In a chilling development that could bring a grim resolution to a months-long manhunt, federal investigators have recovered bones during a massive search operation for Travis Decker, the fugitive father accused of murdering his three young daughters at a remote Washington campground.

The discovery was made in the dense, sprawling wilderness near the Rock Island Campground off Icicle Road, the same area where the bodies of Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were found on June 1. The FBI, leading the intensive multi-day search that shut down a vast 200-acre swath of the Leavenworth forest, has confirmed the recovery of possible evidence, which multiple reports confirm included human remains.

The operation, covering more than one million square meters of rugged and heavily wooded terrain, represented one of the most significant pushes to solve the haunting case. While the FBI has not officially detailed the specific items collected, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged the recovery of bones. The evidence has been sent to a specialized lab for testing, where forensic experts will work to determine if the remains belong to the wanted man.

The search for Travis Decker has captivated and horrified the Pacific Northwest since summer. Labeled armed and dangerous, Decker has been the subject of a nationwide search, with the U.S. Marshals Service offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his capture. The possibility that he may have never left the area—and that the forest itself may have been his final resting place—adds a dark and tragic layer to an already devastating story of lost innocence.

As a community and a nation await the lab’s results, the question hangs heavy in the air: Has the hunt for Travis Decker finally reached its end?