Authorities in Washington state have found human remains they believe are those of Travis Decker, the fugitive father accused of killing his three young daughters earlier this year before disappearing into the wilderness. 

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday evening that “while positive identification has not yet been confirmed, preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker.”

The office said the remains were discovered in a remote wooded area south of the town of Leavenworth.

The scene was still being processed, the office said, adding that DNA analysis would be conducted to confirm that the remains are indeed Decker’s.

The 32-year-old, a former Army soldier with extensive survival skills, was accused in May of killing his three daughters, 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker. 

A search for Decker began on May 30 after the girls’ mother reported that he had not returned them on time to her home in Wenatchee, Washington, about 100 miles east of Seattle, following a planned visit. 

Three days later, their bodies were found down an embankment at a campsite in the Cascade Mountains. Their wrists were bound with zip ties, and an autopsy determined they had died from suffocation, authorities said.

DNA testing confirmed Decker was the sole suspect in their murders.

The remains found Thursday were on Grindstone Mountain, a few miles from where Decker’s daughters’ bodies were spotted, reports CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO-TV.

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told the station some items found near the remains, such as clothing, were similar to what Decker was wearing when he was last seen. Crews also found “personal items,” Morrison said, but he but did not specify what they were.

Drones and cadaver dogs were used in the latest search, KIRO reports. 

Photos showing how Decker might have changed his appearance were released in June, and a reward of up to $20,000 was being offered for information leading to his arrest.

Earlier this month, the FBI said it had found bones during search activity around the Rock Island Campground, but testing later determined that those bones weren’t from a human.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a reference to the bones found in the earlier search.