WENATCHEE, Wash. – Whitney Decker and her attorney are blaming the death of the three Wenatchee girls on the lack of mental health resources for veterans and the system itself.
Cozart detailed the struggles faced by Travis who had spent time serving in Afghanistan. She highlighted his mental health challenges after leaving the military.
“People don’t understand that Travis reached out to the VA, he reached out to the veterans crisis line,” Cozart stated, pointing out the lack of available resources.
“The lack of resources available for our veterans and for mental health in our valley, in our state, and in our country are, frankly, they’re disgusting. It was the monster inside. And, our government sends these men off to war, and then they come back as warriors, or as monsters. And they have a hard time reintegrating into society, and then they’re not provided the support that they need,” Cozart said.
Whitney seconded the concern for the lack resources and also went on to blame the system.
“The system killed my children. The system failed us all, especially my girls,” Whitney said.
Her attorney emphasized the empathy that Whitney has for Travis even after the news of her daughters’ deaths.
“And Whitney has expressed multiple times the empathy that she has for Travis, even today, even after what happened. Because what came out of Travis, what caused him to kill his babies was not Travis,” she said.
She added concerns over local veterans’ counseling services facing funding cuts, which may cease operations in six months.
Whitney had described Travis as a loving father who struggled with complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder.
“I think it’s important for people to know that Travis was not a violent man,” Cozart said. “He loved those girls incredibly, he was an active dad.”
Whitney Decker’s family, along with Travis’s relatives, have been supportive during this difficult time. Cozart noted, “Travis’s family has always been very supportive of both Whitney and the girls.”
Cozart also called for changes in the Amber Alert system.
She advocated for alerts when parents with mental illness histories have restricted visitation.
“That should be imminent physical danger, that should be immediate,” Cozart emphasized.
Whitney Decker hopes to inspire change and prevent future tragedies by advocating for better support for veterans and improvements to the Amber Alert system.
“When one mother cries, we all cry and hold her heart. Thank you for holding Whitney’s heart,” she concluded.
