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Originally Published: 25 SEP 25 19:05 ET

By Cindy Von Quednow, CNN

(CNN) — Travis Decker, the man believed to have suffocated and abandoned his three young daughters at a campsite in the Washington state wilderness, is dead, Chelan County authorities said Thursday.

Positive DNA results determined human remains authorities discovered last week, along with clothes that looked like what Decker was wearing on surveillance footage before he disappeared, were the fugitive’s, Chelan County Sheriff Michael Morrison said at a Thursday afternoon news conference.

The confirmation ends a monthslong saga punctuated by a family tragedy that touched an entire community.

A drone flying over the area on September 18 detected some unusual material on a mountainside in the Washington Cascades. Detectives with the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office rappelled from a helicopter and discovered the remains and items among a trove of evidence.

The search for Decker spanned three counties, led authorities to Canada and Mexico and involved several local and federal agencies, only for his remains to be found less than a mile from where the girls’ bodies were discovered.

Decker was charged with murdering his three daughters, 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evelyn and 9-year-old Paityn, not long after he picked them up from their mother for the custody visit on May 30.

Drones, a swift water team, cadaver dogs and even GoPros were used in the Cascade Mountain range outside the city of Leavenworth, a rural area known for its wild beauty and treacherous terrain.

The search was complicated by the fact that Decker had a three-day head start.

Decker’s truck was found abandoned in the area of Rock Island Campground on June 2. His daughters’ bodies were nearly 100 yards away down a small embankment, along with zip ties and plastic bags found strewn throughout the area, according to a police affidavit.

Authorities also found a bloody fingerprint on the truck’s tailgate, as well as Decker’s dog.

The sheriff hoped more people flocking to the popular area surrounding where the girls were found for the busy summer season would help in the search, but no trace of Decker was found all season.

The girls’ mother, Whitney Decker, told investigators her former husband had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and was homeless at the time of his disappearance.

Before the remains were determined to be Decker’s, Whitney Decker’s attorney, Arianna Cozart, told ABC News, “We are praying that the remains found are confirmed to be Travis’s. We continue to be grateful for law enforcement’s efforts in this case and are forever appreciative of the entire world’s love, compassion, and support for Whitney.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – It’s child passenger safety week, a time to make sure your young ones are getting to point A to point B safely. Child safety is important year-round, but with school back in session and after-school activities, more kids are traveling on the road. Parents and drivers are being reminded how to travel safely with children.

“It is a good time to bring awareness to that and make sure that you’ve got the proper car seat, the proper child seat, and make sure it’s installed correctly,” said Sgt. Bryan Lovell with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.

It’s important to know the details of your car seat because not all of them are the same. 

“Having the right car seat, the right size car seat for your child, is very important. They’re engineered in for safety, for certain sizes of children, you know, with the harnesses and the buckles and having them properly installed,” said Lovell.

If your car seat is a hand-me-down, do some research on it.

Check with the manufacturer, make sure it hasn’t been recalled, and make sure it’s not expired. 

“It’s important to check that because the materials used to make those car seats can break down over time,” said Lovell. “So the manufacturers should have a label or some sort of imprint on the car seat somewhere. It might be under the padding, under the plate, under the cloth, or under the padding of the seat. So you might have to lift some of that up to check.”

Some drivers think iit’s a short ride to ‘grandma’s house, it’s walking distance to church, I don’t need to put my child in a car seat,’ but you absolutely do.

“I see it a lot in traffic on some of the major arteries. And that’s probably the biggest mistake, because even a slow speed crash can cause a significant injury to the child and the people in the car,” said Lovell.

For more car seat resources, visit this link here.

Some very talented local performers are about to take off on the adventure of a lifetime. 

Twenty-four dancers from Extreme Ballroom in Idaho Falls have been invited to take the international stage at a very prestigious event in London called the Carl Alan Awards. 

The Carl Alan Awards is an awards event held annually in the United Kingdom, to honor people who have made a significant contribution to the dance industry.

Director for Extreme Ballroom, Staci Huston, said it is unusual for teams to go to this event, and considers the invitation a great honor.

“We were told that it’s the equivalent of the Oscars of dance,” Huston said. “So it’s really a prestigious event that we’re excited to be a part of. These kids have worked really, really hard, and they’re excellent dancers. They’re currently National Champions.”

Dancers from Extreme Ballroom will be performing alongside the top six ballroom and the top six latin couples in the world.

“Some of our biggest idols are these top professionals in the world that will be performing there as well, and we’ll be there,” said Macy, one of the ballroom dancers. “And so we’ll get to meet a lot of these really cool people that have inspired us and that are just amazing dancers. And so it’ll be really cool to be able to meet them.”

While the dancers are in London they will also be doing street performances and of course enjoying all the sights. They then travel to Paris, where they have performances scheduled as well. 

Staci Huston and the Extreme Ballroom team will be featured in an upcoming Community All Stars.

The following is a news release from Idaho Fish and Game.

POCATELLO, Idaho (News Release)—Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts planning to visit the western portions of the Bear Lake Plateau, specifically the Merkley Mountain/Mahogany Ridge areas and/or the Bear Lake State Park (IDPR-managed State Lands at the Utah border) in early October, should be aware that low-flying helicopters will be applying herbicide within Game Management Unit 76.

This aerial spraying effort aims to control invasive annual grasses, particularly cheatgrass, which threaten native plant communities, big game habitat, and increase wildfire risk.

Cheatgrass typically goes dormant in late summer to early fall, just before autumn rains begin. This timing is critical, as the herbicide being used also contains a pre-emergent, and treatment effectiveness will substantially improve if application occurs before seeds germinate. For the treatment to work best, rainfall would follow within a couple of weeks to help carry the herbicide into the soil. The optimal application window is between late August and early October.

Spraying is scheduled to begin on October 1 and could continue through October 9, depending on suitable weather and wind conditions. The helicopter conducting the treatments can be identified by large sprayer booms extending from each side of the aircraft.

Treatment areas are depicted on the map. The entire treatment is expected to be completed over 3-4 days, covering approximately 3,500 acres in total.

Helicopters and ground crews will be staging at various locations near the treatment zones. For public safety, hunters and recreationists are asked to avoid active spray zones while work is underway.

“Areas targeted for treatment are within priority habitat for greater sage grouse and an important migratory corridor and winter range for elk and mule deer. Treatment goals are to reduce fire risk and intensity, increase native vegetation abundance/diversity and improve wildlife habitat,” said Houston Kimes, Regional Farmbill Biologist. According to Kimes, “annual grasses, like cheatgrass, are highly competitive, which can negatively impact native forb and grass growth. By reducing cheatgrass on this landscape, we hope to reduce the likelihood and intensity of wildfires, while also increasing beneficial forage for wildlife and livestock and improving landscape resiliency.”

This project is a collaborative effort involving Idaho Fish and Game, the U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Department of Lands, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge, Idaho Parks and Recreation, Natural Resource Conservation Service and private landowners.

For more information, contact Houston Kimes at the Southeast Regional Office at 208-232-4703 or Dave Price at USFWS, 208-380-6062.