'System let Travis down': Attorney of mother of murdered daughters speaks out

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.

Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were killed after they left home for a "planned visitation" with Decker at approximately 5 p.m. on May 30, officials said. At approximately 3 p.m. on Monday, officials located Decker's vehicle unoccupied near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, and the bodies of the three girls, but "Decker was not located," police said.

As of Thursday, Decker may be traveling along the famed Pacific Crest Trail, officials said.

Authorities urged residents to keep windows and doors locked and leave lights on at night, Okanogan County Sheriff Office said Thursday evening.

Arianna Cozart, the attorney for Whitney Decker, the ex-wife of the suspected murderer, told ABC News that Decker -- who was a former member of the military -- struggled with mental health issues, including PTSD, and was unable to receive help through veterans' resources.

"The courts didn't fail these girls. It wasn't the judge and it wasn't Whitney; it was our system," Cozart said. "[Whitney] feels like the system really let Travis down. If somebody would have provided Travis with the help that he needed, those girls would be alive."

But before the girls disappeared last week, "there were no red flags," Cozart said.

"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 him and Whitney were able to communicate on a regular basis, not just as co-parents, but as friends," Cozart said.

The couple, who were married for 10 years, met online when Travis Decker was stationed at the joint army-air force base in Washington and "never spent a day apart after they met," Cozart said. Due to Decker's transfers while in the military, the two lived in Italy for two years and Georgia for another two years before moving to Wenatchee Valley, Cozart said.

Travis Decker's PTSD was something he "always carried with him" throughout their marriage, but did not begin to "spiral" until he got out of the active reserves in 2023, Cozart said. Throughout their time together, Cozart said Travis Decker would scream in the middle of the night, soak the bed and only get one or two hours of sleep.

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.

Then in September 2024, Whitney Decker -- who had full custody of the children -- decided to seek legal counsel and petitioned the court to "put restrictions in place on his parenting" due to "concerning factors regarding Travis' mental health and stability," Cozart said.

The court granted visitations for the father to visit the children for three hours on Fridays and eight hours every other weekend, so long as he remained in Wenatchee Valley with the girls, Cozart said.

Cozart said the parenting agreement was "working really well, until now."

"Something came out of this man and he broke, that's it. When that man picked up those girls, his babies, he did not have a plan to kill them; there's nothing that indicates that he did," Cozart said.

According to Cozart, Travis Decker picked up the girls on May 30, talked to his ex-wife for about 15 to 20 minutes and then left: "He said, 'Hey, I will see you at 8 [p.m.]' and he left, and he never came back," Cozart said.

Cozart said Whitney Decker emphasizes that his ex-husband never was violent toward her or her daughters, saying that he was an "active dad" who was always in attendance at his kids' dance classes, theater productions and soccer games.

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.

Despite her ex-husband being on the run for killing their daughters, Cozart said Whitney Decker has "a lot of love and empathy for Travis and who he is in his core."

"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.

Whitney Decker and Cozart are now advocating for change in the mental health resources accessible for veterans and are also working with law enforcement officials to come up with reforms for the Amber Alert system -- as one was not issued when the girls originally went missing last week.

"When there is a parent with limited visitation that has this history of mental health issues and is a military veteran with the training necessary to kill 100 different ways, that Amber Alert should have been issued," Cozart said.

Cozart, who had previously spent time with the three young sisters, described them as "full of light" and as "kind, compassionate little girls."

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. Decker's father is flying in to speak with detectives, officials said.

Officials said anyone who has any information on Decker or knows of his whereabouts should call 911 immediately.