Washington mom believes an Amber Alert may have saved her 3 daughters
The mother of three girls who officials say were killed by their father is calling for reforms to Washington state’s Amber Alert system after her daughters’ bodies were discovered and as officials search for the man.
Whitney Decker believes her daughters may still be alive had the Washington State Patrol issued an Amber alert for them last week, her attorney told NBC affiliate KING of Seattle on Thursday.
“It’s very important to Whitney to get that fixed,” said attorney Arianna Cozart.
Evelyn, 8, Paityn, 9, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on Monday, several days after their mother reported them missing. Their father, Travis Decker, 32, is wanted on first-degree murder charges in connection with the killings.
Authorities began searching for the girls Friday night after Whitney Decker filed a complaint that her ex-husband did not return the children after a planned visit, according to police.
Washington State Patrol issued an Endangered Missing Persons Advisory for the girls on Saturday. Unlike an Amber alert, the advisory does not send a text message to all cell phones in the surrounding area about the missing children.
A spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.
Cozart said that her client’s ex-husband had mental health issues and that local police relayed his illness to Washington State Patrol while pushing for an Amber alert unsuccessfully.
Court documents show that Whitney Decker told detectives she agreed to a parenting plan with her ex-husband in September. However, he refused to sign the document after he became homeless, according to the affidavit.
The agreement was contingent on Travis Decker seeking mental health treatment and domestic violence anger-management counseling, according to the affidavit. The military veteran never did, according to court documents.
The three girls were found zip-tied and with plastic bags over their heads near a campground in a remote part of the state, roughly 130 miles east of Seattle, according to the court document.
It is unclear if Travis Decker is armed, but officials said he is considered dangerous. Authorities said relatives informed them that Travis Decker has skills to survive outdoors for long stretches and would sometimes go “off-grid” for months.