A bearded Idaho man has revealed how he was mistaken for accused killer dad Travis Decker on a distant mountain climbing journey — sparking an enormous interstate manhunt some 500 miles from the unique crime scene.
The US Marshals process drive abruptly introduced earlier this month they had been zeroing in on Idaho’s Sawtooth Nationwide Forest after two tipsters thought they’d noticed Decker there over the July Fourth weekend.
But it surely turned out had been really searching a lookalike reasonably than the fugitive dad accused of murdering his three younger daughters.
The obvious doppelganger, who solely recognized himself as Nick, mentioned he solely realized he was the topic of the frantic search when he made it residence and returned to work.
“Every little thing appears regular till my good friend who was up there with me despatched a textual content saying, ‘Bro, there’s a manhunt for a killer that was within the campground with us. My God, we spent the night time subsequent the homicide that’s horrifying’,” Nick advised Idaho Information 6.
He mentioned he known as authorities himself to allow them to know he was within the campground and instantly discovered himself being questioned.
“They pleasant interrogated me for a half hour. The search described me like, the hair, the beard, the hat, the glasses, my tattoo, earrings, my shirt. Shorts had been a unique shade, my footwear, the backpack, the situation,” he mentioned.
“I mentioned ‘Oh my God, they assume I’m that man’.”
Quickly after talking with Nick, regulation enforcement introduced they’d known as off the seek for Decker within the central Idaho forest.
“In my view, I don’t realistically appear to be that man. They noticed me from a distance,” Nick mentioned.
Regardless of the mix-up, Nick added that he was really glad the tipsters alerted authorities.
“Watch out as a result of this has been just a little tumultuous time for me and folks round me. It’s been disruptive at work, however I’d encourage folks to do this,” he mentioned.
Authorities have been searching Decker since June 2 when his three daughters — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — had been discovered murdered at Rock Island Campground in Washington state.
Regardless of a number of false alarms, Decker hasn’t been seen since he vanished.
Decker, who reportedly suffered from PTSD and different psychological well being issues, is believed to have wilderness survival coaching from the navy.
