The National Guard is joining the search in Washington state for a man police say killed his three young daughters.
More than 100 law enforcement officers are combing parts of central and northern Washington state for the man, Travis Decker, who police say has wilderness skills that could help him survive for weeks on his own.
Police say Decker kidnapped the three girls — Olivia Decker, 5; Evelyn, 8; and Paityn, 9 — on May 30. They were found dead Monday near a campsite roughly 70 miles east of Seattle. Each child had a plastic bag over her head, according to an affidavit from police in Wenatchee, Washington, where the girls lived with their mother.
Large swaths of wilderness around where the girls’ bodies were found have been closed to the public as the search has intensified. The U.S. Forest Service closed some trails, roads and campsites in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. On Thursday, the National Park Service closed parts of the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, a part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex to the north of the national forest.
On Friday, Gov. Bob Ferguson pledged to support the investigation by sending National Guard resources and emergency funding.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office sent two helicopters to assist with the search, and Ferguson said the state would provide additional choppers. The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service are also helping local police.
In a news release Friday, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, the agency leading the investigation, said it had received more than 500 tips from members of the public about Decker. It added that investigators had reviewed surveillance video and photos and that dozens more law enforcement officials had arrived to help with the search.
Decker, 32, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of kidnapping. On Thursday, federal prosecutors also charged him with fleeing arrest. Days before Decker disappeared with his daughters, prosecutors said he had repeatedly searched Google for information about relocating to Canada. Among his searches were “how does a person move to canada,” “how to relocate to canada” and “jobs canada,” according to court records.
Decker’s pickup truck was found near the Rock Island campground, not far from where the girls’ bodies were ultimately discovered. A former member of the military, Decker is believed to be “well versed in wilderness survival and capable of spending days or even weeks in the wilderness on his own and with very little equipment,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Wednesday.
“Although this can be a challenge while searching for him, our personnel are well equipped and prepared to seek and apprehend him,” the office added.
The girls were reported missing May 30 by their mother, who is divorced from Decker. She told police that she was worried for their safety because Decker had been experiencing “mental health issues.”
Officials advised residents in remote parts of Chelan, Kittitas, King, Snohomish and Okanagan counties to take precautions like keeping their doors locked and their exterior lights switched on. If they see Decker, they should avoid approaching him and call 911, the sheriff’s office said.
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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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