Bonus episode: Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker

0:00 Hi. I'm Tina, and I'm Rich. If there's one thing we've learned in over twenty years of marriage, it's that some. Days you'll feel like killing your wife. And some days you'll feel like killing your husband. Welcome to a bonus episode of Love Mary Kill, Hey Rich, Hey Tina. How are you. I'm doing good? How are you? I'm all right. I've been consumed with this story this week about the Decker sisters. I told you a little bit about it. I started writing a lengthy social media post about it yesterday, and then I just kept finding more and more information, and I said, you know, maybe we should just do a bonus episode on the case.

0:47 It's a very sad case. So today there are no snacks or shenanigans. Please listen with care. This is a deeply disturbing and heartbreaking case. The situation is still unfolding and details are quickly changing. We hope that Travis Decker will be found and brought to justice soon. On Friday May thirtieth, twenty twenty five, the Decker sisters Peyton nine, Evelyn eight, and Olivia five, disappeared during a court ordered visit with their father. Thirty two year old Army veteran Travis Decker in Winnatchee, Washington, about one hundred fifty miles east of Seattle. Travis had been granted limited custody three hours every Friday and eight hours every other weekend, with no overnights allowed, due to his ex wife's growing concerns about his mental health. Previously, when he was allowed overnight visits, the children had slept with him at an armory or in a tent, and their mother was not comfortable with those arrangements. Travis was not allowed to take the children more than twenty miles from their home. On May thirtieth, he arrived to pick up his daughters at five p m.

1:49 He and their mother, Whitney Decker, thirty three, talked for about twenty minutes before he left with the girls. They had a good co parenting relationship. He said, I'll see you at eight o'clock. Everything seemed normal to Whitney, although later she said Travis seemed quieter than usual. Earlier that week, Travis told her he had nothing left in the world except for her, Peyton, Evelyn, and Olivia. He'd recently been concerned about his beloved dog, Chinook. Because Travis didn't have a home or much money. He was worried about Chinook getting overheated in the summer months and having enough money to buy food for him. Whitney had offered to take the dog. It's unclear what happened to him. When the girls didn't return on time and Travis's phone went straight to voicemail, Whitney was worried. She called the Wenatchee Police department at nine forty five p m. They reached out to the Washington State Police to request an Amber alert, but the request was denied. Authority cited a lack of evidence that the children were in immediate danger, noting that Travis Decker had no prior history of domestic abuse. Instead, an endangered Missing Person alert or EMPA was issued, but not until the following day. More on this. Later, on Monday, June second, around three pm, three days after they went missing, the bodies of Peyton, Evelyn, and Olivia, were discovered near Rock Island Campground, a remote site in Shelan County, Washington, near the town of Leavenworth. The campground is about forty miles from their home in Winatchee and just eleven miles from the Canadian border. It was a devastating discovery. The

3:19 girls were found down a wooded embankment with plastic bags over their heads and zip ties around their wrists. The coroner confirmed the cause of death as asphyxiation, a tragic end for the three precious little girls whose lives were just beginning. Have you seen pictures of the girls? I have just beautiful little girls. Yeah. Phone records show that Travis Decker visited the campground the day before the murders and the days leading up to his disappearance. Prosecutors say Decker searched Google for information on how to relocate to Canada. According to court documents, some of his searches included how does a person move to Canada, how to relocate to Canada? And Jobs Canada. Hundreds of people in the close knit community of Winatchi gathered to Tuesday at Memorial Park for a vigil for Peyton, Evelyn and Olivia. A large growing memorial filled with flowers, stuffed animals, drawings, and balloons sits at the park. The girls were beloved members of the community and active members of the Fabulous Feet Dance Studio and the Short Shakespeare Theater Group. Local resident Samansha DoD told Fox thirteen, Seattle quote. Seeing them every day, seeing how happy dancing made them feel, was truly special, and I think that's something that the studio itself is really going to miss. Decker's truck, a white twenty seventeen GMC Sierra, was found abandoned near the campground seventy five to one hundred yards from the girl's bodies.

4:39 The truck had two bloody handprints on the tailgate and inside his personal items were found, including blankets, food, car seats, and his wallet. A tent and cooler were also found nearby. On Tuesday, a judge issued a warrant for Decker's arrest after charging him with three counts of first degree kidnapping and three counts of first deg murder, and ordered he beheld without bail. He hasn't been captured yet, but. But once he is there will be no bail exactly. On Thursday, an additional charge of evading arrest was added. I ask you a quick question. So you said blood was found on the tailgate or bloody handprints were found on the tailgate of his truck, but the girls were asphyxiated, so the blood wasn't from them. I assume, yeah.

5:22 I don't know who the blood was from. It could have been from the girls, but so far we don't have a lot of details about the situation. Yeah. Travis Decker, who suffers from borderline personality disorder and post traumatic stress disorder, had recently quit counseling. He survived a traumatic car accident. He was living out of his truck, camping and sometimes staying in hotels, according to court records. Those close to him worried that he was on the verge of something dangerous. Whitney says that he isn't evil, but that quote, something broke in him. She believes this tragedy could have been prevented if law enforcement had acted sooner and issued an Amber alert on her behalf. Her attorney said, quote, something came out of this man and he broke. That's it. When that man picked up those girls his babies, he did not have a plan to kill them. There's nothing that indicates that he did. Travis Decker joined the Army in twenty twelve. He served in Afghanistan in twenty fourteen for four months, where he was among a group of elite airborne paratrooper rangers. From twenty fourteen to twenty sixteen, he was an automatic rifleman with the seventy fifth Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis McCord in Washington. Later, he transferred to the Washington National Guard in twenty twenty one, rising to the rank of sergeant.

6:35 He was a full time member of the National Guard until twenty twenty four, when he became a part time member. He stopped attending required training sessions and was placed on leave. Disciplinary discharge proceedings were under way. A military spokeswoman told the AP quote, this is an absolute tragedy. We are mourning along with the community. In an interview with Fox News thirteen Seattle, a former squad member who served with a travist Decker in Italy, speaking anonymously, described him as quiet, hard working, somewhat of a loner, and exhibiting narcissistic traits. He revealed that Decker had been removed from the Elite Ranger Regiment after failing to complete training. According to the former squad mate, Travis idolized his father, a former Green Beret, and seemed determined to live up to his legacy, always carrying the weight of something to prove. He noted that Decker's social media accounts were deleted after the murders, though it's unclear whether he removed them himself or if they were taken down by authorities. Quote. All of us who served with him feel completely betrayed. Were beyond distraught over what's happened, he said. Whitney said that Travis attempted to get help from veteran resources, but none were available to him.

7:45 She recalled him having recurrent nightmares and only being able to sleep for a few hours each night. She said he was a good, active father who loved his daughters very much. He never missed his daughter's dance classes, theater productions, or soccer games. Their custom the agreement was working. The couple were married for seven years before filing for divorce in twenty twenty three. Travis initiated the divorce after moving out of their home in late twenty twenty two, telling his wife he wasn't worth it. After meeting online, Whitney and Travis quickly became inseparable. The couple first lived together on a Joint Army Air Force base in Washington State, then spent two years stationed in Italy before relocating to Georgia for another two and then returned to Washington. In September twenty twenty four, Whitney, who had full custody of the children, petitioned the court to quote put restrictions in place on his parenting due to quote concerning factors regarding Travis's mental health and stability. In the filing, Whitney requested that Decker be evaluated for anger management and domestic violence and have a full psychiatric evaluation by a licensed psychiatrist. Ballure to comply would result in further limitations of his parental visitation. In court documents, she wrote, quote, Travis just keeps getting more and more unstable. He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much, but he has got to get better for our girls. Since her separation, it's become increasingly clear that Travis has been struggling to maintain stability. Travis also

9:17 has some emotional and mental health issues that were the primary catalyst to the end of our marriage. His borderline personality disorder and narcissism became rampant. She described several troubling incidents, and one she said, Travis quote first into my home against my objections and yelled for the girls. In another just days before Christmas twenty twenty three, your daughter Olivia facetimed her mother in tears, screaming and crying with Travis nowhere in sight. After one of the girls was injured and a separate incident. Whitney claimed Travis hitchhiked to her house and asked to sleep in the basement with the girls. However, Whitney made it clear that Travis was not an abusive father or husband, although sometimes after a visit, the girls would return home crying or upset. According to The Seattle Times, Whitney said, quote, they are all happy, smart, well adjusted girls, with the exception of when Travis brings them back to me after his visitations. When Eshaw Winnie was doing her attorney Adrianna Cozart said quote, I think she is still reeling from losing her entire world. She is strong and kind and wants this tragedy to spur change and save lives.

10:23 That is what is driving her right now. An Amber alert was not enacted because law enforcement did not believe that the girls were in imminent danger and there was no indication that Decker would harm his daughters, despite his history of mental health issues. He'd never been abusive or violent with them or Whitney. Instead of an AMBER alert, and endangered Missing Persons alert was issued, but not immediately. An EMPA notification does not send a push notification or text message to all cell phones in the targeted area about the missing child or children, as an AMBER alert does. We don't get an AMBU alert very often, but when you do, it's like super joy. Yeah, it's everywhere. Yeah, it's such a great tool for law enforcement. Chris Loftis, director of public Affairs for the Washington State Patrol, said, quote, in this case, it was a parent with custodial privileges and the children had not been returned home on time.

11:16 But that's a rather common occurrence and not something where you just automatically assume abduction. We're people too, you know. So the loss of a child, the loss of two children, the loss of three children is devastating. Everybody always looks to how we can improve. Loftis said, there wasn't enough evidence that Peyton, Evelyn and Olivia were in peril. Quote, we just didn't have that. Everyone wishes we could turn back the clock. It's so devastating. Yeah. Captain Brian Chance of the Winatchee Police Department said in response, quote, were we frustrated? Yes, probably quite a little bit. When he was asked whether an Amber alert would have made a difference in the search for the Ducker sisters, he declined to speculate. White Decker is lobbying to change the Amber alert policy along with improving veterans' mental health benefits.

12:06 Adriana Cozart, her attorney, set on her behalf quote, when there is a parent with limited visitation, that has a history of mental health issues, and is a military veteran with the training necessary to kill one hundred different ways, the Amber alert should have been issued. Travis Decker is now wanted on three accounts of first degree murder and kidnapping. More than five hundred tips have poured into law enforcement. There is a twenty thousand dollars reward for information leading to his capture and arrest. He may be traveling along the Pacific Crest Trail, which extends two thousand, six hundred and fifty miles along the Pacific coast from Canada to Mexico, passing through Washington State and Oregon. So it's a vast area that they're searching, but authorities have no leads on Decker's whereabouts. Shelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said at a press conference, quote it could be anywhere in the country.

12:58 We're searching anywhere in every where. Morrison acknowledged that it is possible that Decker may have taken his own life. Quote, We're operating under the assumption that he's still out there despite the death of their three beautiful daughters. Whitney Decker says she has a lot of empathy for Travis and who he is at his core. Adriana Coozart said, quote, he was a loving man, but something broke and whatever monster came out of him, it's something that he was trained to do in the military. Although Travis was struggling with his own mental health, he was a good co parent, always communicating frequently with Whitney up until Friday evening when the girls went missing. Cosart added that the local via is struggling. Quote they haven't been able to see any new veteran patients for over six months.

13:42 Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson released emergency funds in order to enact the Washington National Guard to help search for Travis Decker. On Friday, June sixth, A massive manhunt is underway involving over one hundred law enforcement officers searching for Decker, including US Marshalls and the FBI. Several trails and campsites have been closed to the public while the search continues. Law enforcement called him dangerous and a significant risk due to his extensive military training in mountaineering and navigation. He may be carrying a weapon. Decker's father is now involved in the search for his son. He said that Travis has experienced living off the grid for as long as two and a half months and could do so for an extended period of time. Law enforcement agree and believe that he could survive weeks or months in the wilderness.

14:29 Helicopters are searching in remote, densely wooded areas, waterways, buildings, and structures for Decker. Special equipment to detect body heat levels is also being used. Search warrants have been issued for his cell phone data. I haven't read any reports about law enforcement having his actual phone. I'm sure that he doesn't have it on him anymore, but I don't know if law enforcement has found it. I'm guessing they haven't. Residents are reminded to keep their doors and windows locked, turn on outside lighting. Avoid closed areas, which currently include the Enchantments and the Icicle River area, and if you see Travistecker, do not approach him. Called nine one one immediately. Anyone with information should contact the Shelan County Sheriff's office.

15:12 Some roadblocks have been removed and areas have been reopened as law enforcement believe the danger has passed, but warn the public to remain alert and vigilant. As of Saturday, the search is focused on the Cascade Mountains. Eric Hampton of East Cascades SWAT says the search teams are well equipped and highly skilled, but the rugged landscape poses a serious challenge. Hampton said quote, The terrain is steep, dense and vast. There are countless ways in and out, which makes searching incredibly difficult. We are hoping to exhaust this area for any sign of him. We are not going to leave any stone unturned. We are doing operations into the night. We have done them since Monday. We are working hard. Travistecker is five feet eight inches tall, one hundred and eighty pounds, with black hair, possibly in a ponytail, and brown eyes. According to police, he was last seen wearing a light shirt and dark shorts. If you have any information, called the CCSO tip line at five oh nine six six seven six eight four five or submit information to the tip line. We'll have a link in our show notes.

16:13 Police just released new images of Decker from a ring camera. I think they were from before the girls went missing. Okay, but it's just crazy how much information we get from ring cameras these Okay, yeah, but I will post those images. A lot of people are questioning why an AMBER alert was not issued in the case of the Decker sisters, and with good reason. Amber stands for America's missing broadcast emergency response. Between four hundred and five hundred alerts are issued each year. The system is named for Amber Hagerman, a nine year old girl who was abducted in nineteen ninety six and murdered in Arlington, Texas, after going for a ride on her new pink bike. She was found four days later naked in a nearby creek. A Texas mother named Diane Simone, heartbroken over Amber's death, called a local radio station and asked why there wasn't a national alert system for missing children. She thought if citizens receive alerts for weather and crimes. Why couldn't law enforcement use a similar system to inform the public about missing children.

17:15 Amber Alerts began in the Dallas Fort Worth area before spreading nationwide. Although her murderer has never been found, Amber's legacy has saved over a thousand children. The system is designed to quickly notify the public via media, highway signs, and text messages about serious child abduction cases in the hope that someone will spot the child, suspect, or vehicle. Amber's case, by the way, is still open and active. The police say that they still receive leads in the case every few months. They are a different criteria for issuing an Amber Alert depending on the state that you live in. The US Department of Justice recommends these for a criteria are met before an Amber Alert is issued. The child is under eighteen, there is evidence of abduction, Law enforcement believes the child is an imminent danger of serious injury or death. There is enough descriptive information suspect, vehicle, or license plate number to help locate the child or abductor. Some states might add additional requirements like the suspect must be named, the abduction must be confirmed and not just a missing person or a runaway, and the alert must be issued within a specific timeframe as short as possible, I think is their goal. There are several problems with AMBER alerts and criticisms.

18:31 One of the biggest issues is the delay in issuing the alerts. Law enforcement must wait hours sometimes because they need to verify the details of the abduction. Another issue is the restrictive criteria needed. Some abductions don't qualify because the situation doesn't meet the strict definition of abduction. This happens a lot with custody disputes or runaways. Some people fear that the system is overused, and some people say that it's underused. Those alerts can kind of numb people. I think if you receive them all the time, I think we only receive one or two a year, so whenever we hear one, you know, it's always very jarring and we try to do our due diligence.

19:12 Yeah. Well, I know, if we're out driving and we hear one, or we see one on a billboard or whatever, I immediately start keeping my eyes open for absolutely type of car. There's an issue with technological gaps. In rural or low tech areas, the alert might not reach enough people fast enough. And lastly, there's an issue with the public really understanding how Amber alerts are used. They're not automatically issued for every missing child, and it can be really confusing. I guess we know because we have a true crime podcast that if an Amber alert is issued, that means that child is in a very dangerous situation. And it is unfortunate though that there's a lot of missing children that are in dangerous situations and the Amber alert isn't used right.

19:55 The Amber alert system is a powerful tool, but it's only as effective as the policies and behind it. Its success stories are real. Over eleven hundred children have been recovered thanks to the system, but the gaps are also real. Reform advocates call for better training, more consistent criteria, and increased flexibility, especially in high risk situations that don't check every box. This case has shaken the community of Winachi and the nation. The Winnatchi community is in mourning for Olivia, Evelyn, and Peyton. They were all students at Lincoln Elementary School in the Winatchie School district. A friend of the family tearfully recalled the girl's sunny dispositions quote they were just shining.

20:36 They were always so happy. Hug your loved ones. You never know when the last time you're going to see them. Tell them you love them, because you never know. We'll continue to share updates as the search for Travis Stuckert continues. Until then. Say their names, Peyton, Evelyn, Olivia. They were kind, bright, active, compassionate little girls, full of light and love. And please be kind to Whitney. She did everything she could under impossible circuit stances and is now enduring a level of heartbreak no parents should ever face. Our thoughts are with her and her loved ones during this imaginable, unimaginable time. A GoFundMe has been set up for Whitney to help her with burial expenses, allow her to take off time from work to heal, counseling, and her legal fund. If you'd like to contribute, there is a link in our show notes How you doing.

21:22 It's a tough one. It's a really tough one. Yeah, it's so heartbreaking. I think about this sign all the time that one of our neighbors at our old house had painted by their driveway. Do you remember what it said? It's said, I believe freedom is not free. I think about that all the time, especially this time of year when it's you know, like Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and you know, our soldiers deserve the very best medical care when they come home. What they face is really hard. As many as forty four veterans die each day by suicide, and for a day that might be a high number, but it's between twenty and. Four for way, it's way too much. And also, our police officers are law enforcement agents. They're also struggling. Police suicides outnumbered line of duty deaths, often by a significant margin. These people pay such a huge price for our safety.

22:14 Yeah, absolutely, and it's it and it shouldn't be a political issue or anything. It's like, these people are protecting our freedoms, protecting us, protecting our safety, and we should be doing everything possible to get them the help that they need. They're in traumatic situations, they see things that are traumatizing. It's just yeah, it's unconsciousle. More than the human spirit can take a lot. Yeah, we don't know what, if what made Travis do what he did. It's a horrible act. We're not trying to forgive it any at all, but we don't know what his experiences were. We don't know what his mental health was, well, we know that around twenty twenty one, it seemed like that's when he started to really struggle with his mental health. And I'm not sure how much of that had to do with his job.

22:57 Well, and just based on the comments that you read by Whitney, the things that she said about him, she knows him better than we certainly do, and better than most people do, and it seems like she really had this feeling that he was declined, his mental health was declining, and a lot of that probably was due to his experiences in the military. When Whitney has faced criticism online, I don't know how anyone can criticize this poor woman at this time. But because she is leading with empathy, a lot of people are like, you know, how can you forgive him and how can you, you know, show kindness towards him. Yeah, first of all, I agree with you completely that I can't understand how anybody could criticize her online for how she reacts to this tragedy. I think it's amazing that she's reacting by trying to enact change like already.

23:45 I mean, it's so soon. Yeah, very soon. But yeah, she clearly wants to make a difference. Yeah, I mean that's to me, that's really admirable. And she's trying to look at the root cause of what happened and trying to enact change that will help other people. And like you said, it's inexcusable what he did. I hope he's caught. I hope he faces justice for what he did. But at the same time, I think Whitney, the way she's handling it from my perspective is it's admirable. But I'm sure she also wants him arrested and to face charges for what he did. Sure, this is not the first case of a soldier killing his family. Sadly, these people are trained. They're trained to kill, they're trained to survive. They're you know, green Berets and people with just this advanced training, right, and they really do become.

24:34 The combination and yeah, yeah, and the combination of that training, that skill set that they have, and the trauma that some of them suffer in their jobs in the military. Yeah, the combination of those things can be a really dangerous thing. I think it's likely that Travis has taken his own life and maybe he you know, is in the water somewhere because they're using this heats seeking radar and they're using you know, every resource they have, and there's I think at this point there's literally hundreds of law enforcement agents searching for him. Yeah, I think if I had to guess, I would say, you're probably right. I mean, it sounds like, you know, he had mental health issues, but he also loved his kids, and so I'm sure there has come a point for him where he realized what he did and can't live with himself because of that.

25:20 But right, And he didn't take his wallet with him, And I know he can live off the land, but you can't live off the land forever. And I would think he would need his wallet and the fact that he left it behind on purpose is kind of telling. Yeah. I hope we find out one way or another soon. Well, thank you so much for listening. If this was your first time with us, today's episode was a bit different from our usual format. We hope you'll stick around and check out some of our other episodes too. To close, we are going to play a clip of Whitney Decker's friends Amy Edwards and Mark Belton reading a message from her. To our community. The Wenacchi Valley. Thank you for the outpoint of love. Generosity. Support has been overwhelming, not only here in the Weinachi Valley, but from the communities around the world. We are deeply moved and profoundly grateful seeing everyone come together and unite and support of this family has been humbling and reminds us of what makes the Weinachi Valley so special. That compassion has been a source of light in this dark hour.

26:22 This valley helped nurture the creativity, confidence, and joy that Peyton and Evelyn and Olivia shined so brightly, whether it was performing on stage with short Shakespeareans and music theater Weinachi, dancing with the Fabulous Feet Dance Studio, playing sports, or walking the halls of Lincoln Elementary, their laughter, curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us. They were the kind of children that everyone rooted forward, looked forward, looked forward to seeing and help close in their hearts. They are cherished not just by the family, but by our entire community who watches them grow, perform, learn and love.

27:06 We ache with the love we still carry for them, and we always will. Whitney is living every parent's worst nightmare. The whole in her heart is immeasurable. There are no words that can capture the weight of this loss. Right now, she's surrounded by friends, family, and neighbors doing everything they can to hold her. Out to the media, we ask for grace at this time. Whitney is grieving the unimaginable. Should she not have to do so under a spot white. Please allow her the space and privacy and compassion that she deserves. Your restraint is a true act of humanity, and we appreciate it. We are focused on fully cooperating with investigators so that Travis Decker is found, apprehended, and brought to justice. This case is ongoing and all legal updates will come from law enforcement.

27:57 The generosity we've seen from right here in Anat Valley and nationwide has not only brought comfort during this heartbreaking time, it also sparks some important conversations. We're talking about how we raise awareness and advocate for improvements to the Amber Allert system, and how we address and expand access to mental health resources for veterans, especially in the context of family and custody cases. While nothing can undo this tragedy, we're hopeful that these conversations will lead to change that honor Aydon, Olivia, and Evelyn's memory. We end with a message shared by mothers all across the world. When one mother cries, we all cry and hold her in our heart. Thank you for holding Whitney in your hearts now. Thank you