WENATCHEE, Wash. — The Chelan County Sheriff's Office confirmed DNA results positively identified human remains found last week as those of Travis Decker, the Pewaukee native who police say murdered his three daughters.
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Sheriff Mike Morrison announced the results during a press conference Thursday, bringing closure to one of the largest manhunts in Chelan County history.
The Washington State Patrol crime lab confirmed the match using DNA from both clothing and human remains recovered from Grindstone Mountain.
"We are glad to say that those remains do come back as a positive match for Travis Decker," Morrison said.
The case began four months ago with the tragic deaths of Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5. Decker had been the subject of an extensive search involving hundreds of law enforcement personnel from multiple agencies.
Morrison addressed the victims' mother, Whitney, directly during the announcement.
"To Whitney, we apologize that it's taken this long to get the closeness and the closure that we are looking for in this case, but I hope that you can rest easier at night knowing that Travis is accounted for. He is deceased," Morrison said.
Watch the full Chelan County Sheriff's Office press conference:
The investigation involved extensive collaboration between federal, state, and local agencies. The FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Forest Service, Border Patrol, and multiple county sheriff's offices contributed personnel and resources to the search effort.
The coroner's office is working to determine cause and time of death, though Morrison noted the process could take months. He said if the cause of death appears suspicious beyond what would be explainable, investigators will treat it as a separate homicide investigation.
The sheriff confirmed that investigators do not believe there are any other suspects in the case.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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