Chilling audio of fugitive dad Travis Decker reveals the suspected triple-murderer claiming he has by no means performed something “unsafe” together with his three daughters — simply months earlier than he’s alleged to have killed them.
Within the eerie recording, the 32-year-old is heard pleading with a household court docket choose to present him entry to his ladies once more.
“Each time I’ve had the women, we’ve got been in campsites and nationwide forests and paid campsites which have campers,” Decker says within the audio taken from a September 2024 custody listening to and shared by the Wenatchee World.
“We’ve by no means performed something that was unsafe, or something I wouldn’t need to put myself in,” he says in a single eerie phase, recorded eight months earlier than he allegedly murdered his three daughters after absconding with them throughout a court-ordered visitation on Could 30.
The our bodies of Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn, 9, had been discovered with plastic luggage on their heads and zip ties round their wrists close to Rock Island Campground in a distant spot of Washington state, near Decker’s deserted truck.
Decker, who faces three counts of first-degree homicide and kidnapping, remains to be on the run regardless of an in depth manhunt.
The chilling recording was taken from a custody listening to following a choose’s determination to grant the women’ mom near-full custody of the three kids.
Considerations in regards to the veteran’s declining psychological well being, unstable residing state of affairs, and alleged endangerment of his kids had been raised by his ex-wife, Whitney Decker.
The considerations led to his visiting hours being slashed to a set period of time each different weekend.
Decker was homeless and had been residing between his RV and military lodging, one thing he acknowledged wasn’t an “superb” place to convey three younger ladies within the audio recording.
“I perceive that my present place once I’m on my own isn’t superb, however my daughters aren’t part of that,” he mentioned within the clip.
“I solely get to see them over the weekends, and tenting is one thing that the 4 of us have performed for the reason that three of them had been in diapers,” he mentioned.
He reiterated that he had by no means put his daughters in danger, and mentioned that he took them to well-liked campsites.
“I’ve by no means performed something I really feel like that places them in any kind of a threat … that almost all households within the state of Washington, each campsite we’ve been to within the final month have been virtually utterly booked out or offered out as a result of all people’s out this time of yr,” he instructed the choose, earlier than admitting his monetary difficulties.
“After I stepped away from the Nationwide Guard, I used to be making $86,000 a yr and now I make I believe it’s like $38,000 a yr. If you begin over from zero and also you don’t have assist or a hand to get you thru, it makes it a little bit tougher,” he mentioned.
Decker was warned by the choose that his state of affairs wasn’t a “secure” surroundings for his younger daughters to be in.
“That’s not secure … Whether or not it’s an RV, a tent, an Airbnb or motel — that’s not stability for these kids. That’s all the time a priority for the court docket,” the choose may be heard telling Decker within the audio.
The small city of Wenatchee, the place the three ladies lived with their mom, stays in shock virtually three weeks on from the horrific discovery.
“All people has nightmares, however are you able to think about, that is past a nightmare. That is one thing that ought to have an effect on us. Always remember and keep in mind to help one another in a time of want — and even in not a time of want,” Wenatchee’s mayor Mike Poirier instructed Fox 13 on Monday.
