WA man wanted in daughters’ deaths previously served at Fort Benning, officials say
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- Travis Decker, wanted after deaths of his daughters, previously served at Fort Benning.
- Authorities found the girls’ bodies near Rock Island Campground after a search.
- Decker remains at-large; local law enforcement searches in remote areas.
A Washington man currently wanted in connection with his daughters’ deaths served in the military in the Columbus area, officials confirmed Thursday.
The Garrison Public Affairs Office at Fort Benning told the Ledger-Enquirer that Travis Decker, currently wanted by the Wenatchee, Washington, Police Department on three counts of first degree murder and first degree kidnapping, served at Fort Benning from 2018-2020.
The bodies of Decker’s daughters – ages 5, 8 and 9 – were found Monday after authorities did an immediate search of the area where Decker’s vehicle had been found near the Rock Island Campground, according to a post on the Wenatchee Police Department Facebook page.
The daughters had been on a planned visitation with their father, according to the post.
Decker was an infantryman who earned the Expert Infantryman Badge and completed the airborne course, according to the Fort Benning Public Affairs Office.
The Tacoma News Tribune reported Decker had been previously assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, between 2014 and 2016 as an automatic rifleman in the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
Decker deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014 during his service as an infantryman in the regular Army from March 2013 to July 2021, the News Tribune reported.
Decker transferred from the Army to the Washington National Guard in 2021 where he served full-time until he went part-time in 2023 or 2024, the Associated Press reported.
Decker was at-large as of Friday morning and the search was on. The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office in Wenatchee said it was executing search warrants and trying to find Decker in remote areas. Residents who had cabins or lived in remote areas of the county and surrounding counties were urged to lock all their doors and call 911 if they saw Decker.
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 12:01 PM.