Within the short span of just two weeks, three different families—living thousands of miles apart—were shattered by horrifying acts of domestic violence and suspected murder-suicides. Authorities are left searching for answers, while entire communities struggle to process the grief.
In Chelan County, Washington, a mother’s quiet worry turned into every parent’s greatest fear. On the evening of May 30, 2025, Whitney Decker contacted police after her three young daughters failed to return home from a planned visit with their father, Travis Decker. The arranged drop-off time had passed, and repeated calls went unanswered.
By June 2, that fear became a nightmare. The bodies of Olivia Decker, 5, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Paityn Decker, 9, were found near Rock Island Campground, not far from where Travis’ truck had been abandoned. Investigators revealed chilling details: the girls had been zip-tied and suffocated with plastic bags. Their deaths were ruled asphyxiation.
“Travis Decker, 32, is the primary suspect in the murder of his daughters,” police announced, warning the public that he may be armed and dangerous. With a military background and no fixed address, he had reportedly been moving between his truck, campgrounds, and motels.
A GoFundMe page has been created to support Whitney Decker as she faces not only her unbearable loss but also the legal and financial aftermath. As of June 4, more than $330,000 has been raised toward a $380,000 goal—an extraordinary outpouring of compassion for a grieving mother.
But Washington wasn’t the only place struck by unthinkable violence.
Just days earlier, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a quiet neighborhood awoke to tragedy. On May 24, firefighters responded to a house fire around 6 a.m. on Georgia Street Northeast. Inside, they found three bodies—all of whom had been shot before the fire began.
The victims were later identified as 76-year-old Stephen William Bockemeier, 77-year-old Marcia Elizabeth Bockemeier, and their 48-year-old son, Erik Josef Bockemeier—members of a multi-generational family home. But the horror didn’t end there.
That same morning, police discovered another body outside the State Bar of New Mexico. It was 35-year-old Andrew Stephen Bockemeier, another son of the couple, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities confirmed he had used the same weapon believed to have killed his family.
A note was found at the home, though police have not disclosed its contents. Officials believe Andrew suffered a severe mental health crisis before taking the lives of his family members and then his own.
“It’s deeply troubling… some families are enduring things we may never fully understand,” said Gilbert Gallegos, communications director for the Albuquerque Police Department.
Meanwhile, across the world in Buenos Aires, Argentina, another tragedy with haunting similarities unfolded on May 21, 2025. When a housekeeper arrived at a sixth-floor apartment in the Villa Crespo neighborhood, she was met with a horrifying sight—the lifeless body of a young boy near the doorway.
Inside, three more victims were found: 53-year-old grain market analyst Bernardo Adrián Seltzer, his wife, 50-year-old Laura Fernanda Leguizamón, and their two sons, Ian, 15, and Ivo, 12. All had been stabbed to death. A knife was recovered at the scene, along with a rambling handwritten note left in the kitchen.
Police suspect that Laura, who had been under psychiatric care and may have recently stopped her medication, killed her family before taking her own life. Her behavior had reportedly changed in the days leading up to the tragedy, with their housekeeper sensing growing unease inside the home.
Leguizamón’s final Facebook post from March 1 has since become a heartbreaking relic. It was filled with fragmented sentences, nostalgic reflections, and emotional disarray, accompanied by smiling family photos. Now, those words read like a chilling prelude to the turmoil that had been quietly building beneath the surface.
These tragedies, though worlds apart, carry haunting parallels—a stark reminder of the fragile line between ordinary family life and unthinkable catastrophe. They also expose how untreated or unnoticed mental health struggles can escalate into irreversible heartbreak.
If you or someone you know is suffering, help is available. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “HELLO” to 741-741, or reach out to a trusted local mental health professional.
No one should have to carry their pain alone.