Travis Decker, the daddy accused of murdering his three younger daughters close to a Washington campground, lacked psychological well being sources and struggled with post-traumatic stress dysfunction, his ex-wife’s legal professional advised ABC Information.
Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, have been killed after they left house for a “deliberate visitation” with Decker at roughly 5 p.m. on Could 30, officers mentioned. At roughly 3 p.m. on Monday, officers positioned Decker’s car unoccupied close to the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, and the our bodies of the three women, however “Decker was not positioned,” police mentioned.
As of Thursday, Decker has not been positioned, officers mentioned.
Undated photograph of Travis Caleb Decker who the police are asking the general public for assist in finding the Washington state father who is needed for homicide after his three younger daughters have been reported lacking after which discovered useless.
Wenatchee Police Division by way of AP
Arianna Cozard, the legal professional for Whitney Decker, the ex-wife of the suspected assassin, advised ABC Information that Decker — who was a former member of the army — struggled with psychological well being points, together with PTSD, and was unable to obtain assist by veterans’ sources.
“The courts did not fail these women. It wasn’t the choose and it wasn’t Whitney; it was our system,” Cozard mentioned. “[Whitney] feels just like the system actually let Travis down. If someone would have offered Travis with the assistance that he wanted, these women could be alive.”
However earlier than the women disappeared final week, “there have been no pink flags,” Cozard mentioned.
“He had some psychological well being points and a few instability in his life that basically led to the restrictions so far as in a single day visitation or him taking them out of the realm, however aside from that, he beloved these women very a lot and him and Whitney have been capable of talk regularly, not simply as co-parents, however as pals,” Cozard mentioned.
Three younger sisters in Washington, Olivia Decker, 5, Paityn Decker, 9, and Evelyn Decker, 8 who had not been seen since they left house for a scheduled visitation with their father have been discovered useless, in response to the Wenatchee Police Division.
Wenatchee Police Division
The couple, who have been married for 10 years, met on-line when Travis Decker was stationed on the joint army-air pressure base in Washington and “by no means spent a day aside after they met,” Cozard mentioned. Resulting from Decker’s transfers whereas within the army, the 2 lived in Italy for 2 years and Georgia for an additional two years earlier than transferring to Wenatchee Valley, Cozard mentioned.
Travis Decker’s PTSD was one thing he “at all times carried with him” all through their marriage, however didn’t start to “spiral” till he bought out of the energetic reserves in 2023, Cozard mentioned. All through their time collectively, Cozard mentioned Travis Decker would scream in the midst of the night time, soak the mattress and solely get one or two hours of sleep.
It was Travis Decker who initiated ending his marriage with Whitney Decker in 2023, as a result of he “felt like he wasn’t value it,” Cozard mentioned.
Arianna Cozard, the legal professional for ex-wife of father accused of killing three daughters in Washington, spoke to ABC Information on the couple’s marriage and custody agreements.
ABC Information
Then in September 2024, Whitney Decker — who had full custody of the kids — determined to hunt authorized counsel and petitioned the court docket to “put restrictions in place on his parenting” resulting from “regarding elements relating to Travis’ psychological well being and stability,” Cozard mentioned.
The court docket granted visitations for the daddy to go to the kids for 3 hours on Fridays and eight hours each different weekend, as long as he remained in Wenatchee Valley with the women, Cozard mentioned.
Cozard mentioned the parenting settlement was “working very well, till now.”
“One thing got here out of this man and he broke, that is it. When that man picked up these women, his infants, he didn’t have a plan to kill them; there’s nothing that signifies that he did,” Cozard mentioned.
In line with Cozard, Travis Decker picked up the women on Could 30, talked to his ex-wife for about 15 to twenty minutes after which left: “He mentioned, ‘Hey, I’ll see you at 8 [p.m.]’ and he left, and he by no means got here again,” Cozard mentioned.
Cozard mentioned Whitney Decker emphasizes that his ex-husband by no means was violent towards her or her daughters, saying that he was an “energetic dad” who was at all times in attendance at his children’ dance courses, theater productions and soccer video games.
Previously week, Travis Decker started telling his ex-wife that he had “nothing aside from you and the women,” however that didn’t increase concern for Whitney Decker, Cozard mentioned.
Regardless of her ex-husband being on the run for killing their daughters, Cozard mentioned Whitney Decker has “quite a lot of love and empathy for Travis and who he’s in his core.”
“He was a loving man, however one thing broke and no matter monster got here out of him, it is one thing that he was skilled to do within the army,” Cozard mentioned.
Whitney Decker and Cozard at the moment are advocating for change within the psychological well being sources accessible for veterans and are additionally working with legislation enforcement officers to give you reforms for the Amber Alert system — as one was not issued when the women initially went lacking final week.
“When there’s a father or mother with restricted visitation that has this historical past of psychological well being points and is a army veteran with the coaching essential to kill 100 alternative ways, that Amber Alert ought to have been issued,” Cozard mentioned.
Cozard, who had beforehand hung out with the three younger sisters, described them as “full of sunshine” and as “variety, compassionate little women.”
Travis Decker, who’s described as 5 ft, 8 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes, was final seen carrying a lightweight shirt and darkish shorts, in response to police. Decker’s father is flying in to talk with detectives, officers mentioned.
Officers mentioned anybody who has any info on Decker or is aware of of his whereabouts ought to name 911 instantly.
