Callum Jones
Police have issued a heartbreaking update on the mother of the three girls who are presumed to have been killed by their father in Washington State in May.
A search that spanned many miles was triggered after Travis Decker's ex-wife Whitney Decker raised the alarm and reported her children missing on May 30 after daughters, Olivia, five, Evelyn, eight, and Paityn, nine, failed to return home from a planned court-ordered visit with their father.
Decker was due to drop their daughters back at their home in Wenatchee, but ultimately didn't show up.
Local authorities later confirmed Whitney's three daughters were found dead at Rock Island Campground on June 2, around 40 miles away from where Decker was meant to drop his children off.
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The children's cause of death is believed to be asphyxiation, while DNA testing earlier this month revealed Decker is the sole suspect in the case.
Decker has since been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, after his children's bodies were found near to their father's white 2017 GMC Sierra truck, Wenatchee Police Department say.
Decker remains at large nearly three months later, with the FBI working on trying to find him earlier this week.
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Chelan County Sheriff's Office Mike Morrison has provided an update on the situation, while stating he has spoken to Whitney about the ongoing manhunt recently.
Morrison said: "We understand the frustration. We're feeling it as well."
He added: "We understand that the girls wouldn't want us to give up, but I did talk last night with Whitney over the phone."
The police chief went on to say that Whitney is perhaps unsurprisingly 'frustrated' by the ongoing situation and that she wants 'closure'.
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"Of course, she wants the kind of closure where we can locate Travis and bring him to justice," Morrison added.
The mother has previously spoken about wanting to find Decker 'dead or alive' so that she can find peace.
On Monday (August 25), it was confirmed the FBI had been brought in officials' bid to find much-needed answers for Whitney and her family.
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"The FBI Seattle Office will be leading federal, state, and local agencies in conducting a coordinated search near Rock Island Campground outside of Leavenworth, Washington," Morrison said.
"This targeted effort will again cover rugged and heavily forested terrain within U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land.
"The areas being searched are extremely challenging with steep hillsides, dense brush, minimal cell service, and unpredictable conditions."
Police are continuing to offer an award of up to $20,000 for 'information leading directly to his [Decker's] arrest', though the general public are advised not to approach the suspect if they see him as he could be 'considered armed and dangerous'.