The children had their wrists tied and plastic bags over their heads. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as asphyxiation. Travis fled the scene after the crime, and state and federal police are mobilizing to capture him. The charges against him have been upgraded to murder and kidnapping.

The case raises urgent questions about the psychological support of ex-combatants, the mechanisms of supervision in custody arrangements and the failures of protection that can allow apparently controlled situations to end in tragedy.

American society, still in shock, cries out for justice and answers in the face of violence that prematurely took three innocent lives. There is no information about the girls’ wake and burial.