The Brief
- The U.S. Marshals Service released new photos detailing the challenging and extensive search for Travis Decker, accused of killing his three daughters.
- The images highlight the rugged mountainous terrain and specialized surveillance tactics, including snipers and spotting scopes, being used by authorities.
- Air support, including helicopters, is playing a crucial role in the coordinated ground and aerial efforts to locate the military-trained survivalist.
KITTITAS COUNTY, WASH – The U.S. Marshals Service has released new photographs offering a glimpse into the challenging and extensive search for Travis Decker, the military-trained survivalist accused of kidnapping and murdering his three young daughters.
The images underscore the rugged terrain and specialized efforts involved in tracking Decker, who has managed to evade capture for weeks in the Washington wilderness. Multiple agencies have been searching for over three weeks in Chelan and Kittitas counties.
What do the new Travis Decker search images show?
The U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group or SOG is working with the Border Patrol Tactical Unit and the King County Sheriff’s Office to try to locate Travis Decker. Photos on X and Instagram this week show them searching in the Colchuck Lake area.
The USMS SOG is the same team who located Eric Frein in Pennsylvania after 7 weeks of searching in the woods. He had killed one state trooper and wounded another. Likewise, the search for Decker could go on for weeks and weeks.
One photograph shows a U.S. Marshal in full camouflage, including a boonie hat, lying prone on a rocky outcrop. He appears to be observing the mountainous, snow-dusted landscape through a spotting scope or binoculars, with a blue lake in the distance. The image highlights the detailed surveillance being conducted in the remote and difficult environment.
Another photo depicts a marshal in similar camouflage, poised with a long-range precision rifle mounted on a bipod. He is in a seated position on a rocky, uneven surface, with jagged mountain peaks behind. This image suggests the presence of specialized tactical units involved in the search.
Two additional photos reveal the critical role of air support in the manhunt. One shows two U.S. Marshals on a snowy, rocky plain, looking up and pointing towards a King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter visible in the clear blue sky.…