THREE missing sisters have been found dead days after they were reported missing while visiting their dad.
Authorities are being accused of “failing” the sisters by not issuing an Amber Alert for them as cops launch a manhunt for their father, who is charged with kidnapping and killing them.
Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on Monday night after cops swarmed Rock Island Campground, about an hour outside of Wenatchee, Washington, where the girls lived with their mother.
Cops are now searching for Travis Decker, 32, who the girls were last seen with on what was supposed to be a three-hour custody visit on Friday.
Decker, who cops say is homeless, didn’t drop his daughters off at the end of the visit, prompting their mom to report them missing that night.
Washington State Patrol then issued an endangered missing persons alert for the siblings after Decker was seen leaving Wenatchee with the girls.
Cops decided not to send out an Amber Alert, designed to warn of child abductions, because they thought it was a custody issue.
“AMBER alerts involve more imminency, like we know something will happen, versus what we were dealing with over the weekend was more of an overdue child scenario,” Wenatchee Police Sergeant Joe Eaton told NCWLIFE.
Now, members of the public are lashing out at police for not doing more to alert people to the unfolding situation.
“This isn’t just heartbreaking, it’s infuriating,” one Facebook user commented on WPD’s Facebook post.
“These girls are gone because the system FAILED them. The police didn’t take it seriously, and the court system let them down too.
“There was a predator out there and instead of protecting our community, you stayed silent. No alerts, no warnings nothing.”
Another wrote, “How come an amber alert was not issued until it made national news? You failed this mother and her kids.
“The amber alert should have been issued the day he didn’t come back and no contact could be made.”
It’s unclear how the three girls died, but Decker has been charged with their murders.
Cops warned members of the public not to approach Decker, a veteran who they believe is mentally unstable.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14390060/travis-decker-missing-girls-sisters-dead-wenatchee/
