U.S. marshals end Idaho search for man suspected of killing 3 daughters
Authorities said Wednesday that they ended their search in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest for a man accused of killing his young daughters after confirming that someone seen by witnesses resembled Travis Decker, but was not him.
The U.S. Marshals Service Greater Idaho Fugitive Task Force located the man multiple witnesses reported as being Decker, the Wenatchee, Washington, father authorities have been seeking for more than a month.
The hiker is the same height and about the same weight as Decker, according to a news release from the U.S. Marshals Service District of Idaho. He also has dark features, a beard, and tattoos on his arm and calf, like Decker. The man was cooperative with investigators and said he was hiking int he Bear Creek area last weekend, the release said.
“United States Marshal Brent Bunn is grateful for the public’s assistance with this fugitive investigation,” the release stated.
In May, Decker’s three daughters, ages 5, 8 and 9, did not return from a visitation trip with him; they were found dead near a Washington campground.
In a news release Sunday, officials warned the public in Idaho not to approach or interact with Decker if they thought they spotted him, and asked for public help, particularly from people who had been recreating in the Sawtooths over the previous 24 hours. They noted that Decker has a history of hitchhiking and urged travelers against picking up anyone in the area.
U.S. marshals said they first received a tip from a family recreating in the Bear Creek area of the Sawtooth National Forest on Saturday who saw a man fitting Decker’s description. The family described a white man between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10, with a long ponytail and overgrown beard and mustache, officials said. Decker is 5-foot-8 and weighs 190 pounds, according to a law enforcement description.
This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 6:01 PM.
