Community calls for change amid WA manhunt for triple murder suspect Travis Decker
Community calls for change amid manhunt for triple murder suspect Travis Decker
Friday marks two weeks since Whitney Decker first reported her three daughters were missing after they were with their dad, Travis Decker.
SEATTLE - Friday marks two weeks since Whitney Decker first reported her three daughters were missing after they were with their dad, Travis Decker. Just days later, investigators found them dead. Since then, crews have been working around the clock to find Decker and bring him to justice.
As the search continues, the community is also searching for answers and calling for change. "We are here because every child deserves to be safe, and we know that change begins when we come together in courage and care," Tamara Emerson, A4 Safety Alliance said.
Lawmakers, community members and advocates gathered in Seattle to hold a moment of silence for Paityn, Olivia and Evelyn and called for stronger child safety laws and changes in how amber alerts are issued.
What they're saying:
"All little girls should be alive, they should be growing, learning, laughing. Instead we’re left with an unspeakable sorrow and a burning question: how did our system fail to protect children," one speaker said.
"When we see things like this go down, we say what did we miss?" another speaker shared.
(Snohomish County Sheriff's Office)
"Children must have a voice because the worst possible outcome where our children lose their lives is not an outcome we can accept," a speaker said on Friday.
Kathy Sherlock flew in from Pennsylvania. Her 7-year-old daughter Kayden was murdered by her father during a court-ordered unsupervised parenting visit seven years ago.
"This has changed my life forever. Anger is an understatement for the system that failed Kayden and me," Sherlock said. Despite her efforts, an amber alert was not issued in her daughter’s case. She’s since created Kayden’s Law, which passed federally in 2022. It’s now in 10 states, but not Washington.
"Maybe if I was here to show up to the Olympia state capitol, maybe these little girls would be here," Sherlock said. "My heart is broken for the Decker family, I send my love to Whitney and everyone involved. I know what it’s like to lose a child and I don’t want any other mother to suffer this again," Sherlock said.
Friday’s call for change comes as the manhunt for Decker is now in its second week. Near the Mineral Springs campground on Highway 97, wanted posters can be seen as cars pass by.
Travis Decker search underway in Chelan County, Washington. (Chelan County Sheriff's Office / FOX 13 Seattle)
The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office urges people headed into the wilderness in and around the Teanaway valley and Blewett pass this weekend to be vigilant and alert to anything unusual.
"It’s definitely on people’s mind," Austin Sill, Assistant Manager at the Red Arrow Drive in said.
The restaurant also has flyers about Decker by the counter, and at the drive-thru. "To make sure people are seeing it, even if they don’t pay attention to it, just to have that in the back of their mind I think is very helpful for the process," Sill said.
A public memorial service honoring the three girls will be held on Friday, June 20 at Rocky Reach Park at 7 p.m.
In the meantime, investigators have said if you see Decker call 911.
The Source: Information for this story came from original FOX 13 interviews.
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