Law enforcement makes contact with campers after possible Travis Decker sighting in Sawtooth Mountains
Published at | Updated at
KIVI and CNN
FAIRFIELD (KIVI) — In response to the potential sighting of murder suspect Travis Decker, U.S. Marshals and Forest Service officers began checking every camper, cabin, and campsite in the area.
“The law enforcement personnel have been calm and cool,” said Nick Yuri, who was staying at a rural cabin with his family, on Monday. “They informed us of everything we needed to know, and now they’re down here checking us again today.”
Decker, 32, is wanted by the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office in Washington on three counts of murder and three counts of kidnapping related to the deaths of his daughters, ages 5, 8, and 9, on May 30.
RELATED | Authorities are searching for a Washington state father of 3 dead girls
Yuri lives in Hansen full-time, but his family has a cabin in the rural Sawtooth area where the potential sighting of Decker took place.
“We have a cabin about halfway up, a little past Skunk Creek, towards the Methodist Church camp,” Yuri said.
Yuri mentioned that law enforcement approached him and his family on Sunday afternoon.
“They told us that they would be there last night and today. They mentioned they might use helicopters to search the mountains and check all the cabins, as well as talk to landowners. They were very nice and in and out quickly,” Yuri added.
While he is not fully up to date on the Decker case, Yuri knows what Decker is accused of in Washington state, but still feels safe in Idaho.
RELATED | Murder suspect Travis Decker possibly spotted in Idaho mountains
RELATED | Possible sighting of triple-murder suspect in Idaho
When asked if he feels safe, he responded, “Oh yeah, 100%. I don’t think he would go where people are; I think he’d keep walking.”
The family who possibly spotted Decker in Idaho described seeing a white man between 5’8″ and 5’10” with an overgrown beard and ponytail, who was wearing a black mesh cap, black gauged earrings, a cream colored T-shirt, black shorts a black Garmin watch, and “either Converse or Vans low top shoes.” The person sighted was also in possession of a black JanSport backpack.
Due to the rugged terrain, investigators brought in a helicopter to assist with the search, as well as dirt bikes and ATVs. They encourage everyone in the area to remain vigilant until the search is complete and to avoid picking up any hitchhikers.
Authorities in Washington state are continuing their search for Decker as well. Their search is focused in the Cascades near Leavenworth.
“It may work in our favor now that we have that many people out there just saturating that part of the county with camping, hiking and other recreating,” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told CNN.
“We’re not going to glorify his abilities. We don’t think that he’s some kind of special forces guru,” Morrison said. “He could get lucky at times, and eventually luck runs out.”
The U.S. Marshal’s Office has set up a tip line for anyone to report a potential sighting at (800) 336-0102. Idaho News 6 will continue to follow this story and bring you all the latest updates as they are released.