Travis Decker, the father accused of killing his three young daughters near a Washington camp, lacked mental health resources and fought with the post -traumatic stress disorder, said his ex -wife’s lawyer to ABC News.
Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were killed after they left their home for a “planned visit” with approximately 5 pm decker, the authorities said. At approximately 3 pm on Monday, the officials located the unoccupied decker vehicle near the Rock Island camp in Chelan County, Washington, and the bodies of the three girls, but “Decker was not located,” said the police.
Until Thursday, Decker can be traveling along the famous Pacific Crest Trail, authorities said.
The authorities urged residents to keep the windows and doors blocked and leave the lights on at night, the Sheriff’s office of Okanogan County said Thursday.
Photo without Date of Travis Caleb Decker, whom the police ask the public for help to locate the father of the state of Washington who is sought by murder after his three young daughters were reported as missing and then found dead.
Wenatchee Police Department through AP
Arianna Cozart, Whitney Decker’s lawyer, the former wife of the alleged murderer, told ABC News that Decker, who was a former army member, fought with mental health problems, including PTSD, and could not receive help through the resources of the veterans.
“The courts did not fail these girls. He was not the judge and it wasn’t Whitney; it was our system,” Cozart said. “[Whitney] It feels as if the system really disappointed through. If someone had provided to Travis the help he needed, those girls would be alive. “
But before the girls disappeared last week, “there were no red flags,” Cozart said.
“He had some mental health problems and some instability in his life that really led to the restrictions regarding visits overnight or he took them out of the area, but apart from that, he loved those girls a lot and that he and Whitney could communicate regularly, not only as co -partners, but as friends,” Cozart said.
Three young sisters in Washington, Olivia Decker, 5, Paityn Decker, 9 years old, and Evelyn Decker, 8 who had not been seen since they left home for a scheduled visit with their father, have been found dead, according to the Wenatchee Police Department.
Wenatchee Police Department
The couple, who was married for 10 years, met online when Travis Decker was parked at the joint base of the Army Air Force in Washington and “a separate day was never going on after meeting,” Cozart said. Due to Decker transfers while he was in the army, the two lived in Italy for two years and Georgia for another two years before moving to the Wenatchee Valley, Cozart said.
Travis Decker’s PTSD was something that “always led” during his marriage, but did not start “spiral” until he left active reserves in 2023, Cozart said. Throughout his time together, Cozart said Travis Decker would shout in the middle of the night, soak the bed and only sleep for one or two hours.
It was Travis Decker who started finishing his marriage to Whitney Decker in 2023, because “he felt it was not worth it,” Cozart said.
Arianna Cozard, the father’s ex -wife’s lawyer accused of killing three daughters in Washington, spoke with ABC News about the couple’s marriage and custody agreements.
ABC News
Then, in September 2024, Whitney Decker, who had the total custody of the children, decided to seek legal advice and asked the court to “establish restrictions on their raising the children” due to “factors related to the factors related to mental health and the stability of Travis,” Cozart said.
The court granted visits to the father to visit the boys for three hours on Fridays and eight hours every weekend, provided that he remained in Wenatchee Valley with the girls, Cozart said.
Cozart said the children’s aging agreement was “working very well, so far.”
“Something left this man and broke, that’s all. When that man picked up those girls, his babies, he didn’t have a plan to kill them; there is nothing to indicate that he did it,” Cozart said.
According to Cozart, Travis Decker picked up the girls on May 30, spoke with his ex -wife for about 15 to 20 minutes and then left: “He said: ‘Hey, I will see you at 8 [p.m.]”And he left, and never returned,” Cozart said.
Cozart said that Whitney Decker emphasizes that her ex -husband was never violent with her daughters, saying that he was an “active father” who always attended the dance classes of his children, theatrical productions and football games.
Last week, Travis Decker began telling his ex -wife that he had “nothing except for you and the girls”, but that did not generate concern for Whitney Decker, Cozart said.
Although her ex -husband was fleeing to kill her daughters, Cozart said that Whitney Decker has “a lot of love and empathy for Travis and who he is in his nucleus.”
“He was a loving man, but something broke and any monster that came out of him is something that was trained to do in the army,” Cozart said.
Whitney Decker and Cozart now advocate the change in mental health resources accessible to veterans and are also working with the officials responsible for enforcing the law so that reforms for the Amber Alert System occur, since one was not issued when girls originally disappeared last week.
“When there is a father with limited visits that has this history of mental health problems and is a veteran military with the necessary training to kill 100 different ways, which must have been emitted as amber alert,” said Cozart.
Cozart, who had previously spent time with the three young sisters, described them as “full of light” and as “friendly and compassionate girls.”
Travis Decker, who is described as 5 feet, 8 inches high with black hair and brown eyes, was last seen with a light shirt and dark shorts, according to the police. Decker’s father is flying to talk with detectives, authorities said.
The authorities said that anyone who has information about Decker or who knows about their whereabouts should call 911 immediately.
