Father of 3 Sisters Who Vanished During Visitation Showed 'No Red Flags' Before Their Deaths, Says Attorney

Missing father Travis Decker, who is suspected of killing his three young girls over the weekend, showed “no red flags” before his disappearance, his ex-wife’s attorney has said.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) has been sharing multiple updates amid the manhunt for Decker, including recent images and footage from the days leading up to the planned visitation he had with his daughters on Friday, May 30.

Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on Monday, June 2, at 3:45 p.m. local time after authorities located their father’s car near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington state, the Wenatchee Police Department said in a release on Tuesday, June 3.

The girls most likely died by asphyxiation, according to a preliminary report filed with the Chelan County Superior Court, Fox 13 Seattle reported.

While speaking to ABC News, Arianna Cozart, the attorney for Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney Decker, insisted “there were no red flags” before Decker failed to bring the girls home on the evening they disappeared.

Cozart has said that the “system” let Decker down over his mental health following his career in the military, the outlet reported.

She told the publication, “He had some mental health issues and some instability in his life that really led to the restrictions as far as overnight visitation or him taking them out of the area, but other than that, he loved those girls very much and him and Whitney were able to communicate on a regular basis, not just as co-parents, but as friends.”

Decker and Whitney were married for 10 years before he ended their marriage in 2023, because he “felt like he wasn’t worth it,” Cozart told ABC News.

After Whitney, who had full custody of the girls, “put restrictions in place on his parenting” due to “concerning factors regarding Travis’ mental health and stability” in September 2024, something “broke” inside Decker, Cozart told the outlet. 

He’d been granted visitations to visit his daughters for three hours on Fridays and eight hours every other weekend, as long as he stayed in Wenatchee Valley, the publication stated, citing Cozart, who claimed Decker was an “active dad.”

“He was a loving man, but something broke and whatever monster came out of him, it’s something that he was trained to do in the military,” Cozart told the outlet.

The comments came as authorities confirmed the Enchantments trail region in Washington state was now closed until at least June 18, “or until further notice” amid the ongoing search for Decker, per a CCSO Facebook post.

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Police shared further images of Decker in a Thursday, June 5 post, alongside an update that read, “Our teams have written and executed several search warrants around the area and on electronic devices that belonged to Travis Decker. We have gathered new information which in turn has given us more leads to follow up on.”

“Additionally, we are asking citizens who own cabins or reside in our remote areas of Chelan, Kittitas King, Snohomish, and Okanagan Counties to please be aware that Mr. Decker is still missing,” police added. 

“As law enforcement conducts their searches, we are asking for those owners to lock all of their doors, to include any sheds out outbuildings, and leave their window blinds open and we recommend leaving outside lights on,” the release continued.

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The CCSO previously said in Facebook post that Decker was “well-versed in wilderness survival and capable of spending days or even weeks in the wilderness on his own and with very little equipment.”

Authorities are asking anyone who has seen Decker to call 911 immediately, and are also asking the public not to attempt to approach him. People can also call the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit information to the tip line.

A GoFundMe page set up to help Whitney with expenses and legal costs amid the tragic loss had raised over $1 million as of Friday, June 6.

Cozart didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment.