Did Travis Decker Bleed to Death in the Wilderness? Sheriff Says Infection From Injury is Possible (Exclusive)
The U.S. Army veteran has been missing since he picked up his three daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, for a three hour visit on May 30 in Wenatchee, Wash.
"We're making sure to bring him in safe and care for him," Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison tells PEOPLE about Decker, the subject of an extensive manhuntAs the search continues for Travis Decker more than a month after the murder suspect vanished, a local sheriff has a new theory on what could have happened to him.
Decker, a 32-year-old U.S. Army veteran, hasn't been seen since picking up his three daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, for a three hour court-approved visit in Wenatchee, Wash., on May 30. He never returned the girls to their mother, Whitney Decker, who reported their daughters missing to police later that night, setting off a frantic search for the four.
But on June 2, the girls were found asphyxiated near Travis' abandoned pickup truck in the remote Rock Island Campground — with the father nowhere to be found. He is wanted on first-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
At the scene, investigators recovered blood at the scene and on the tailgate of Travis' truck, which matched the DNA profile they believe is the father's, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said on Tuesday, July 1. Also found at the scene were his wallet, cellphone, and husky.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison tells PEOPLE that investigators believe the "fingerprint" of blood found on the truck came from an injury, though the severity of that injury remains unclear.
In regards to whether Decker is still alive, Morrison says "I would imagine most likely if he were to have died, it would've been from falling; an injury maybe got infected to the point where it did cause him, you know, some further issues or he drowned."
He adds, "there's certainly a lot of possibilities and if we do find him deceased, of course we're going to do a full autopsy on him just to get confirmation on his cause of death."
Travis was believed to have been spotted by another hiker on or about June 10 on a trail near Highway 97, but since then, investigators have suspected he is no longer alive or in the area. He has been described by authorities as a former military man trained in survival skills.
Authorities have also previously said they believed Travis may have fled on foot and attempted to cross into Canada because he allegedly searched "how to relocate to Canada" online, according to a U.S. Marshals Service affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
Search teams have used human remains detection dogs and also searched nearby mountain areas and bodies of water.
"I know that we've heard some accusations that we might be out looking to do harm to him," Sheriff Morrison tells PEOPLE. "I'm like, 'Yeah, that's not how we do law enforcement here in Washington state.' We're making sure to bring him in safe and care for him. If he is injured, we'll make sure he gets medical attention and if he's deceased, we're gonna investigate it and determine a cause of death."
During a June 26 appearance on NewsNation's Banfield, Whitney's attorney said the grieving mother hopes Travis is found, "dead or alive."
"That's a huge, a huge thing that she wants," attorney Arianna Cozart said. "It's very, very important to her so that she can have peace."
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