In a span of just two weeks, three separate families—each thousands of miles apart—were torn apart by devastating acts of domestic violence and suspected murder-suicides, leaving authorities searching for answers and communities reeling with grief.
In Chelan County, Washington, a mother’s growing worry turned into every parent’s worst nightmare. On the evening of May 30, 2025, Whitney Decker contacted authorities when her three young daughters failed to return home after a scheduled visit with their father, Travis Decker. The agreed return time had come and gone, and calls went unanswered.
By June 2, the unimaginable had happened. The bodies of Olivia Decker, 5, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Paityn Decker, 9, were discovered near Rock Island Campground, not far from where Travis’ truck had been abandoned. Authorities revealed harrowing details: the girls had been zip-tied and suffocated with plastic bags over their heads. The cause of death was believed to be asphyxiation.
“Travis Decker, 32, is now the prime suspect in the murders of his daughters,” police confirmed, warning the public he may be armed and dangerous. He has military training, no fixed address, and has reportedly been living between his truck, campsites, and motels.
A GoFundMe campaign has since been launched to support Whitney Decker, who is navigating not only the unimaginable emotional loss but the legal and financial aftermath. As of June 4, over $330,000 has been raised toward a $380,000 goal, showing an overwhelming wave of support for a mother left behind.
But Washington wasn’t the only place devastated by familial violence.
Just days earlier in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a quiet neighborhood was rocked by a chilling morning tragedy. On May 24, firefighters responded to a house fire around 6 a.m. on Georgia Street Northeast. Inside the burning home, they discovered three bodies—all appeared to have been shot before the fire started.
Later identified as 76-year-old Stephen William Bockemeier, 77-year-old Marcia Elizabeth Bockemeier, and their 48-year-old son Erik Josef Bockemeier, the victims were part of a multi-generational household. But the violence didn’t end there.
That same morning, another body was found outside the State Bar of New Mexico—identified as 35-year-old Andrew Stephen Bockemeier, another son of the couple. He had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, using the same weapon believed to have been used in the killings.
Police uncovered a note at the house but have not disclosed its contents. Officials believe Andrew was suffering from a mental health crisis when he murdered his family and then took his own life.
“It’s troubling… some families are going through things we just don’t know about,” said Gilbert Gallegos, APD communications director.
And across the globe in Buenos Aires, Argentina, another hauntingly similar scene unfolded on May 21, 2025. A housekeeper arrived at a sixth-floor apartment in the Villa Crespo neighborhood and was met with a horrific discovery: the lifeless body of a young boy near the entrance.
Inside the home, three more bodies were found: 53-year-old grain markets specialist Bernardo Adrián Seltzer, his wife Laura Fernanda Leguizamón, 50, and their two sons, Ian, 15, and Ivo, 12. All had been stabbed to death. A knife was recovered at the scene, and a rambling handwritten note was found in the kitchen.
Police believe Laura, who had been receiving psychiatric care and may have recently stopped taking her medication, killed her family before taking her own life. Her behavior in the days leading up to the incident had reportedly shifted, with their housekeeper noting a growing sense of unease.
Leguizamón’s final Facebook post from March 1 now stands as a heartbreaking artifact. It was filled with erratic language, scattered thoughts, and nostalgic references to a short family trip. Smiling family photos accompanied a disjointed caption that now reads with eerie weight, hinting at deeper turmoil beneath the surface.
These stories, disparate yet eerily parallel, are a sobering reminder of the fragile line between normalcy and catastrophe in family life—and how mental health struggles, if left untreated or overlooked, can lead to irreversible devastation.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “HELLO” to 741-741, or seek support from a local mental health professional. No one should have to endure in silence.
