Authorities searching for Washington state father of 3 dead girls

A man in central Washington state is wanted for murder after his three young daughters were reported missing and then found dead.

Authorities asked the public Tuesday for help finding Travis Decker, 32, who is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping, according to police in Wenatchee, about 100 miles east of Seattle.

Police said it was unknown whether Decker, a former Army soldier with “extensive training,” was armed.

On Friday the mother of the girls, ages 9, 8 and 5, reported that their father did not return them after a planned visit, police said.

Over the weekend authorities looked for the children and for Decker, who was believed to be living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup with Washington plates.

Decker’s unoccupied truck was found Monday near a campground, police said, and officers found the girls’ bodies during a search.

Anyone who may have seen Decker since Friday or knows his current location was asked to call 911.

“Due to safety concerns do not attempt to contact or approach Decker,” police said.

The Wenatchee School District said the girls were students of Lincoln Elementary. Counseling services were available, and the district asked people to respect the privacy of students, staff members and families and come to the campus only for regular school business.

It was not known how long the girls were with Decker before their mother contacted police, according to Capt. Brian Chance.

“What prompted her to call us was that … he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary,” Chance said.

Decker and the girls’ mother are divorced, Chance said. He did not have details on how the girls were killed or on Decker’s employment.

In addition to living out of his truck, Decker is known to occasionally stay in motels, Chance said.

Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, which found the truck, was leading the search in the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest area while other teams followed up on “potential credible information and tips” regarding Decker’s location, the agency said in a statement.