NEWS BREAK: TRAVIS DECKER UPDATE

Authorities have uncovered bones in the latest manhunt for fugitive dad Travis Decker; the prime suspect wanted in the murders of his three young daughters.

The two-day sweep of campgrounds near Leavenworth, Washington, which involved more than 100 FBI Seattle agents alongside local law enforcement, concluded Tuesday and yielded the first major development in a nationwide hunt that has gripped the public since early summer, Fox 13 Seattle reported. Decker, an Army veteran with extensive survival training, has managed to elude capture for three months.

Investigators have been searching for Decker since June 2, when he failed to return his daughters — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — to their mother after a scheduled visitation. The children’s bodies were later found near Rock Island Campground along Icicle Creek with bags over their heads. Autopsies determined that the children died from suffocation and ruled their deaths homicides.

While initial assessments could not confirm whether the bones were human, the items were sent for forensic testing to Central Washington University's anthropology department to determine if they may be linked to the search for Decker, Fox 13 reported.

"Search personnel recovered several items that are being examined to determine if they are related to this investigation," the FBI told the outlet. "Final results will take some time."If the evidence warrants further investigation, law enforcement will respond accordingly, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told the station. At this time, there is no conclusive information about whether Decker is alive or dead...

WANTED: TRAVIS DECKER

On June 2, 2025 the bodies of Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia Decker were located near the Rock Island Campground along Icicle Creek. At that time, each victim was found with plastic bags over their head. Two of the victims each had two separate bags over their heads and the third victim had three separate bags over their head. In addition, several cable ties were located on the ground in the immediate area of the bodies. These plastic bags and cable ties were collected that night by the Washington State Patrol Crime Response Team. Chelan County Sheriff’s Detectives submitted this evidence to the Washington State Crime Lab for DNA analysis. In early June, autopsies were completed and the Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for each victim was suffocation and the manner of death was homicide.

 
On August 6, 2025, the Washington State Crime Lab reported DNA profiles matching Travis Decker were found on the plastic bags that were covering each of his daughter’s heads. DNA profiles matching Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia Decker were also located on the plastic bags. No other DNA profiles were obtained from the plastic bags. One DNA profile was obtained from the cable ties collected at the scene. That DNA sample matched the profile for Travis Decker. No other DNA profiles were obtained from the cable ties.
The completion of this DNA analysis provides additional evidence that indicates Travis Decker is the only suspect involved in committing these homicides.

 
Decker’s whereabouts remain unknown. At this time, we do not have any evidence to suggest Travis Decker is either alive or deceased. The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office continues to communicate with local, State and Federal law enforcement partners to coordinate continued search efforts.
The United States Marshals Service continues to offer a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Travis Decker’s arrest. The suspect should be considered armed and dangerous. 

If you see Travis Decker, please call 911 immediately and do not attempt to contact or approach him. Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or USMS Tips at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.

WHY WE FALL FOR CONSPIRACY THEORIES

The “paranoid style” of thinking in American politics has a long history. The periodic emergence of narratives about clandestine, malevolent actors secretly plotting political and social calamities influences policy debate about vaccine regulations, genetically-modified food labeling, foreign diplomacy and domestic elections. But conspiracy theories are not the delusions of paranoid minds -- recent polls show that more than 50 percent of Americans believe in one conspiracy or another. What makes conspiracies an interesting phenomenon is that they have loyal followers and are believed, more or less, by ordinary people.

A few common characteristics of conspiracy theories are that, first, they locate the source of unusual social and political phenomena in unseen, intentional and malevolent forces. Second, they often interpret political events in terms of the struggle between good and evil. And third, most conspiracy theories suggest that mainstream reporting of public affairs is a ruse or an attempt to distract the public from a true source of power. 

According to a study conducted by the University of Chicago:

19% of Americans believe the government was behind the 9/11 attacks;
25% believe the 2008 recession was caused by a small cabal of Wall Street Bankers;
11% believe the government mandated a switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs in government buildings because “they make people obedient and easier to control”

Conspiracy theories are captivating because they provide explanations for confusing, emotional and ambiguous events especially when official explanations seem inadequate.

Conspiracies provide structured narratives of events that comport with how some people process information. Conspiratorial beliefs flourish at the extremes of the political spectrum. Political extremism fosters conspiricism due to the highly-structured thinking style of engaged individuals who construct narratives that make sense to them based on prior beliefs. Some argue that “conspiracy theories are for losers,” that they are tools used by the powerless to attack and defend against the powerful.

Although conspiracies are frequently outlandish and implausible assertions, their power lies in the fact that they confirm what people want to believe.

People naturally try to make sense of their world. Motivated reasoning is a psychological phenomenon that describes how people rely on biased cognitive processes while assessing, constructing and evaluating beliefs. Prior beliefs and attitudes “anchor” the evaluation of new information. These motivations, or biases, affect our perceptions of an issue, and how we assign blame or causality. An important point is that the motivation to be accurate is often the driving factor while reasoning new information, however, accuracy-goals are in constant tension with the motivation to arrive at a particular conclusion that confirms one’s prior beliefs. Partisan and emotionally evocative messaging often overwhelms to desire to be accurate.

Some conspiracy theories have been proven true - so you never know what it out there!

MY THOUGHTS: DISAPPEARANCE OF AMY BRADLEY

Again, I highly recommend the Netflix documentary on Amy Bradley. With a 3 part series I was sure there were gonna be some twists and turns, but my initial conclusion upon hearing the facts did not change at any point throughout the episodes.

Here’s what most likely happened to Amy: she falls asleep on the balcony after telling her brother she’s feeling sick. Dad wakes up and sees her legs shortly later. After that, she wakes up and realizes she’s going to throw up. She opens up the slider to take off her shirt so she doesn’t get puke on it, takes off her shoes, then pushes the table towards the ledge so she can lean over without getting puke blowback in her face or on the balcony. Then, she falls. It’s the equivalent of falling off a multi story building so she likely died instantly, and given the time of day, height, noise from the ocean and ship, it’s likely no one saw or heard it.

If there was definitive proof she left the room, I would feel differently. But all we know for sure is the last place she was seen alive was on the balcony of a ship, and then she disappeared in a 30 minute window. It’s very sad, but there’s not much of a mystery here.

RE all the eyewitnesses, I’m sure a few of them truly believe they saw her. If anyone watched the McStay case play out in real time, there were multiple sightings of not one person, but an entire family (including a boy with a unique birthmark on his face), footage of them supposedly crossing the border, testimonials from people who knew them about how disappearing off to an island was something they’d do… only for them to be found buried in the desert a few years later, shortly after they disappeared. Not to mention, the series online about photographers who find complete strangers that look like identical twins.

It happens, people look alike, people misremember stuff, or people make things up. It’s still exponentially more likely Amy was gone shortly after she disappeared than all of this stuff happening PLUS her never having the chance (or desire) to contact anyone she knew at any point in nearly 30 years.

It’s very sad and my heart breaks for her family and loved ones. But not having closure can be more painful than knowing - with closure you can try and move on as best as possible, but not knowing has kept the whole family stuck in this sad 1998 limbo. My wish for everyone that knew her is that they can look back on her memory as a blessing and find peace...

AMY BRADLEY IS MISSING

Last month I watched the gripping and chilling documentary Amy Bradley Is Missing on Netflix. I was too young when the event first happened, so I learned a lot. Amy Bradley is an American woman who went missing during a Caribbean cruise on the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas in late March 1998 while en route to Curaçao. Her whereabouts remain unknown. She was a 23-year-old Longwood University graduate at the time of her disappearance.

On March 24, 1998, the ship's door lock system recorded Amy returning to her family cabin at 3:40am, after staying up late dancing. Her father Ron awoke around 5:30am, to see her sleeping on a deck chair, but at 6:00 a.m. she was missing. When authorities were alerted, the Netherlands Antilles Coast Guard conducted a four-day search in the surrounding waters and along the cruise lines to no avail. Authorities began to speculate that she may have fallen overboard and drowned.

There have been possible sightings of Amy in Curaçao. In August 1998, tourists saw a woman resembling Amy on a beach and in 1999 a member of the U.S. Navy claimed a woman in a brothel said she was Amy and asked him for help. In the years following her disappearance, some new evidence would arise leading to theories including Amy being sold into a human trafficking industry or potential remains. The case has been presented on Dr. Phil and America's Most Wanted. In July 2025, the three-part documentary series Amy Bradley Is Missing was released on Netflix.

There is a fascinating website dedicated to info on Amy Bradley. You can find the site HERE

Please contact the FBI with any tips or leads...

VIDEO BREAK: THE HOLLOW EARTH THEORY

DOES THE HOLLOW EARTH ACTUALLY EXIST?

Is there any chance both hypothetically and theoretically that hollow earth can exist? Maybe not as fantastical as movies portray them with a jungle landscape where prehistoric animals live, but something like the deep ocean where large marine animals live there, but much much deeper than the Mariane Trench?

When I think of "hollow earth" I think of vast networks of deep, expansive underground cave systems. But the "popular" conception we see in movies and conspiracy theories I often feel has been intentionally exaggerated as the Earth being *literally* entirely hollow, which makes the idea - and even nuanced discussion - seem ridiculous.

Just the top-most layer of the planet (the crust) by itself extends 20 miles down (18 miles deeper than the ocean), yet that layer of rock makes up less than 1% of the planet's internal volume. We learn all the time that life finds a way to grow in even the most extreme environments. Anything could have adapted to live down there closer to the core where heat is easy to come by and space for cavities and caverns to form is functionally endless.

There have been massive caves and tunnels discovered in the Earth's crust over the years, and I imagine there's plenty yet to be found. Modern science and academia, at least how it manifests to the general public, usually seems to always think that whatever their current understanding is of reality is the absolute state of things. We didn't believe life was possible in the deepest depths of the ocean until hydrothermal vents and chemosynthesis based food chains were discovered.

Our technology is pretty good these days so I don't doubt that the planet's core is at least close to what is generally accepted, but I wouldn't be surprised if we found way more and more extensive cave systems within the crust than previously estimated. Underground rivers and springs can carve out insane spaces and life finds a way. It may be filled with water, toxic gases, strange and small flora and fauna, or maybe the Ant people and Hyperborians are chilling in underground crystal cities with antigravity tech. I doubt it but who knows...

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER IS FOUND?

People have been looking for Nessie for almost 100 years.

Humps have been seen moving across Loch Ness, and strange sounds heard from beneath the surface - but no actual monster. A four-day "quest" - the latest in a long series of efforts to unravel the mystery - has been held this week.

But what would happen if the Loch Ness Monster was found - besides, of course, creating a global sensation?

A spokesperson told us: "The Nessie Contingency Plan was produced back in 2001, at a time when there was a lot of Nessie-hunting activity on the loch.

"We were regularly being asked by the media and others what we would do if or when she, or he, was found.

"The code of practice, which was partly serious and partly for a bit of fun, was drawn up to offer protection not just to the elusive monster, but to any new species found in the loch."

The plan stipulates that a DNA sample should be taken from any new creature, and then it should be released back into the loch. The animal would also be afforded the same legal protection as Scotland's other native wildlife, such as wildcats and golden eagles.

It means it would be illegal to kill, injure or capture the monster.

The authorities have raised concerns for Nessie in the past.

In 1938 a senior police officer warned the Scottish Office of a planned hunting expedition "determined to catch the monster dead or alive".

The party claimed they were having a special harpoon gun made and were headed for the loch with 20 "experienced men".

The legend of a monster dates back to the Middle Ages when Irish monk St Columba is said to have encountered a creature in the Ness, a river that flows from Loch Ness. The modern myth of Nessie began centuries later. In April 1933, hotel manageress Aldie Mackay told of seeing a whale-like creature and the loch's water "cascading and churning".

The Inverness Courier newspaper reported the sighting and the editor at the time, Evan Barron, suggested the beast be described as a "monster".

Sightings continue to be made in recent times, with the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register having received 1,161 reports since its launch in 1996. There were three last year and one report for 2025 so far, according to the register.

This year's sighting described two humps moving across the loch. Over the years, the reports have included objects moving fast across the loch, and a creature with crocodile-like skin.

For those contingency planners at NatureScot the worry is something unpleasant might be uncovered in Loch Ness.

The spokesperson added: "While the evidence for the existence of the Loch Ness Monster is questionable, the threat posed by climate change and biodiversity loss to all the plants and animals that live in our lochs is all too real."

THE VICTIMS OF CHARLES MANSON

The Tate-LaBianca murders, committed by members of the Charles Manson cult, resulted in the deaths of seven individuals in two separate locations in Los Angeles during August 1969...

Tate Murders (August 9, 1969 at 10050 Cielo Drive): 

Sharon Tate: 26, actress and wife of Roman Polanski, eight and a half months pregnant.
Jay Sebring: 35, celebrity hairstylist.
Abigail Folger: 25, heiress to the Folgers coffee fortune.
Wojciech Frykowski: 32, aspiring screenwriter and friend of Roman Polanski.
Steven Parent: 18, visiting the property's caretaker.

 
LaBianca Murders (August 10, 1969 at 3301 Waverly Drive): 

Leno LaBianca: 44, grocery store executive.
Rosemary LaBianca: 38, wife of Leno LaBianca.

 
It is important to note that the Manson family were also convicted of two additional murders, those of Gary Hinman and Donald "Shorty" Shea, which occurred in July and August 1969 respectively.

CHARLES MANSON: MYSTERIES AND THEORIES

The exact reasons behind the Tate-LaBianca murders of August 9 and 10, 1969 remain debated. The prosecution, led by Vincent Bugliosi, argued the killings were instigated by Manson's delusional interpretation of the Beatles' song "Helter Skelter" to ignite a race war. This is still a widely accepted theory, but other possibilities have been suggested, such as:

Attempt to frighten music executive Terry Melcher: Some theorize Manson directed his followers to target the Cielo Drive home to send a message to Melcher, who previously lived there and had refused to offer Manson a recording contract.

Retaliation for a botched drug deal: A business partner of victim Jay Sebring suggested the murders might have been connected to a failed drug deal.

Manson's paranoia: A former associate suggested Manson used the killings to maintain control over his followers.

A central aspect of the mystery is how Manson, a charismatic yet dangerous individual with a troubled past, managed to convince his followers to commit heinous crimes in his name. This raises questions about his manipulative skills and the vulnerabilities of the young people he targeted.

Some theories, explored in documentaries like "Chaos: The Manson Murders," suggest Manson may have had connections to government programs related to mind control or brainwashing, such as the CIA's MKUltra project. However, these theories are disputed and lack definitive proof.

While Manson and several followers were convicted for the murders of seven people, including Sharon Tate and the LaBiancas, Manson is believed to be responsible for as many as 35 murders, with many cases remaining untried due to insufficient evidence. Ultimately, the "Manson mystery" stems from the shocking nature of the crimes, the ambiguity surrounding Manson's true motives, and the unsettling questions about how one person could lead others to commit such horrific acts...