The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office reported the discovery of human remains believed to belong to Travis Decker, the Washington state man accused of killing his three daughters.
The remains were located in a remote wooded area south of the city of Leavenworth, Washington, the sheriff’s office said in a statement obtained by CNN affiliate KOMO and shared with CNN.
“While identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest that the remains belong to Travis Decker,” the statement said.
CNN has reached out to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service for more details.
An intense search has been conducted for months to find Decker, accused of smothering his three daughters: Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn, 9. Their bodies were found with multiple plastic bags over their heads in an abandoned camp in Washington state, a remote and picturesque region known for its hiking and camping trails in rural areas.
The sisters had been reported missing by their mother days earlier, when Decker failed to bring them home on May 30 after what was supposed to be a three-hour visit ordered by a custody agreement.
Decker’s van was found abandoned in the area of Campsite Rock Island, a campsite in the Cascades, on June 2.
The bodies of their daughters were almost 90 meters away, in a small embankment, along with flanges and plastic bags scattered throughout the area, according to a police affidavit.
Authorities also found a bloody fingerprint on the back door of the van, as well as Decker’s dog.
DNA samples obtained from the bags and flanges found near their bodies matched Decker’s profile, the sheriff’s office said. No other DNA was found in the bags or in the brinds, authorities said at the time.
In the weeks since, local, state, and federal officials have sought out Decker, an army veteran skilled in survival in the wild, not knowing if he is still alive.
Drones, a fast-water team, corpse-simmer dogs, and even GoPros have been used in the search for several agencies, which has been complicated by the treacherous terrain and the fact that Decker had a three-day advantage.
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison previously told CNN that Decker probably escaped on foot after leaving his truck. He also left equipment, which means he was not prepared unless he hid supplies in the woods.
Since Thursday, authorities have been investigating the scene with the help of the Washington State Patrol crime scene response team, according to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office statement. The test will be followed by a DNA analysis.
CNN also reached out to the U.S. Marshals Service for more details.
The sheriff’s office said it had been in contact with the Decker family regarding their findings and the investigation.
This story has been updated.
CNN’s Cindy VonQuednow, Alaa Elassar, Danya Gainor, and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
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