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Travis Decker manhunt: Who is Whitney Decker, mother of killer dad's daughters?
Amid a massive manhunt for Travis Decker, a triple-murder suspect, the fugitive dad's ex-wife, Whitney Decker, has come under the spotlight.
Amid a massive manhunt for Travis Decker, a triple-murder suspect, the fugitive dad's ex-wife, Whitney Decker, has come under the spotlight. According to Fox 13, Travis’ visitation time with the three girls he shared with Whitney had been reduced in recent years after Whitney and her lawyer cited alleged endangerment of the three children, declining mental health and lack of communication.
At a family court hearing in September 2024, a judge allowed Whitney to take near-full custody of the girls. Decker was allowed to visit his daughters every other weekend for a few fixed hours. In a court audio, Decker was heard pleading with the family court judge to let him spend more time with his daughters.
Decker, 32, 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.” He has been charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Who is Whitney Decker?
Whitney’s lawyer, Ariana Cozart, previously released a statement to CBS2. “Whitney and Travis were married for a little over 7 years. When they met, Travis had just gotten back from a tour in Afghanistan as an Army Ranger. He seemed to suffer from mental health issues from the very beginning- assumably related to PTSD (complex) as a result of combat. Travis was not a violent man with Whitney or the girls ever. His mental health struggles led to the crumbling of their marriage in 2022. Travis attempted at times to get help through the VA but could not jump through all of the hoops they required to actually get help,” the statement read.
Last year, Whitney filed for divorce from Travis, citing mental instability as a reason, according to court paperwork, the New York Post reported. Towards the end of their marriage, Travis was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and Whitney believed he was not taking any medication, court filings seen by KIRO 7 revealed.
“Travis also has some emotional/mental health issues that were the primary catalyst to the end of our marriage and have also affected the girls greatly,” she wrote in court paperwork seen by the Seattle Times.
“He was in the Army for many years. Upon separation from the Army and transition into the reserves, his borderline personality disorder (aka ‘BPD’) and narcissism became rampant,” she added.
Whitney said that there was an escalation in Decker’s behavior in recent months. “He has had some outbursts where he has burst into my home against my objections and yelled for the girls,” she said in the court documents.
“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,” she added, warning that she would otherwise have to “keep Travis from the girls,” which she did not wish to.
Whitney’s friend, Amy Edwards, previously launched a GoFundMe for her. “I’ve known Whitney for years, we're both dance moms and theater friends. We originally met through Short Shakespeareans, where I serve as the music director and had the privilege of teaching Whitney’s girls over the past few years. We’ve spent this year as dance moms together, with my daughter Maisy and Whitney’s daughter Evelyn both performing on the Fabulous Feet Dance Rockstars team,” Amy wrote in the page.
“Funds raised will go directly to Whitney to help cover final expenses, support time off from work, and give her space to heal without financial pressure,” Amy added.
