Feds take over manhunt for Washington father accused of killing 3 young daughters

After law enforcement officers spent days scouring a remote section of Washington state for a man accused of killing his three young daughters, the sheriff leading the manhunt turned the search over to federal authorities, officials said Monday

After law enforcement officers spent days scouring a remote section of Washington state for a man accused of killing his three young daughters, the sheriff leading the manhunt turned the search over to federal authorities, officials said Monday.

Since last week, the search for Travis Decker, 32, has covered hundreds of square miles by air, land and water, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release, and the department has reached the point “where we need to rest our local resources.”

“Our command staff continues to be engaged with the search command while we give our teams time off to rest and recuperate and be ready to rejoin the search for, and capture of, the suspect,” the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff’s office remains the lead agency in the criminal investigation into the deaths of Decker’s three daughters, Evelyn, 8, Paityn, 9, and Olivia Decker, 5, the department said.

Paityn, Olivia and Evelyn Decker. Whitney Decker via AP The girls were found dead June 2 near a campground east of Seattle after Decker failed to return them from a visitation three days before. An arrest warrant accuses him of first-degree murder and kidnapping.