Wenatchee, WA mayor speaks about Travis Decker manhunt

Wenatchee Mayor discusses the Travis Decker case

Travis Decker, the suspect in a triple homicide, remained at large Monday as law enforcement continued an extensive search after weeks of efforts. Wenatchee Mayor Mike Poirier addressed the city's handling of the ongoing case.

WENATCHEE, Wash. - In the wake of the devastating murders of the Decker sisters, and the ongoing manhunt for their father, Travis Decker, Wenatchee mayor Mike Poirier is speaking sharing his side.

What they're saying:

Poirier says while Wenatchee's population is just 35,000, the impact of the tragedy has resonated globally, leaving the small town to grapple with grief as a fugitive father remains unaccounted for. He also emphasized the emotional toll the murders took, urging the community to embrace eachother and connect during this difficult time.

"It's a process that we have that we really need to have a lot of healing," Poirier said.

The city is actively providing resources to help those directly affected, including free counseling services for schools and the community.

Poirier acknowledged ongoing conversations about potential changes in laws and services, highlighting a fundraiser initiated by the sisters' mother, Whitney Decker, which aims to drive positive change beyond Wenatchee, focusing on broader societal improvements.

Here's what Poirier told FOX 13:

"You know, our population is 35,000, and like you mentioned, it has reached the globe. It's a process that we have that we really need to have a lot of healing. The family has reached out to our community. Our community is reaching out and it's just a different feel when you walk around our city right now. It's, I tell people, don't forget to give a hug today. Don't forget the do something. And it's really interesting. And today for me, it's, every day is emotional. This is something we'll never forget. And how do we go from here for our healing process?"

"For the family of the school, the schools hired counseling. Of course, the school just got out last week, but they have counseling accessible. Every counseling service is a free counseling service for anybody in our community. And I think for people, it's just that back to the acknowledgment. Like, for example, Olivia liked the color green. So I'm trying to wear a little green. Paityn liked purple, so I wore a purple shirt. Of course, I'm getting emotional. Because it is a tough thing for our town. And I don't want to forget Evelyn, you know, eight years old, and she loved pink. But it's just a picture, how much we need to appreciate each other, what processes we need to look at for our future. Did we do everything correctly? Which I believe we did do. We did do correct things, but how do we go from here to improve if that's what you need? I really want to recognize the family. And support them for whatever they need for our city."

"As you know, there's been the the the mom Whitney put on Facebook for a there's a fundraiser for her and there's tons of money. Of course, no money doesn't matter how much money it doesn't mean anything. But I think the goal is going to be to have that money to help make changes for the better for throughout our whole country, not just through the city of Wenatchee. And I think that they're looking at the families looking at a bigger picture of what we can do, you know, services, veteran services. Where do we go from here and I think that's important that we recognize again the family that when they reached out to me a couple times and I've been reaching out to them for whatever they need but yeah this is a this is again something that we can't can you imagine a five-year-old little girl in that situation and I will take the assumption that the dad did murder him. And can you imagine being there and say, Dad? Daddy, can you imagine that? I can't imagine that. And I've had, everybody has nightmares, but can you image, this is beyond a nightmare. This is something that should affect us. And again, never forget and remember to support each other in a time of need and even in not a time a need."

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