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Fugitive dad accused of killing 3 daughters may have been seen in Idaho

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Fugitive dad accused of killing 3 daughters may have been seen in Idaho


The Army veteran accused of killing his three daughters in Washington state and disappearing into the wilderness for weeks may have been spotted in an Idaho forest, federal authorities said.

The person believed to be Travis Decker, 32, was seen in Sawtooth National Forest, hundreds of miles from the campground where the bodies of his young daughters were found June 2, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

In a news release Sunday, the agency said the tip came from a family who reported having seen a man matching Decker’s description in the national forest’s Bear Creek area, east of Boise.

Travis Decker.Wenatchee Police Department

The man was described as 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches, wearing a black mesh cap, black gauged earrings, black shorts, low-top Vans or Converse shoes and a cream T-shirt. He had a long ponytail, an overgrown beard and a mustache and a black backpack, the agency said.

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He was said to be wearing a black Garmin-style watch.

The Marshals Service warned people Monday not to fly drones in the area and to avoid picking up hitchhikers.

Authorities have described Decker, who was an active-duty member of the Washington State National Guard, as an avid outdoorsman known to go “off-grid” for months.

Law enforcement officers have investigated “dozens and dozens” of potential sightings and tips linked to Decker, but he appears to have been seen only once, nearly a month ago, in the Blewitt Pass area of Washington.

After a report from hikers, a tracking team in a helicopter described seeing a “lone, off-trail hiker” who ran from the aircraft.

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Weeks later, on Tuesday, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said there was no evidence to suggest Decker was alive or dead.

His daughters, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were found dead in a remote area near Leavenworth, roughly 135 miles east of Seattle, after Decker failed to return them to his ex-wife. According to an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant, the girls had been zip-tied and had bags over their heads.

An autopsy attributed their deaths to suffocation.

Decker’s pickup was found near the girl’s bodies, and the sheriff’s office said an analysis of bloody handprints on the vehicle’s tailgate matched Decker’s DNA profile.

Whitney Decker was married to Travis Decker for seven years and described their divorce to authorities as amicable, according to the affidavit. The detective who wrote the affidavit noted that Travis Decker refused to sign a parenting plan last year and did not seek court-mandated mental health treatment and domestic violence anger management counseling.

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Decker is wanted on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping. He is also wanted on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

According to an affidavit in support of the federal charge, authorities discovered that in the days before the girls’ deaths, Decker appears to have searched Google for information related to Canada.

“How does a person move to canada” and “how to relocate to canada” were among the search terms linked to Decker’s Google account on May 26, according to the warrant. The deputy U.S. marshal who wrote the warrant noted that the victims were found 11 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, a well-established path that leads to Canada.

The possible sighting in Sawtooth National Forest is more than 500 miles in the other direction.



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Idaho

1 dead in U-Haul truck explosion in Idaho parking lot: Officials

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1 dead in U-Haul truck explosion in Idaho parking lot: Officials


ByMatthew Fuhrman and Nadine El-Bawab

Sunday, December 14, 2025 4:44PM

1 dead in U-Haul truck explosion in Idaho parking lot: Officials

One person is dead after a U-Haul truck appears to have accidentally exploded in a parking lot in Idaho early Saturday, according to officials.

The explosion caused damage within the blast radius including to a Courtyard Marriott and Old Navy, according to the Lewiston Fire Department and City of Lewiston Police Department.

Initial findings indicate the vehicle was transporting stored materials, including flammable items such as gasoline and propane tanks, according to officials.

“At this time, there is no indication the incident is criminal in nature,” Lewiston Fire Marshal Julian Sorrell said in a statement.

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There was no fire after the explosion, officials said.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

Copyright © 2025 ABC News Internet Ventures.



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Meridian man killed in U-Haul explosion in Lewiston

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Meridian man killed in U-Haul explosion in Lewiston


The identity of the man killed in an explosion in Lewiston on Saturday morning has been released.

61-year-old Douglas R. Petersen from Meridian, Idaho, was identified by the Nez Perce County Coroner’s office as the victim of an explosion involving propane that was in the cargo box of a U-Haul truck



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2 Idaho Lottery players will be millionaires in the new year – East Idaho News

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2 Idaho Lottery players will be millionaires in the new year – East Idaho News


BOISE – Two lucky Idaho Lottery players who participated in the 2025 Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle will begin the New Year as Idaho’s newest millionaires!

All 500,000 tickets in the Idaho Lottery’s traditional holiday game, the Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle, have been sold and the game has officially ended. The last ticket was sold Thursday, December 11.

This year’s game was one of the fastest-selling in the 19-year history of the Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle. After last year’s very successful game, the Idaho Lottery continued the game with two top prizes of $1,000,000. They also added a $100,000 prize and a $50,000 prize.

It is the 18th sellout and the 11th time the game has sold out before Christmas.

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“We want to remind everyone this game features two, one-million-dollar top prizes. Last year, unfortunately, one of those $1,000,000 prizes was never claimed,” said Andrew Arulanandam, Idaho Lottery Director. “Keep your tickets in a safe place and remember to go online and check them after the drawing.”

The winning numbers will be announced at 5:59 p.m. Mountain Time on Monday, December 29.

“Idaho Raffle tickets are popular holiday gifts. So, this year, two lucky Idahoans could be instant millionaires because of their stocking stuffers!” added Arulanandam.

Players can check their tickets for winning numbers online, at all Idaho Lottery retail locations, on the Idaho Lottery winning numbers hotline at (208) 334-4656, or by using the Idaho Lottery Check-a-Ticket app for their iPhone or Android phone.

Besides the guaranteed top prizes of $1,000,000, there are over 21,500 additional prizes ranging from $15 up to $100,000. This year’s game also featured twenty, $1,000 prizes mid-game for players who purchased one of the 25,000th tickets. There were 15 daily, $1,000 winners during the first 15 days of sales. All players are encouraged to check their tickets for these promotion winners manually by visiting idaholottery.com.

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All winning tickets of $1,000 and higher in this game must be claimed at Lottery offices in Boise. Players will have 180 days after the draw announcement on December 29, to claim their prizes.

This year’s Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle generated over $1.7 million for the Idaho Lottery’s beneficiaries, Idaho public schools and buildings.

During this gift giving season, the Idaho Lottery would like to remind everyone to gift Lottery tickets responsibly. You must be 18 years old to buy, sell, or redeem Lottery products in Idaho.

The following is a current list of $1,000 promotional winning tickets that remain unclaimed from this year’s Raffle:

  • 035429
  • 099040
  • 122908
  • 149710
  • 158289
  • 173160
  • 192289
  • 350000
  • 425000
  • 450000
  • 475000
  • 500000

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