The search for a father-of-three accused of eliminating his daughters has narrowed in on a remote mountain trail in Washington State after hikers tipped off cops.

Travis Decker, 32, is implicated of killing his children, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, whose bodies were discovered at a camping area in Leavenworth, after he failed to return them to their mother in Wenatchee following a set up three-hour go to.

A tip from hikers has actually offered police new hope on discovering Decker alive after witnesses reported a lone person who seemed ill-prepared for the conditions.

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that tracking groups reacted immediately, and a helicopter team identified an off-trail hiker by themselves near Colchuck Lake, in a popular Cascade Range backpacking location called The Enchantments.

As authorities search for Decker, who is believed to be mentally unsteady, locals have been warned that he could be harmful due to his military background.

Late Monday night an alert was released to locals in the Ingalls Creek and the Valleyhi community to lock homes and automobiles and to be on the lookout for Decker.

'Residents and visitors are prompted to secure homes and cars, remain vigilant, and report any suspicious activity to 911,' an alert said.

'An increased police presence will persist as a preventive measure.'

Travis Decker, 32, is implicated of eliminating his daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, after he stopped working to return them back to their mother following a scheduled three-hour visit in Washington on Friday

Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputies discovered the women' bodies about 75 to 100 backyards from Decker's truck at a campsite. Police think the girls passed away from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court files stated

The vast land surrounding Colchuck Lake is now an area of interest to authorities

Decker signed up with the Army in 2013. He served in Afghanistan before transferring to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, interactions director for the Washington Military Department, confirmed to the Daily Mail.

He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he changed to part-time.

Decker stopped going to obligatory monthly drills a little over a year earlier, and the Guard remained in the process of a disciplinary discharge.

He likely has advanced battle training and was an airborne paratrooper who earned the elite rank of 'Ranger,' showing he would have outstanding wilderness and survival abilities, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social networks posts.

It is unidentified if the veteran is currently equipped, but regional police warned people from approaching him.

Authorities swarmed the Rock Island Campground on Monday night after finding Decker's truck.

Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputies found the women' bodies about 75 to 100 yards from the truck. Police believe the ladies died from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents stated.

Decker's truck likewise had 2 bloody handprints on the tailgate, and inside were personal products consisting of blankets, food, safety seat, and a wallet on the center console.

The campground likewise showed indications of recent activity, with a camping tent and a cooler located a away, however Decker was no place to be found.

Decker tried to fix the broken marriage with his ex-wife Whitney (visualized with children) just a week before he apparently suffocated and eliminated their three young daughters in Washington State

The sisters' lifeless bodies were discovered at a camping area in Leavenworth recently, about 20 miles from their home

The ladies' mom, Whitney Decker, who is divorced from the veteran, told authorities that he had picked the women up around 5pm but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went directly to voicemail, court files stated.

Detectives stated she 'revealed concern since Decker reportedly has actually never ever done this before and ... is presently experiencing some mental health concerns.'

She also informed law enforcement authorities that Decker was identified with borderline personality condition and thinks he did not take medication for the condition, according to court files.

The father-of-three was supposed to seek mental health treatment and anger management therapy as part of a parenting strategy, but there was no sign he had actually followed through with the plan - which he declined to sign, the court files show.

Still, Whitney informed police she did not believe her ex was hazardous and said he enjoyed his daughters.

She said the ladies had a 'great relationship with Decker and enjoy their time with him,' and kept in mind that he had actually never stopped working to return the ladies before, according to a police affidavit.

Whitney included that when Decker went to get the women for the visit on Friday, he was 'quieter than usual' which was 'out of character' for him.

He had also apparently been discussing getting rid of his dog due to housing and monetary struggles.

When Decker stopped working to return with the ladies that night, Whitney reported them missing out on.

'What triggered her to call us was that ... he was late returning the girls and had actually not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his common style and so this was out of the ordinary,' Captain Brian Chance stated.

A helicopter crew spotted a rogue hiker off-trail near Colchuck Lake (imagined) in the popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments

Snohomish County Sheriff's Special Operations, in coordination with the Snohomish County Region 1 SWAT team and Air Support Unit, have actually come together in a unified effort to support the Chelan County Sheriff's Office

Her lawyer, Arianna Cozart, said in a declaration on her behalf to the Seattle Times that 'something broke inside' her daughters' father.

'He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had actually been coping with, everything that had actually been shut in within him for so long as far as trauma, simply won out,' the statement read.

The statement added that Whitney thought an Amber Alert need to've been issued after the ladies disappeared due to Decker's intricate PTSD and borderline character condition.

Chilling red flags everyone missed out on before 'killer' daddy Travis Decker 'killed his three children'

Washington State Patrol was called to ask for an Amber Alert, however it did not satisfy the needed criteria, Wenatchee Police stated.

The lacking requirements were presumed kidnapping and imminent danger of death or severe injury, stated Chris Loftis, director of public affairs for the state patrol.

'In this case, it was a parent with custodial advantages, and the children had actually not been returned home on time. But that's a rather typical event and not something where you just instantly assume kidnapping,' he said.

He added that there was no indication Decker would damage them.

'We're people too, you know, so the loss of a kid, the loss of 2 kids, the loss of three children is ... ravaging,' Loftis said. 'Everybody always aims to how we can improve.'

Wenatchee detectives contacted the patrol with extra information that caused the issuance of an Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA).

State police later dropped the EMPA without launching a public reason. The following day, the Wenatchee Police Department announced the ladies' deaths.

Whitney also specified in September divorce proceedings that he had actually been 'struggling to keep stability' given that they separated and it was starting to impact their daughters.

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office cautioned that Decker might be armed and not to approach him

The look for 32-year-old Decker magnified this week, as more than 100 Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) officers scoured hundreds of square miles of the Rock Island Campground in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in the Cascade Mountains

She said that at times he would have the ladies sleep at an armory while he remained in the National Guard, in spite of her objections, according to the Seattle Times.

She also stated Decker was prone to 'outbursts' and would enter into her house shouting for the ladies, whom he would often stop working to pick up after guaranteeing to do so.

In one circumstances, Whitney wrote that her youngest daughter, Olivia, called her weeping throughout a visit with Decker and said she could not discover her father - before Evelyn got home with welts in between her legs.

'I do not desire to keep Travis from the women at all,' Whitney composed in the court filing. 'To the contrary, I have bent over backwards to facilitate that relationship.

'But I can not have our women remaining in what is basically a homeless shelter, at times not being watched, with lots of unusual males or remaining in a camping tent or living in his truck with him, both in extreme temperatures and unknown locations for their security.'

The girls' maternal grandma likewise composed that Decker would drop off the women at irregular times, and they would often be upset or sobbing when they returned home.

'They are all happy, clever, well-adjusted women with the exception of when Travis brings them back to me after his visitations,' she wrote, according to the Seattle Times.

On Tuesday recently, a judge provided a warrant for Decker's arrest and ordered that he be held without bail.

Decker deals with 3 counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with his child's deaths

A GoFundMe was launched for Whitney as she faces the tragic deaths of her children

Decker is described as 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, with black hair used in a ponytail and brown eyes.

He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe set up for Whitney had raised over $1 million since Tuesday evening.

'These ladies held true light in this world and it is a darker location without them. I will miss out on seeing their sweet little faces,' a note on the fundraising page read.

'Send Whitney all of your prayers, love and assistance. Take some time to today to inform someone you love them.'