Travis Decker, the father accused of murdering his three young daughters near a Washington campground, lacked mental health resources and struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, his ex-wife’s attorney told ABC News.
It was Travis Decker who initiated ending his marriage with Whitney Decker in 2023, because he “felt like he wasn’t worth it,” Cozart said.
In the past week, Travis Decker began telling his ex-wife that he had “nothing except for you and the girls,” but that did not raise concern for Whitney Decker, Cozart said.
“He was a loving man, but something broke and whatever monster came out of him, it’s something that he was trained to do in the military,” Cozart said.
Travis Decker, who is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes, was last seen wearing a light shirt and dark shorts, according to police.
According to his ex-wife’s lawyer, Travis Decker, the father who is suspected of killing his three young daughters close to a campground in Washington, failed to access mental health services and battled PTSD, ABC News reported.
Around 5:00 p.m., Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were murdered after leaving their house for a “planned visitation” with Decker. m. officials stated on May 30. Nearly three o’clock. A. The bodies of the three girls and Decker’s car were found without occupants on Monday in Chelan County, Washington, but “Decker was not located,” according to the police.
Decker might be following the renowned Pacific Crest Trail as of Thursday, according to officials.
On Thursday night, the Okanogan County Sheriff Office issued a warning to the public, asking them to leave lights on at night and to keep windows and doors locked.
Whitney Decker, the ex-wife of the suspected murderer, suffered from mental health problems, including PTSD, and was unable to access veterans’ resources for assistance, according to Arianna Cozart, her lawyer, who spoke to ABC News.
These girls were not let down by the courts. “It was our system, not the judge or Whitney,” Cozart stated. “[Whitney] believes Travis was let down by the system. Travis would still be alive today if someone had given him the support he required. “..”.
“There were no red flags,” however, Cozart said, prior to the girls’ disappearance last week.
“He had some mental health issues and some instability in his life that really led to the restrictions as far as overnight visitation or him taking them out of the area, but other than that, he loved those girls very much and he and Whitney were able to communicate on a regular basis, not just as co-parents but as friends,” claimed Cozart.
The ten-year married couple “never spent a day apart after they met,” according to Cozart. They met online when Travis Decker was assigned to the joint army-air force base in Washington. According to Cozart, the two spent two years in Italy and two more years in Georgia due to Decker’s military transfers before relocating to the Wenatchee Valley.
Cozart stated that although Travis Decker’s PTSD was something he “always carried with him” during their marriage, it didn’t start to “spiral” until he was released from the active reserves in 2023. Cozart claimed that during their time together, Travis Decker would only get one or two hours of sleep, soak the bed, and scream in the middle of the night.
In 2023, Travis Decker took the initiative to dissolve his marriage to Whitney Decker, claiming that he “felt like he wasn’t worth it,” according to Cozart.
After that, in September 2024, Whitney Decker, who was granted full custody of the children, sought legal advice and asked the court to “impose restrictions on his parenting” because of “concerning factors regarding Travis’ mental health and stability,” according to Cozart.
As long as the father stayed in Wenatchee Valley with the girls, the court allowed him to see the kids for three hours on Fridays and eight hours every other weekend, according to Cozart.
As of right now, the parenting agreement is “working really well,” according to Cozart. “.
“This man just broke after something came out of him. There is no evidence that the man had any plans to kill those girls, his babies, when he picked them up,” Cozart continued.
Cozart claims that Travis Decker picked up the girls on May 30 and spoke with his ex-wife for 15 to 20 minutes before departing: “He said, ‘Hey, I will see you at 8 [p.m. m. “and he went, and he never returned,” Cozart remarked.
According to Cozart, Whitney Decker highlights that his ex-husband was never violent toward her or her daughters, describing him as an “active dad” who regularly attended his children’s soccer matches, theater plays, and dance lessons.
According to Cozart, Travis Decker started telling his ex-wife that he had “nothing except for you and the girls” within the last week, but Whitney Decker was unconcerned.
Cozart claimed Whitney Decker has “a lot of love and empathy for Travis and who he is in his core,” even though her ex-husband is currently wanted for the murders of their daughters. “..”.
According to Cozart, “He was a loving man, but something broke and whatever monster came out of him is something that he was trained to do in the military.”.
In addition to working with law enforcement to develop reforms for the Amber Alert system, which was not in place when the girls first vanished last week, Whitney Decker and Cozart are now pushing for changes to the mental health resources available to veterans.
“An Amber Alert should have been issued when a parent with limited visitation had a history of mental health issues and was a military veteran who had the training to kill 100 different ways,” Cozart stated.
Cozart, who had known the three young sisters before, called them “kind, compassionate little girls” and “full of light.”. “.”.
Police have reported that Travis Decker, who is 5’ 8″ tall, has brown eyes and black hair, was last seen wearing dark shorts and a light shirt. According to officials, Decker’s father is flying in to talk to detectives.
Authorities advised anyone with information about Decker or his whereabouts to contact 911 right away.
