After 3 Sisters Were Horrifyingly Suffocated By Dad In The Woods, Mom Breaks Silence

The mother of three young sisters allegedly mu*dered by their father has broken her silence, calling their deaths a “preventable tragedy” and placing the blame squarely on law enforcement for failing to act swiftly enough.

Whitney Decker, mother of 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia, said she begged authorities to issue an alert after her ex-husband, Travis Decker, failed to return their daughters on time following a scheduled visitation last Friday. 

Her pleas were allegedly dismissed.

The mother of the three young sisters allegedly murdered by their army veteran father broke her silence

Mother and three daughters smiling outdoors in autumn woods after horrifying suffocation incident involving dad.

Image credits: Whitney Decker

“They told her it didn’t meet the requirements,” said Whitney’s attorney, Arianna Cozart, in a public statement today (June 5). 

“She knew something was wrong. She told them the girls were in substantial danger.”

Woman and three girls wearing cartoon character outfits posing with Minnie Mouse in a colorful themed room after tragic family event.

Image credits: Whitney Decker

By Monday evening, the children were found lifeless at a remote campsite roughly 38 miles from their mother’s home in Wenatchee, Washington. Their wrists had been bound with zip ties, and they had been suffocated with plastic bags.

Travis Decker, a 32-year-old US Army veteran and former paratrooper, is now the subject of a statewide manhunt. He has not been seen since Friday and is considered armed and extremely dangerous due to his elite military training.

Man in a yellow shirt standing indoors near a window, related to tragic news about sisters suffocated by dad in the woods.

Image credits: Chelan County Sheriff’s Office

“This was a tragedy that could’ve been completely avoided,” Cozart said on the mother’s behalf.

“We may never know if it could’ve meant the difference between life and death for those girls, but it could’ve made a huge difference.”

Man wearing sunglasses walking outside in a sunny neighborhood, related to after 3 sisters suffocated by dad in the woods.

Image credits: Chelan County Sheriff’s Office

Court documents show that Whitney reported her daughters missing the same day they failed to return.

She allegedly warned officers repeatedly about Travis’ declining mental state—a well-known risk factor that, as Bored Pandapreviously reported, had been described during their divorce proceedings.

Despite these red flags, police said they couldn’t issue an Amber Alert (also known as a child abduction emergency) because Decke hadn’t made an overt threat.

Whitney is calling for a reform to Washington’s Amber Alert system, as well as for better mental healthcare for veterans

In the wake of her daughters’ tragic deaths, Whitney Decker is calling for urgent changes to Washington’s Amber Alert system.

“It’s very important to Whitney to get that fixed,” Cozart added. “Text alerts could have mobilized the community to look for the girls and Travis’ white GMC pickup.”

Three young sisters smiling in different settings, related to a tragic suffocation incident in the woods by their father.

Image credits: Whitney Decker

According to the State Patrol, the case didn’t meet the legal threshold for an Amber Alert because there was no confirmed abduction or history of violence toward the children.

Cozart and the mother, on the other hand, argue that those standards are outdated and insufficient in cases involving mental health red flags.

“She wants to make sure no other mother has to live through this kind of avoidable heartbreak,” Cozart added.

Whitney is also calling for better mental healthcare for veterans, believing that her former husband’s horrific act was the result of years of trauma getting the better of him.

Despite her husband’s deteriorating mental state, she never believed him to pose a danger to their daughters

Three young sisters in floral dresses playing and smiling indoors in a candid moment after family tragedy involving dad in woods.

Image credits: Whitney Decker

“He clearly had some sort of break, and everything that he had bottled up inside—years of trauma—just won out,” the mother said through her attorney to the Seattle Times. “He would not have done what he did if he was himself.”

Decker, once a decorated Ranger who joined the Army in 2012 and served in Afghanistan in 2014, transferred to the Washington National Guard in 2021. 

However, according to the girls’ mother, his mental state started to deteriorate rapidly in 2024. This led to her filing for divorce, specifically citing mental instability as the reason, court paperwork shows.

At the time of the tragic incident, Decker was also facing a disciplinary discharge after he stopped attending drills over a year ago.

Mother with her three daughters standing by a lakeside, related to the story of sisters suffocated by dad in the woods.

Image credits: Whitney Decker

Whitney cited his mental health as the primary reason for their divorce last September, calling his condition “the catalyst” that ended their marriage.

“He was in the Army for many years. Upon separation from the Army and transition into the reserves, his borderline personality disorder and narcissism became rampant,” she wrote in court documents.

As the manhunt continues, law enforcement is urging the public to stay vigilant and avoid approaching the suspect at all costs.

“Travis is a survivalist. He was a Ranger. He knows how to disappear,” said Undersheriff Dan Ozment. “But we will find him.”

“Those poor babies.” Netizens took to social media to share their thoughts on the mother’s words

User Regal sharing a tweet urging urgency with the message act fast save lives related to a tragic family event.

Image credits: Regalmetax

Tweet from Political Pug highlighting concerns about police response times after sisters were suffocated by dad in the woods.

Image credits: pug_political

Screenshot of a tweet questioning the judge who ordered unsupervised visitation in a case of sisters suffocated by their dad in the woods.

Image credits: DRils

Tweet expressing grief over the tragic suffocation of three sisters by their dad in the woods and the mother's pain.

Image credits: BeccaC78

Tweet discussing parental visits and state failures in a case involving three sisters suffocated by their dad in the woods.

Image credits: GManMike2

Screenshot of a Twitter reply by Dale Hackney expressing sorrow over the horrifying suffocation of 3 sisters by their dad in the woods.

Image credits: hackney_dale

Tweet expressing heartbreak over the tragic suffocation of three sisters by their dad, with mom breaking silence.

Image credits: musiclablover52

Tweet discussing failure to protect children and advising moms to hide AirTags in kids’ shoes amid after 3 sisters suffocated by dad case.

Image credits: susieb2sweet80

Tweet expressing heartbreak and disbelief over a father suffocating three sisters in the woods, with mother breaking silence.

Image credits: Kat4liberty

Twitter user Orlie reacting with shock to news about three sisters horrifically suffocated by their dad in the woods.

Image credits: 1_orlie

Tweet expressing horror and sorrow over three sisters being suffocated by their dad in the woods, with the mom breaking silence.

Image credits: Susanmuhle69764

Tweet expressing disbelief about a parent suffocating three sisters in the woods, with the mom breaking silence.

Image credits: Denise80srock

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