Police are warning the public "do not approach" a former Army soldier with "extensive training" after his three young daughters were reported missing and then found dead.

Travis Decker, 32, is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping. He is believed to be living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup and may be armed, police say. It is understood he had had a planned visit with his three daughters; Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and five-year-old Olivia but did not return them to their mother on Friday.

A search was carried out and the girls were discovered dead today during a search close to a campsite west of the city of Leavenworth, Washington. Anyone who may have seen Decker, who joined the Army in 2013 aged 20, since Friday or knows his current location was asked to call 911. Police added: "Due to safety concerns do not attempt to contact or approach Decker."

Karina Shagren, Washington Military Department spokesperson, said: "This is an absolute tragedy. We are mourning along with the community."

Olivia Decker, five, had vanished with her older sisters (

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Paityn Decker was the oldest of three siblings (

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Authorities looked for the children and their father over the weekend. Decker's unoccupied truck was found Monday near the campsite in Leavenworth and the girls' bodies were discovered amid a search in the area.

Their school, Lincoln Elementary, which is in nearby Wenatchee, is offering pupils and staff counselling services. The district asked people to respect the privacy of students, staff members and families and come to the campus only for regular school business.

The girls' mother told police Decker picked the girls up around 5pm on Friday but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail. Captain Brian Chance, from the police force, said the mum "expressed concern because Decker reportedly had never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues."

He added: "What prompted her to call us was that ... he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary."

Evelyn, who was eight, liked football

Four missing persons investigations were swiftly launched and, upon the gruesome discovery of the bodies, police have now identified Decker as a wanted man in the murder and kidnap probe. This remains ongoing, police said in a press briefing today, during which they also confirmed Decker and the girls' mother are divorced.

The dad transferred to the Washington National Guard eight years after joining the army. He was a full-time member of the Guard for two or three years until, in 2024, he went part time.

However, the military confirmed today Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge for him.