The search for a Washington man who police say asphyxiated his three daughters continues, even as some suggest he might not still be alive.
The bodies of Olivia, 5, Evelyn 8, and Paityn, 9 were found June 2. Police began searching for the girls after they did not return with their father, Travis Decker, 32, on May 30 from a visitation.
Police have said the girls were asphyxiated. They were found near the Rock Island Campground, and since then a massive manhunt has been launched to find Decker, a U.S. Army veteran with survivalist skills.
The search had increasingly focused on the Kittitas County area. A statement put out by the sheriff Monday cast doubt on whether Decker was there.
"At this time, there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area. Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching," the Kittitas County Sheriff's office stated. "Still, we can't and won't quit this search; Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker deserve justice. And Decker remains a danger to the public as long as he's at large."
Arianna Cozart, an attorney who represents the girls' mother Whitney Decker, said she thought Travis Decker was likely dead in an emailed statement to PEOPLE.
"[Travis] probably killed himself up there somewhere," Cozart wrote in the email to PEOPLE. "Everybody cares that Travis is found for peace of mind if nothing else."
Cozart told PEOPLE that the couple divorced in 2022 amidst Decker's mental health decline which included "his feelings of isolation, paranoia, and Borderline Personality Disorder."
"Although Travis was struggling with his own mental health, he was a good co-parent, always communicating frequently with Whitney up until Friday evening when the girls went missing," Cozart told PEOPLE, adding that Decker had not previously been physically abusive to his wife or children.
She added that Decker was trying to get mental health services from the military but had been unable to obtain it. Also, as his mental health declined, so did his parenting ability, leading the court to limit Decker's time with the girls in 2024.
The Kittitas County Sheriff's office said that it was redeploying some of its resources to find and recover Decker if he died in the wilderness during the intense manhunt. The sheriff said they continue to deploy extra patrols, adding that the U.S. Marshal Service is deploying resources in case Decker has left the area.
"We still believe public awareness and help is our best tool—whether it comes from a cabin owner who finds something out of place, a hiker in the Enchantments who discovers evidence our searches missed, or anyone else," the sheriff said.
