It’s been more than a week, and the manhunt continues for the former Army veteran, Travis Decker, who allegedly murdered his three young daughters on May 30th at a campsite in Leavenworth Washington. Of course, the burning question is why this loving father would kill his cherished children and, given the information about Decker’s mental health, one cannot rule out that psychiatric drugs may have played a significant role in this tragedy.
While law enforcement has provided surprisingly few personal details about the alleged murderer, those close to Decker have a great deal to say about the former Paratrooper’s mental health problems that reportedly began while he was serving in active duty with the US Army.
Several news reports have Decker “struggling to maintain stability,” “prone to outbursts,” “clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out,” and “he just really suffered from some self-worth issues as far as having the mental issues that he had, seeing the combat that he saw, and then feeling like he wasn’t worthy of his wife and children.”
What were Decker’s “mental issues?” Well, despite all the talk about Decker’s mental health, any specific information has yet to be made public short of a diagnosis. According to several sources, Decker suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder. Those are psychiatric diagnoses and often are “treated” with serious mind-altering drugs.
When, and at what military facility, was Decker diagnosed? Decker reportedly joined the Army in 2012, served a tour in Afghanistan, by 2017 had been removed from the elite Ranger Regiment, joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade but by 2021 had transferred out of active duty to the Washington Army National Guard where he became a sergeant.
It is of some interest that apparently Decker had stopped attending mandatory monthly drills more than a year ago and the Guard was “in the process” of a disciplinary discharge. It is also during this time that Decker and wife Whitney divorced, and Decker was supposed to seek mental health treatment and anger management counseling as part of the parenting plan.
So, what took the military so long to think about taking disciplinary action? And family courts don’t suggest mental health treatment and anger management counseling. Those are actions that are ordered by the court. Did the Army National Guard and the family court let Decker fall through the cracks? Why? But more importantly, Did Decker arrive at the Washington Army National Guard with a mental health “treatment” plan? Did the US Army diagnose Decker and prescribe psychiatric medications on his way out the door?
Hellbound and Down 