NewNow you can hear Fox News article!
Anaconda, MT: One of the two violent fugitives is caught and the other is still on run. Both are former members of the US Army, one has suspected a deadly attack on a Montana bar and the other has allegedly suspected to have a deadly attack against their three young children.
Michael Paul Brown, 45, Friday morning was running away after shooting four people at Anaconda, Montana, Owl Bar. Thirty -three -year -old Travis Decker has been a fugitive in the state of Washington after allegedly murdered his three young daughters on May 30.
In both cases, local and federal law enforcement together tracked the suspects in the mountainous areas to deploy helicopters and ground teams.
To better understand the strategic and psychological elements in the game, Fox News Digital spoke with Mykel Hawk, an officer of the retired US Army Special Forces, known for his television work.
“Soon or later, you are going to leave a footprint that someone can find,” he said.
Montana Fusitive’s brother sentenced to life imprisonment for separate murder in the same city
Travis Decker is accused of killing three of his daughters before disappearing in Washington forest. (Chalan County Sheriff Office)
In Montana, the Criminal Investigation Department released a new photo of Michael Brown, who allegedly ran away from the scene after shooting and killing four people at a time on 1 August 2025. (Criminal Investigation Department)
Military backgrounds and training
Although both Decar and Brown served in Combat Zone, Hawk emphasized the difference between basic military training and elite-tier survival instructions.
He said, “None of these people are in that school or our special operations school,” he said, “He said,” he said, “he said,” he said.
Decker: Limited Strategic Credentials
Decker attempted to become an army ranger and deployed in Afghanistan with a Ranger Battalion. However, he never earned the Ranger tab.
“It says something went wrong,” Hawk said. “Somewhere with the line somewhere, someone decided that he was not perfect for being a ranger.”
This undivided photo provided by Whitney Decker shows Pattin, Olivia and Evelyn Decker. (Whitney Decker through AP)
The ex -serviceman seen with the stolen survival gear after the Montana Manhint Bar massacre is spread to the suspect
After his deployment, the Decker moved to the National Guard and chased a military track outside the infantry, focusing on communication and civil matters.
That axis, Hawk explained, the further limited decker’s access to the strategic survival training, such as the aristocratic class course of the army.
Brown: Noiseed Cromman, No Infantry
Brown served as an armored crew, in which Hawk said: “They don’t spend a lot of time. They are not digging the foxes and sleeping in a swing like the people of the infantry.”
“As a kavach man, they don’t just spend a lot [of] Time in his entire military experience on the ground, “he said.
A river runs peacefully through a valley in the glacier National Park in Montana. The officers were searching for Michael Paul Brown in Montana forest. (Getty image)
The army said that Brown was a armor Crooman from January 2001 to May 2005 and was in Montana National Guard from April 2006 to March 2009. He was posted in Iraq from February 2004 to March 2005 and left the army with a rank of Sergeant.
“It is an unstable person who killed and killed four people in cold blood,” Montana’s Attorney General Austin Noodsen said on Sunday. “So there is exactly worry for the public.”
Jungle survival capacity
According to Hawk, survival in the forest, especially when developing an active manhint, requires more than basic military experience.
“Everyone needs food,” Hawk said, explaining that without the pre-pack supply, a fugitive hunt and rely on forging.
He said that it is usually needed to be “stable” to set the mesh and Snar.
Water, also, is a constant concern.
He said, “They need water. If they do not have a source of water, they have to treat that water,” he said.
The most common method – boiling – demands fire, which creates smoke and fragrance, he said. Without fire, the fugitive is forced to rely on iodine tablets such as chemical purification or the risk of drinking untreated water.
Montana Bar Shooting can return to suspicious city, State AG says, citing ‘anxiety for the public’, says
Shelter is another requirement.
Hawk said, “The nights will still cool there,” insisting that they will have to build or find a natural cover until they bring proper gears.
Law enforcement personnel responded to an informed shooting in Anaconda, Montana on Friday, August 1, 2025. (Through Joseph Scalar/The Montana Standards AP)
Navigating remote areas presents additional challenges. Hawk believes that they will not use GPS equipment for fear of tracking, meaning they will need to rely on map, compass or local knowledge.
“I suspect that they are relying on a GPS, as it will ping them,” he said.
Watch:
Finally, the survival comes down to the strategy: whether hidden or move forward.
“You are either hiding or you are walking,” Hawk said. “And hiding means soon or later, you are going to leave a footprint. If you are running, you are going to make all kinds of mistakes and more likely to be caught.”
Click here to get Fox News app
“It is almost impossible for a human to survive for any period without leaving a sign,” he said.
A reward of $ 10,000 was available for the leading information for the capture of Brown. A reward of up to $ 20,000 is being presented for direct information for Decker’s arrest. Officials say they are considered armed and dangerous.
