughters, Olivia, five, Evelyn, eight, and Paityn, nine, after a scheduled visit.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office reported that the children were found with plastic bags over their heads and their wrists bound with zip ties.
After this grim discovery, a large-scale manhunt was launched to locate Travis. Earlier in the month, police indicated they might have discovered his body but had not yet confirmed it.
On Thursday, September 25, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison held a press conference to update the public on the case. He announced that the remains found were positively identified as those of Travis Decker.
He stated: “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.
“We wanted to show honor to them. Let them know that we never forgot about them. We haven’t forgotten about their family.”
During the press conference, Morrison addressed Whitney Decker directly, offering an apology.
He said: “To Whitney, we apologize that it’s taken this long to get the closeness and the closure that we’re looking for in this case, but I hope that you can rest easier at night knowing that Travis is accounted for.
“He is deceased. Our DNA results confirm that, and this will bring a close to our case.”
However, he noted that the coroner’s office is still determining the cause of Travis’s death, and these findings could take ‘months’ to finalize. He also confirmed there are no other suspects in the case.