Court Audio Captures Travis Decker Saying His Daughters Were Safe with Him. Now He’s Accused of Killing All 3

Newly released court audio this week captures Travis Decker fighting to keep his three daughters for overnight visits and swearing he’s never done anything to put them at risk.

Decker, 32, has been the subject of an ongoing manhunt after authorities charged him with murder and kidnapping in connection with the deaths of Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5. The sisters were found dead near Decker’s abandoned pickup truck at a remote campground in Chelan County, Wash., on June 2, PEOPLE previously reported, citing authorities. 

Decker hasn’t been seen since May 30 when he picked up his daughters for a court-ordered visitation and never returned. The sisters’ mother and Decker’s ex-wife, Whitney Decker, reported the girls missing to Wenatchee police shortly after, telling investigators that while he struggled with mental health issues, he had never not brought the girls back or stopped answering his phone, per a probable cause affidavit previously obtained by PEOPLE.

Now, in court audio obtained by News Nation and dated Sept. 27, 2024, it was revealed that Decker lost overnight custody and often took his daughters to populated, paid campsites.

“We’ve never done anything that was unsafe or anything that I would not want to put myself in,” Decker says.

When the Washington State Patrol put out a missing/endangered person alert for the girls, police described Decker as someone who was “homeless and living in his vehicle or at various hotels/motels or at campgrounds in the area.”

Decker added, “I understand that my current position when I’m by myself isn’t ideal, but my daughters aren’t a part of that. I only get to see them over the weekends and camping is something that the four of us have done since the three of them were in diapers.”

He further notes that he’s “never done anything” that “puts them in any sort of a risk,” adding that the campsites he took the girls to were “almost completely booked out or sold out.”

In a September 2024 parenting plan filed in Chelan County Superior Court and viewed by PEOPLE, Whitney sought to limit Decker’s time with their daughters.

In a separate filing, also viewed by PEOPLE, Whitney claimed that Travis had “neglected his parental duties towards a child” and “has a long-term emotional or physical problem that gets in the way of his ability to parent.”

Ultimately, Decker was granted visitation with his daughters for three hours on Fridays and eight hours every other weekend, as long as he stayed in Wenatchee Valley, per the parenting plan.

In the filing, Whitney also requested that Travis undergo an anger management and domestic violence evaluation, as well as a comprehensive psychiatric assessment by a licensed psychiatrist to determine any potential diagnoses. The filing stated that if Decker didn’t follow through with these things, the “mother will have the choice to further limit visitation.”

The search for Decker continues, though on June 10, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said they had tracked a subject believed to be Decker to the Blewett Pass area near Highway 97 in Washington state. 

Authorities are asking anyone who has seen Decker to call 911 immediately. People can also call the CCSO tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit information to the tip line online.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.