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- Idaho manhunt for fugitive Travis Decker called off after false report</p>
<p>Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY July 11, 2025 at 12:44 AM</p>
<p>Federal officials have suspended the search for fugitive Travis Decker in Idaho after reports a person who resembled the wanted Washington state father was spotted in a state forest over the weekend.</p>
<p>The U.S. Marshals Service Greater Idaho Fugitive Task Force on Sunday, July 6 issued an alert about the Sawtooth National Forest over the weekend, after a family in the Bear Creek area spotted a man consistent with the description of Decker.</p>
<p>The park, about 110 miles southeast of Boise, spans more than 2.1 million acres across Idaho and through Utah.</p>
<p>Additional tips corroborated the eyewitnesses' encounter with a person who appeared to be Decker, Eric Toms, supervisory deputy with the U.S. Marshals, told USA TODAY on Thursday, July 10.</p>
<p>But Toms said the agency and forest rangers spoke to the individual Wednesday afternoon and determined it was not him, suspending the search for Decker in that area.</p>
<p>U.S. Marshals in South Idaho previously investigated a tip at the Sawtooth National Forest over the July 4, 2025 into a reported sighting of Travis Decker, wanted in connection to the killings of his daughters ages 5, 8 and 9.</p>
<p>"That person was totally cooperative," Toms said, adding the person was surprised to be targeted by officials as a potential wanted man. "He was recreating in the woods... hiking and fishing on a hot day and was only there for the day."</p>
<p>As of Thursday July 10, Toms said, law enforcement officials at the local, state and federal levels continued to hunt Decker.</p>
<p>A former U.S. Army member, Decker is wanted on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of kidnapping in connection to the brutal killings of his daughters Olivia Decker, 5; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Paityn Decker, 9.</p>
<p>The Decker sisters from left, Evelyn, 8; Olivia, 5; and Paityn, 9.</p>
<p>At the time they died, the sisters lived with their mother Whitney Decker in Wenatchee, a city in Chelan County about 150 miles east of Seattle. Whitney Decker reported her children missing May 30 after the girls left their home for a planned custody visit with their father, the Wenatchee Police Department reported.</p>
<p>Chelan County Sheriff's Office SWAT members hunt for Travis Decker in a mountainous region of Washington state in June 2025. Decker is wanted on three counts of murder, suspected in the killings of his three school age daughters.</p>
<p>On June 2, Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputies found the sister's bodies at a campsite in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in central Washington close to Leavenworth.</p>
<p>'I'm still angry': Deputy recalls finding Travis Decker's truck as manhunt nears 1 month</p>
<p>Law enforcement searches for Travis Decker on June 12, 2025 Central Washington woods in the Enchantments and Ingalls Creek area in Central Washington woods.A decline in tips</p>
<p>Decker was last seen alive with the children on May 30, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said, and the sheriff's office joined the hunt on June 2 when officials found the girls' bodies.</p>
<p>Since then, officials have deployed cadaver dogs and a mountaineer team in the hunt. Agencies from at least seven counties surrounding Chelan County have joined the chase covering 2,900 square miles. Morrison previously told USA TODAY search parties have covered hundreds of square miles across multiple states, including Oregon and also checked internationally in Canada, Morrison said.</p>
<p>Abandoned tent found about 15 miles up from where Travis Decker's three daughters were found dead in Chelan County, Washington on June 2, 2025.</p>
<p>Morrison said law enforcement has faced environmental challenges while hunting the fugitive, highlighting not only rugged terrain, but harsh conditions teams have battled. In some areas, snow was still on the ground.</p>
<p>"We can't 'get into the river yet because of spring runoff," Morrison said of Icicle River, which flows along Rock Island Campground.</p>
<p>McLeod said officials are waiting for the water to recede which sheriff's office Forest Deputy Mike McLeod last week told USA TODAY won't happen until later in July.</p>
<p>In addition to environmental challenges, Morrison said a recent decline in tips in the case has hindered finding Decker. There's also the possibility Decker is dead, the sheriff said.</p>
<p>"Tips have slowed but the U.S. Marshals are still on the ground with us," Morrison said. "Clearly it's looking more like the probability he's deceased. It's possible, but for now we're presuming he is still alive."</p>
<p>How did Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker die?</p>
<p>A preliminary report from a medical examiner found the children died as a result of homicide from suffocation.</p>
<p>Their bodies were found lifeless with plastic bags over their heads and evidence that their hands had been zip-tied near their father's truck, court filings obtained by USA TODAY show.</p>
<p>Before disappearing, their father was homeless and staying primarily in his truck in the Wenatchee area. Investigators said the man exhibited mental health issues before the girls' killings, according to the court papers.</p>
<p>Travis DeckerWhat does Travis Decker look like?</p>
<p>Police described Travis Decker as a white man with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5'8" and weighing 190 pounds.</p>
<p>At the time he disappeared he was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts.</p>
<p>Travis Decker, of Washington state, is wanted on charges of kidnapping, first-degree murder and custodial interference after authorities found the bodies of his three daughters on June 2, 2025, near his unoccupied vehicle by the Rock Island Campground.</p>
<p>Authorities said Decker "may pose a significant risk, if approached."</p>
<p>A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest.</p>
<p>Anyone who sees Decker or with information about his whereabouts is asked to call 911. Tipsters can also call the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit information at https://ift.tt/wQ05DNn>
<p>Tipsters can also call the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-800-336-0102 or submit a tip online at https://ift.tt/9Vf6ghN>
<p>Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Manhunt for Travis Decker in Idaho called off after false report</p>
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