West
Triple murder suspect dad seen in police footage days before daughters found dead
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Newly released police dashcam footage shows the military-trained Washington father accused of murdering his three daughters just days before the girls’ bodies were discovered.
Travis Decker is wanted for his alleged involvement in the brutal killings of his three daughters – Olivia, 5, Paityn, 9, and Evelyn, 8 – before disappearing into the nearby wilderness, sparking a weekslong manhunt that remains ongoing as authorities search for the father.
In the footage obtained by Fox 13, Decker can be seen wearing a blue shirt and shorts, calmly interacting with police after receiving a ticket following a minor car accident.
MANHUNT FOR SUSPECTED WASHINGTON KILLER DAD GOES COLD IN IDAHO AFTER FALSE ALARM SIGHTING
Travis Decker is seen speaking with an officer from the Wenatchee Police Department after rear-ending another vehicle three days before his three daughters were allegedly murdered. (Wenatchee Police Department)
The incident occurred on May 27, three days before the three girls failed to return home to their mother after a court-mandated custody visitation with Decker.
An officer from the Wenatchee Police Department arrived on the scene to find Decker and another man – who is not related to the case – standing in a local Safeway parking lot.
Decker had rear-ended another vehicle that had slowed for traffic, damaging his truck’s front bumper, according to the police report obtained by Fox 13. He was subsequently issued an infraction via mail for driving without insurance and following too closely.
The Wenatchee Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
TRAIL GROWS COLD IN MANHUNT FOR SURVIVALIST FATHER AS AUTHORITIES REACH BREAKING POINT: ‘I’M STILL ANGRY’
Travis Decker is accused of murdering his three daughters before disappearing into the Washington wilderness. (Chelan County Sheriff’s Office)
In the video, Decker appears to look relaxed as he leans against the back of his truck while speaking with the officer.
Three days later, the father of three was reportedly “quieter than usual,” appearing out of character as he met his daughters for the planned visitation, according to the local outlet.
Days after Decker’s ex-wife reported the three girls missing on the evening they were supposed to return home from their visit, the young children were found asphyxiated to death in a local camping ground just feet away from Decker’s abandoned truck.
MANHUNT FOR FATHER ACCUSED OF KILLING 3 DAUGHTERS TAKES GRIM TURN IN WILDERNESS
This undated photo provided by Whitney Decker shows Paityn, Olivia and Evelyn Decker. (Whitney Decker via AP)
Authorities from local, state and federal agencies – including the U.S. Marshals Service – subsequently launched an extensive manhunt for Decker, who authorities have described as a military-trained survivalist.
On July 5, authorities received a tip from a family reporting seeing a man fitting the description of Decker in the Bear Creek area of Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest. However, the lead proved to be false after police announced they located the man believed to be Decker and confirmed the father was not spotted in the wilderness.
Officials warn Decker should be considered armed and dangerous, but insist there is no reason to believe he poses a threat to the public. He is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for any information leading to Decker’s arrest.
Read the full article from Here
Hawaii
Principal honors Obama as ‘Child of Hawaii’ at library opening – AsAmNews
The honor of introducing former President Barack Obama at the grand opening of his new presidential library in Chicago Thursday went to Dr. Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe of Hawaii.
Hawaii News Now reports that Lipe participated in the inaugural cohort of the Asia-Pacific Leaders Program in 2019 and is currently the principal at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama.
“Where I come from, to introduce someone means we have pilina, a connection. If this man walked into my home, my children would call him uncle because we are both keiki o ka ʻāina, children of Hawaii,” she said in her remarks.
She told those in attendance that the former president and herself are both “children of Hawaii.” Obama lived on the island and attended Punahou School and lived in Hawaii for eight years until his graduation from high school.
Lipe said being children of Hawaii carries with it a “sacred responsibility to care for those who we may never meet.”
She made reference to the resilient Hawaiian shrub, the Like a’ali’i.
“The a’ali’i thrives by being deeply rooted, resilient through storm and drought, and fiercely responsive. That is what ‘yes, we can’ means to my indigenous heart. It demands that we remain unshakably rooted in truth, resilient through trial, and so responsive that just as this plant yields its leaves for medicine, its blooms for beauty, and its timber for protection, we become the healing, the vibrance, and the shelter needed by our communities and by grandmother earth.”
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Idaho
Mountain Home neighbors kickoff Juneteenth celebrations as Idaho marks 25 years of recognition
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — Mountain Home neighbors are coming together this weekend to honor Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
June 19 marks the day enslaved people in Galveston Bay, Texas, were freed — more than 2 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
WATCH | Mountain Home marks 25 years of Juneteenth Celebrations—
Mountain Home celebrates Juneteenth with a weekend of community events
The Mountain Home Juneteenth Committee hosts an annual Juneteenth 5K to honor the holiday. Saturday’s festivities continue at noon at Carl Miller Park with food, live music, games, and more.
Committee Vice President Dylisaly Reed said this year’s event marks an important milestone. 25 years ago, efforts led by former Mountain Home Mayor Joe B. McNeal helped Idaho become one of the first states to officially observe Juneteenth — though the holiday did not become an official state and federal holiday until 2021.
“It took the help and the foresight and the running, and the legacy of Dirk Kempthorne and Joe B. McNeil, who did what they had to do in order to make this happen for us,” Reed said.
RELATED | Idaho Black History Museum commemorates Juneteenth
Many neighbors said they only learned about Juneteenth a few years ago. Purvis Cowens, who attended the Mountain Home Juneteenth 5K, said awareness remains a challenge.
“We don’t talk about it in school. A lot of people of color are really not familiar with it,” Purvis Cowens said. “So it’s a good deal to get it out there and get it in the community.”
To help change that, the committee uses money raised through its events to fund 5 scholarships for local high school seniors, who write essays about what Juneteenth means to them.
Charlotte Cowens, who hosts the Mountain Home Juneteenth 5K, said understanding history is essential.
“It’s nice to know history because you got to know your history to know where you’re going. So if you don’t know where you came from, you never know where you’re going,” Charlotte Cowens said.
Reed said the scholarship has already made a meaningful impact.
“This was a young Caucasian gentleman, and he won, and he said when he did the research for his essay, he found out so many things he absolutely just never knew. And that’s all we want,” Reed said.
The committee said these events and the scholarship funds wouldn’t be possible without their sponsors, including Freer Foundation, Mountain Home Black History Committee, St. Luke’s, A Taste of Texas, and many more local businesses and churches.
To learn more about the Mountain Home Juneteenth Committee and this weekend’s events, click here.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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