Virginia high school football coach Travis Turner remains missing over a week after he was last seen. The 46-year-old Turner is considered a fugitive after being charged with five counts of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Amid the ongoing investigation, Turner’s wife Leslie has largely gone silent. In fact, she has now deleted her social media presence.
Facebook footprint gone
Leslie Turner had been active on Facebook before her husband’s disappearance, often posting about the exploits of his team, the Union High School Bears of Big Stone Gap, Virginia. However, according to Us Weekly, she deleted her account on Wednesday, November 26, one day after charges were filed against her spouse and six days after Travis Turner went missing.
The couple has been married for 25 years and shares three young children, per the New York Post. Leslie Turner’s final Facebook post before she scrubbed her account was shared late on the night of Friday, November 21 and eventually deleted even as her account remained active.
“I just wanted to get on here for a second to clear up something, as of right now, 10:25 PM on Friday night, Travis is missing, & that’s all we know,” she wrote. “We love him & need him here with us. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love & support. It means more than you know. Just keep praying that he comes home.”
In brief comments to the Daily Mail on November 25, Leslie Turner denied the charges against Travis, calling him a “good dad and a good husband.”
Turner was ‘armed’ when last seen, family says
Over the weekend, Adrian Collins, the attorney for the Turner family, released a statement saying the fugitive was last seen on November 20 walking into a wooded area while carrying a firearm.
“The last known contact the family had with Travis occurred on or about Thursday, November 20, after he left his residence to walk in the woods with a firearm,” Collins said, via WJHL 11. “He is believed to have entered a heavily wooded and mountainous area. At which point, no warrants had been issued for his arrest.”
Search efforts have been conducted by the Virginia State Police, along with other law enforcement and family and friends.
“It is the family’s prayer that Travis is safe and will have the opportunity to defend himself in a court of law,” Collins added.
Travis Turner remains on administrative leave
In a statement released last week, Wise County Public School Superintendent Mike Goforth confirmed Turner has been put on administrative leave.
“A staff member has been placed on administrative leave with pay while an external agency reviews an allegation that was reported to the division,” Goforth said. “This is standard procedure and is not a determination of wrongdoing. This situation also involves an active law-enforcement matter, and the division cannot comment further.”
Meanwhile, without Turner on the sideline, Union has continued its undefeated season. The Bears beat Ridgeview High School in the regional championship on Saturday to advance to the state semifinals this weekend.
