Police ‘Closing In’ on Travis Decker, Dad Accused of K***ing His 3 Young Daughters, amid Ongoing Manhunt: ‘He Is Surrounded’

“There is nowhere that he’s going to be able to go that we don’t have units waiting for him,” Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said during a press conference on Wednesday, June 11

Travis Decker.Credit : Wenatchee Police Department via AP

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Police have said they believe they are “closing in” on Travis Decker, the man accused of killing his three young daughters, amid the ongoing manhunt
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said during a press conference on Wednesday, June 11 that officers had “found items that are of interest to us”
“He is surrounded, Washington state knows who he is … he’s got a lot of ground to cover, eventually he’s going to tire and he’s going to make a mistake,” Morrison insisted

Police believe they’re “closing in” on missing father Travis Decker, who is suspected of killing his three young girls over a week ago, amid the ongoing manhunt.

While speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, June 11, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison gave an update on the search, nine days after Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on Monday, June 2.

The girls were discovered deceased at 3:45 p.m. local time after authorities located their father’s car near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington state, the Wenatchee Police Department previously said in a release on Tuesday, June 3. They hadn’t been seen since heading off with their father for a planned visitation on Friday, May 30.

Olivia Decker, Evelyn Decker, Paityn Decker.Wenatchee Police Department

In a Monday, June 9 press release shared with PEOPLE, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) confirmed an autopsy had been completed by the medical examiner.

“The cause of death was determined to be suffocation and the manner of death was determined to be homicide,” the release stated.

After the CCSO released another update on Tuesday, June 10 to confirm authorities had tracked a subject believed to be Decker to the Blewett Pass area near Highway 97 in Washington, Morrison told reporters they had “found items that are of interest to us,” per a news conference clip shared by KING 5 Seattle on Wednesday.

“We believe we are closing in on his trail,” Morrison insisted, stating that officers had followed up with some of the suspect’s friends and family.

“There is nowhere that he’s going to be able to go that we don’t have units waiting for him,” he insisted of Decker amid the ongoing search.

The officer told reporters, “He is surrounded, Washington state knows who he is … he’s got a lot of ground to cover, eventually he’s going to tire and he’s going to make a mistake,” later adding that Decker will be the one “to dictate how this ends.”

Travis Decker.Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Facebook

Morrison said earlier in the conference, “Every single day Travis is out there, he’s going to have to aim for perfection. He’s not going to be able to make a mistake because all we need is one mistake and one day to go in our favor and he’s going to be in our custody.”

The officer admitted the “biggest challenge” for authorities searching the area had been the terrain, pointing out, “Another unique feature we do have in our favor is that we are a tourist destination, so we have a lot of people out there…on those trails.”

“If you are going to come here, of course be safe, but help us, be those additional eyes and let him know that he has no safe spot to go,” he urged.

Morrison had said elsewhere in the conference that authorities were switching up their tactics, but that didn’t mean the investigation was slowing down.

“You will see a change in our tactics as we proceed forward,” the officer told reporters. “You will not see the amount of resources that we have had out there, but you are seeing a different element of our approach.”

The news conference comes after the CCSO said in the June 10 press release that they’d “recently received a tip from a hiking party who stated they spotted a lone hiker in the Enchantments area who appeared to be ill prepared for trail and weather conditions, and appeared to be avoiding others.”

“Tracking teams immediately acted upon the information and spotted a lone, off trail hiker from a helicopter near Colchuck Lake who ran from sight as the helicopter passed,” the CCSO added. “Additional assets were called to the area while they developed a plan to track the individual. Teams later picked up a trail and deployed K9s to the area, tracking the subject to the area of Ingalls Creek Trailhead on HWY 97.”

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Police said anyone who has been camping in the area within the last week and might have noticed anything suspicious should call the tip line.

Decker has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree kidnapping and custodial interference.

A GoFundMe page set up to help the girls’ mother, and Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney Decker, with expenses and legal costs amid the tragic loss had raised over $1.2 million as of Thursday, June 12.