Travis Decker lookalike mistaken for fugitive in Idaho manhunt
IDAHO - A man recently found himself at the center of one of the largest manhunts in Washington history, all due to a case of mistaken identity. Now, he's sharing his experience.
Following a recent hike in Idaho, the man found himself reading the description of a person thought to possibly be Travis Decker. The suspected triple murderer has been on the run for over a month and a half.
Travis Decker (Chelan County Sheriff's Office)
Law enforcement showed up at the man's workplace after he called in to let them know they had the wrong guy.
Keep reading to find out what he posted to Reddit about his experience.
Was Travis Decker spotted in Idaho?
Local outlets in Idaho spoke with the man suspected of being Decker. He is reportedly identifying himself in the media only by his first name, Nick.
Timeline:
During a Fourth of July camping trip, Nick said he was hiking up the 888 Jeep trail in the morning. When his friend had to go home, he says he went solo down the 889 Bear Creek trail on July 5.
The next day, Sunday, he returned home safely to find people sending him news articles about a Travis Decker sighting in the area he was staying in.
Possible Travis Decker sighting, WA triple-murder suspect, in Idaho
There has been a possible sighting of Travis Decker, the man accused of killing his three daughters near a Leavenworth campground over a month ago, in Idaho. Fox 13's Shirah Matsuzawa joins from the newsroom with more information.
"We thought we stayed in the area with a killer. On Tuesday the dots started connecting as news developed with better detail and I realized someone reported me as Decker," read his post the following week.
At the time of the sighting, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Michael Leigh weighed in on the claims.
What they're saying:
"This weekend on Saturday we had a tipster report seeing someone who matched the description of Travis Decker," Leigh added that the tipster "described his tattoos pretty accurately, and it's believed they had not seen previous pictures of those tattoos. And since putting out the media releases, we received additional tips - corroborate the eyewitnesses' encounter with potentially Travis Decker."
When a commenter asked if he thought he looked like the fugitive, Nick said, "By the description on paper and how I was dressed, yes. By photograph, absolutely not."
Law enforcement investigates claims of Travis Decker sighting
Nick called the Fairfield Ranger Station, in the area of the sighting to let them know police were looking for the wrong guy. He said he was concerned about vital resources being pulled away from the search for the real Decker to find him.
Travis Decker (FOX 13 Seattle)
Within hours of talking with someone at the station, he said multiple plain-clothes officers showed up at his workplace to investigate the claims.
This is when, on July 9, U.S. Marshals called off the search for Travis Decker in Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest.
The Source: Information in this story came from posts on Reddit.
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