Overview

• Nick, a Garden City hiker, realized after returning home that a family’s July 5 tip had sparked a search for Travis Decker in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest.
• He called authorities himself and underwent a half-hour field interview in which U.S. marshals compared his hair, beard, clothing and gear to the suspect’s description.
• On July 9 the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed the man was not Decker, prompting officials to call off the Idaho operation.
• The incident highlights the difficulty of distinguishing Decker—an ex-soldier with reported PTSD and survival training—from lookalikes in remote wilderness.
• Agencies have refocused efforts in Washington’s backcountry, are offering a $20,000 reward for credible tips, and continue coordinating federal, state and local search operations to locate Decker.