As a massive manhunt for Travis Decker, a triple-murder suspect, is underway in the United States, newly-released court audio has revealed that he lost overnight custody of his daughters over concerns that he was forcing them to sleep in an armory. While Decker claimed that he took his girls to safe and paid campsites, the court was not convinced. Decker’s older brother Thomas also revealed that the suspect grew distant lately, abandoned his family and showed signs of violence before they eventually cut ties.
What does the audio reveal?
In the new audio, Decker was heard pleading with a judge to let him spend more time with his three daughters. The 32-year-old fugitive dad has been accused of killing his three minor girls – Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5. The children were found murdered in Washington after being last seen leaving to be with Decker on a "planned visitation.”
Fox 13 reported that Decker’s visitation time with the three girls had been reduced in recent years after his ex-wife Whitney, as well as her lawyer, cited alleged endangerment of the three children, declining mental health and lack of communication. A judge allowed Whitney to take near-full custody of the girls at a family court hearing in September 2024, letting Decker visit the girls every other weekend for a few fixed hours. Expressing frustration with the decision, Decker pleaded with the family court judge to let him see his daughters more.
"I already only get a day and a half, two days, with my daughters, and it's two nights. It's a Friday night, Saturday night, and because of my current job and the current location, I'm in Idaho working. I am in the U.S. [Carpenter's Union], so where I go, where the work is, is where I come, and through the new parenting plan, it takes away basically all my opportunities to be around the girls when I'm not at work. If I have the opportunity to be there for my daughters, I feel like I should be able to be there for them and not have to find my way to be around my daughters," Decker said.
{{/usCountry}}"I already only get a day and a half, two days, with my daughters, and it's two nights. It's a Friday night, Saturday night, and because of my current job and the current location, I'm in Idaho working. I am in the U.S. [Carpenter's Union], so where I go, where the work is, is where I come, and through the new parenting plan, it takes away basically all my opportunities to be around the girls when I'm not at work. If I have the opportunity to be there for my daughters, I feel like I should be able to be there for them and not have to find my way to be around my daughters," Decker said.
{{/usCountry}}Court records alleged that the children were heard crying over the phone with their mother during an overnight trip with Decker at the Wenatchee armory. This was one of the incidents that was cited as a reason why the children should not be left with Decker overnight.
"I don't believe that my weekends should be completely taken away since I have been gone. Every time I've had the girls, we have been in campsites, in national forests and paid campsites that have campers. We've never done anything that was unsafe or anything I wouldn't want to put myself in," Decker told the judge.
Even after the judge signed off on the parenting plan, reducing the time Decker would be allowed to spend with his daughters, he kept asking for a different outcome. "And then nothing can change that? Nothing, my signature doesn't matter anyway, right? So if I don't sign it, then ..." Decker said.
Decker, a former Army soldier with "extensive" training, is homeless and has been living in his vehicle or at various motels or campgrounds in the area, officials previously said, according to ABC News. On June 8, federal authorities took over the search for Decker after local officials said they needed help. "We had reached a point where we need to rest our local resources," the statement said, according to Fox News. "However, CCSO leadership remains closely involved in search coordination and continues their lead with the criminal investigation."
According to the court documents, Decker possibly had mental health issues, including borderline personality disorder. He has been charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping.