Remains Believed to Be Travis Decker's Were Found Less than a Mile from Where He Killed His 3 Daughters: Sheriff By Samira Asma-Sadeque

Authorities say the remains believed to be those of 32-year-old Travis Decker were found very close to where the bodies of his three young daughters were discovered in June.

Decker is accused of killing 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker, whose bodies were found in a remote campsite in Chelan County, Wash., on June 2.

On Thursday, Sept. 18, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE in a statement that they had found remains they believe belong to Travis in a wooded area south of Leavenworth, Wash.

In an interview with FOX 13 Seattle, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said the remains were found “about 0.74 miles away from the initial crime scene.”

He added that the area was “still outside of the initial three search areas” where the search was conducted in the investigation throughout the summer. “This was just an expansion of the search area,” he told the outlet.

According to a Chelan County Superior Court preliminary report cited by Fox 13, authorities said the girls most likely died from asphyxiation.

The investigation began on May 30 when the girls’ mother and Travis’ ex-wife Whitney Decker reported them missing to Wenatchee police after Travis failed to bring them back following a court-ordered visit, police previously said.

The search led to the discovery of Travis’ truck and, subsequently, the children’s remains.

It sparked a weeks-long, extensive manhunt for Travis, with little luck. In July, authorities confirmed that blood found at the scene matched Travis’ DNA, which police recovered from his items left at the scene.

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At the time of the remains recovered this week, Travis had warrants for his arrest on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping, PEOPLE previously reported.

He was initially facing custodial interference charges immediately after the girls were reported missing.