Human Remains Found Suspected to Be Travis Decker's: Police By Sean Neumann and Nicole Acosta

Police believe that the remains of Travis Decker, the man wanted by police after allegedly killing his three young daughters and leaving their bodies at a remote campsite in Washington state, have been found.

The remains were discovered in a remote wooded area south of Leavenworth, Wash., the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement with PEOPLE on Thursday, Sept. 18.

“While positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker,” the sheriff’s office continued, adding that it “is currently processing the scene” with the Washington State Patrol response team. A DNA analysis will also be conducted.

The sheriff’s office said they have been in contact with the Decker family, “and are providing them with support and updates as the investigation proceeds and are asking for continued privacy and respect for the family.”

Arianna Cozart, the attorney for the girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, told ABC News of the potential finding Thursday, “We are praying that the remains found are confirmed to be Travis’s. We continue to be grateful for law enforcement’s efforts in this case and are forever appreciative of the entire world’s love, compassion, and support for Whitney.”

Related Stories

Mom of 3 Young Sisters Allegedly Killed by Their Dad, Travis Decker, Tearfully Breaks Her Silence: ‘They Were Incredible’

Travis Decker’s Neighbor Reveals ‘Weird’ Encounter Before His 3 Daughters Died

Decker, 32, has been the subject of a widespread police manhunt in Washington state since his three young daughters were reported missing on May 30 and found dead three days later. A $20,000 reward was offered by the U.S Marshals Service for information leading to his arrest.

The bodies of Decker’s daughters — Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, — were discovered with plastic bags over their heads in a remote area of the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County on June 2, according to a probable cause affidavit previously obtained by PEOPLE. A medical examiner determined they died by asphyxiation.

Decker’s pickup truck was found abandoned near the campsite with bloody handprints on it, per the probable cause affidavit. The DNA found on Decker’s truck and plastic bags matched the DNA profile officials believe is the U.S. Army veteran’s.

The father of three has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping, PEOPLE previously reported. Decker was already facing custodial interference charges after the girls were initially reported missing.

Authorities said in an Aug. 19 press release that Decker is the “only suspect involved in committing these homicides.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.  

Travis has been the subject of an intense manhunt. Authorities have said the military veteran is well versed in wilderness survival. They also believed he may have fled to Canada after he allegedly searched “how to relocate to Canada” online, according to a U.S. Marshals Service affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

There have since been at least two possible sightings of Decker: one on June 10 near Highway 97 in Washington State and another as recently as July 5 in the Bear Creek area of the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho. However, officials later said neither were confirmed to be him.

On Sept. 3, the FBI’s Seattle Division said that remains found within the vicinity of the Rock Island Campground near Leavenworth on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26 are not those of the missing father. 

At the time of the killings, Whitney, 35, were divorced and the two had a specific parenting plan set in place through Chelan County court.

In a September 2024 court filing viewed by PEOPLE, Whitney alleged that Decker had “neglected his parental duties towards a child” and “has a long-term emotional or physical problem that gets in the way of his ability to parent.”

Whitney’s attorney, Arianna Cozart, previously told PEOPLE that Decker “was a present and active father up until the end” but noted he had mental health struggles that “led to the crumbling of their marriage in 2022.”

At a memorial service for the three sisters on June 20, Whitney spoke out publicly for the first time, telling a crowd in Wenatchee, Wash., “I’m so thankful for that time I had with the girls.” Whitney recalled that her daughters’ “warm and open hearts” helped her through her divorce from Travis.

“I truly hope that the legacy of the girls’ lives lives on in everyone’s heart forever. They were incredible.”