Authorities have called off one search for Travis Decker after bystanders mistook another man for the suspect.

Amid the ongoing search for the Washington man—who is wanted for the murders of his three daughtersPaityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5—officials learned that a family vacationing in the Bear Creek area of Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest saw a person that resembled the 32-year-old, according to a July 6 news release obtained by People.

However, U.S. Marshals Service Supervisory Deputy Michael Leigh confirmed to the outletthat the spotted individual was not Decker.

 "The U.S. Marshals Service Greater Idaho Fugitive Task Force located the man multiple witnesses saw at the Sawtooth National Forest who was believed to be Travis Decker," a July 9 media release obtained by People stated. "The hiker who is the same height and roughly the same weight as Decker, also has dark features, a beard and tattoos on his arm and calf.” 

The statement added, “Investigators interviewed the cooperative man and confirmed he was hiking in the Bear Creek area this past weekend."

After ruling out the lookalike as Decker, authorities thanked the public and confirmed they had canceled that specific search. 

"At this time, law enforcement has stopped searching for Decker at the Sawtooth National Forest,” the release continued, “and has begun to demobilize their resources."

However, the nationwide manhunt continues for the military veteran, who is also accused of three counts of kidnapping in the first degree after the girls’ mom Whitney Decker filed a civil complaint May 30 that her ex-husband had not returned their daughters after a planned visitation, according to the Wenatchee Police Department. 

"At this time we do not have any evidence to suggest Mr. Decker is alive, or deceased," the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said in a July 1 statement shared on Facebook. "Until he is taken into custody, or recovered, we will continue these efforts. We are extremely grateful for the continued leadership, dedication, and support from all of our search teams."

The girls’ bodies were discovered June 2 near their dad’s truck at a campground in Leavenworth, Wash., with their cause of death determined to be suffocation and their manner of death to be homicide, according to a July 9 press release from CCSO.

Given Decker’s suspicious online searches for relocating to Canada and new DNA evidence at the crime scene that all belonged to the “same, male subject,” according to CCSO, authorities believe they are not looking for any additional suspects.

Keep reading for more about the case. 

Travis Decker has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping after allegedly killing his daughters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5.

Authorities revealed that Travis—who shared his daughters with ex-wife Whitney Decker—was believed to have been living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup truck, various motels and local campgrounds. 

The former Army soldier has a history of mental health struggles, which he was expected to manage in order to spend time with his daughters. In a September 2024 temporary parenting plan obtained by NBC News, he was court-ordered to complete an anger management program and attend individual counseling sessions at least biweekly.

Per the plan, Travis was given visitation opportunities every other weekend, where he was expected to drop off his daughters at 8 p.m. on Fridays, 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 5 p.m. on Sundays to his ex-wife.

Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia were last seen May 30 when Travis had picked them up at Whitney’s home for a planned visitation, according to an affidavit filed June 3 in Chelan County Superior Court.

Whitney alleged, per the docs, that the exchange had “occurred without issues,” but Travis—who Whitney noted had been experiencing mental health issues—was “quieter than usual, which was out of character.” 

After Travis failed to return the girls at 8 p.m., Whitney attempted to contact her ex multiple times before calling the police.

The Wenatchee Police Department shared May 31 that they were searching for Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia. However, just three days later, the department confirmed Travis and Whitney’s three daughters were found deceased at the Rock Island Campground near Travis’ abandoned car, which had two bloody handprints.

A preliminary examination by the Chelan County Coroner found that the girls’ cause of death was asphyxiation.

Local authorities, the US Marshal Service and the WA Army National Guard are searching for Travis, who disappeared into the forest near the Rock Island campground, according to Chelan County officials. While the efforts continue, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office shared in a June 23 press release that “there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area.” 

“Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching,” the statement continued. “Still, we can’t and won’t quit this search; Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker deserve justice. And Decker remains a danger to the public as long as he’s at large.”

Whitney shared an emotional tributehonoring her daughters, who she said came “into the world with open hearts and kindness.”

She told the crowd at the June 20 memorial service, “You all look beautiful, and I know Evy would have loved to ooh and ah over all your outfits," adding that Paityn would've complimented "each and every one of you … She did that for everyone, whether it was at a grocery store or at school or with me." 

Whitney shared how, following her and Travis’ divorce, she would often ask her girls what three emotions they felt each day.

"For Paityn, she always had more than three, consistently eager to tell me about every minute of her day," Whitney shared. "She was always interrupting her sisters to make sure I knew every single one. For Ev, we would talk about her feelings one-on-one right at bedtime because she wasn't always ready to share them with her sisters."

Meanwhile, she and Olivia were "still working on how to describe her feelings," but that "one was always 'happy.'"

The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office shared that they are shifting their strategy. 

The office announced in a June 23 press release that as they continue to search for the fugitive, they are also directing some efforts to recover Travis’ body if he died in the wilderness. Meanwhile, the office added that the US Marshals have “turned their fugitive-finding resources to the task of finding Decker if he’s left our area.”

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