Police make worrying discovery in hunt for dad suspected of killing three daughters

Police hunting down dad-of-three Travis Decker, who is suspected of killing his young daughters, have made a chilling discovery.

The 33-year-old, from the US state of Washington, is the prime suspect in the investigation into the murders of Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and five-year-old Olivia.

The girls' bodies were tragically found at a campsite close to the city of Leavenworth on 2 June, three days after their mother, Whitney Decker, reported them missing.

Decker had collected his daughters on 30 May for a planned custody visit, which is the same date that the dad was last seen alive, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said.

Over the last three months, authorities have orchestrated a huge manhunt for the alleged killer, who is wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the first-degree.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said officials have 'carefully followed every tip in an extensive search over rough terrain and vast remote areas' in a statement earlier this week.

It said that despite the efforts of authorities, no evidence to indicate that Decker is either alive or dead had been found - until cops announced they had made a discovery days later.

Olivia, Paityn, and Evelyn were tragically found dead on 2 June, prompting officials to launch a huge manhunt for their father (Wenatchee Police Department)

The FBI and other law enforcement entities had launched a grid search operation within the vicinity of the Rock Island Campground, which is where Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia were found dead.

While wading through 'extremely heavy vegetation' and 'challenging' terrain, cops covered over 247 acres over the two-day search.

The FBI then shared an update on Friday (29 August) announcing that 'several items' had been recovered, which are now 'being examined to determine if they are related to this investigation'.

"Final results will take some time," the statement said. "Finding this potential evidence emphasises the value in having various teams search an area multiple times, especially in such challenging conditions."

Among these discoveries was a set of bones, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison later confirmed. Tests are now underway to confirm whether these items could belong to Decker, a former soldier who also served in the Washington National Guard for three years.

"The bones were found during the grid search by one of the 100 personnel," Sheriff Morrison told Wenatchee World. "It was inconclusive at the time if they were animal or human, so it was sent off to Central Washington University in their anthropology department to do a confirmation."

According to Fox News, the sheriff also added: "We recognise that the potential is it's not going to be a full skeleton. If we were to find one, there's going to be bits and pieces, because wildlife does spread remains around."

Police said bones had been found in the search for Travis Decker, 33, which are now undergoing analysis (Wenatchee Police Department)

FBI Seattle spokesperson Ted Halla also confirmed the discovery to USA Today, telling the outlet: "We can confirm that some bones were collected as part of the search activity earlier in the week around the Rock Island Campground."

Officials had previously advised the public that Decker should be considered armed and dangerous, urging people not to approach him but instead to alert authorities if they saw him.

There is a $20,000 reward for information leading directly to his arrest. Earlier this month, it emerged that Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia had passed away from suffocation - and horrifically, the sisters were each found with a plastic bag over their heads and their hands zip-tied together.

The only DNA found matched Decker's, which authorities said ' indicates that he is the only suspect involved in committing these homicides'.

The dad's mobile phone and truck were also discovered close to the murder scene, suggesting that he may have fled on foot.

Decker was last seen wearing a light-coloured t-shirt and dark shorts, while he is described as being a 5ft 8ins white man with black hair and brown eyes.

Investigators said he was homeless and living in his truck prior to the murders of his daughters.

Meanwhile, friends of the girls' mother have set up a GoFundMe to support any legal costs and expenses.