Furious sheriff blasts fake video depicting 'on-the-run killer' dad Travis Decker's arrest

Daily Mail​

23-06-2025

The sheriff leading the manhunt of alleged killer dad Travis Decker has addressed a TikTok video falsely claiming the suspect has been arrested.
Decker is suspected of murdering his three daughters - Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 - and has been evading arrest for three weeks in dense wilderness areas in Washington, investigators believe.
While police are confident the suspect is actively on the run, TikTok videos have been falsely sharing that Decker has been arrested.
Some of these alarming clips even feature out-of-context quotes from Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison.
Morrison has has broken his silence on the faux news segments tricking viewers into believing the search for the wanted fugitive has come to a close.
In the brief assertion through a Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) press release, Morrison addressed one specific video that was brought to investigators' attention.
The exact video referenced remains unclear, as there are dozens of posts conveying the false message.
'Our Office was notified of a TikTok video that was released which portrays Sheriff Morrison and claims Mr. Decker has been taken into custody after a long standoff,' the June 17 statement reads.
'To be clear, Mr. Decker is not in custody and CCSO had no part in making the video.'
Many of these fake news TikToks include an automated voice claiming Decker was taken into custody, playing over footage taken from someone else's arrest.
The announcement debunking the arrest claims comes as the CCSO, Kittitas County Sheriff's Office (KCSO), the Washington National Guard and the US Marshall Service are ramping up their efforts to track Decker down.
He is believed to be discretely roaming the Teanaway Valley and Blewett Pass areas, which are the broader regions near the campground where the girls' bodies were found.
'Human, air, and K9 resources have spent countless hours working to ensure that if Decker is in or comes to Kittitas County, we're there to arrest him,' the KCSO wrote on Friday.
Authorities are calling upon the community to speak out if they notice anything out of the ordinary that could lead them to Decker's whereabouts.
'We again ask property owners and visitors to be keenly aware of any disturbance or activity at their property, including any missing items or anything out of place,' the KCSO wrote.
'If you have cameras anywhere in the Teanaway, Blewett, or Liberty areas, please review them for unusual activity or contact us with permission to do so.'
While police are confident the suspect is still alive and actively on the run, TikTok videos have been falsely sharing that Decker has been arrested
Decker has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls back to their mother, Whitney, after a visit.
Whitney, who is divorced from the veteran, told police that he had picked the girls up around 5pm but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail, court documents said.
Detectives said she 'expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues.'
She also told law enforcement officials that Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and believes he did not take medication for the condition, according to court documents.
On June 2, a search party led to the chilling discovery of the sisters' dead bodies near Rock Island Campground in Chelan County along with Decker's truck.
Deputies found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards from Decker's truck.
An autopsy revealed the girls died from suffocation and police reported their wrists were zip-tied and plastic bags were over their heads when they were found, court documents said.
Police collected 'a large amount of evidence' from the truck, including male blood and non-human blood.
The alleged-killer's dog was found nearby as well and taken to an animal humane society, Fox 8 reported.
The discovery of the children's corpses kicked off the massive search for Decker. State and federal authorities believe they may have spotted him hiking in a mountainous area.
On June 10, a helicopter crew saw someone running off a trail near Colchuck Lake. Police speculate it was Decker.
The lake is roughly 12 miles from the campground the girls were left near.
Chilling audio from just months before the harrowing murders captured the fugitive father begging for more custody time to go camping with his daughters.
In the recording from a September 2024 custody hearing, Decker makes an eerie promise that no harm would come to the girls if he's given more time to take them camping in Washington State's wilderness.
With an extensive combat background, authorities and locals are concerned about Decker still being on the loose.
He joined the Army in 2013. He served in Afghanistan before transferring to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, communications director for the Washington Military Department, confirmed to the Daily Mail.
He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time.
Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge.
He likely has advanced combat training and was an airborne paratrooper who earned the elite rank of 'Ranger,' indicating he would have excellent wilderness and survival skills, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social media posts.
Decker is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.