Missing high school football coach Travis Turner may not have executed his disappearance alone, according to a former detective.
Turner, 46, suddenly vanished from his rural Virginia home on November 20, as agents from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation were on their way to his residence to question the coach.
Days later, Turner was charged with five counts of child pornography and using a computer to solicit a minor. Given the hastiness of his exit, there’s a chance Turner wasn’t working by himself.
“It’s likely that when you’ve not prepared and you’re heading out, that you’ve already made plans to go somewhere, or you have an associate who’s willing to help,” Ken Lang, former detective and head of Milligan University’s criminal justice program, told News Channel 11 on Monday, December 1.
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Lang added, “The only thing you need to do is get yourself from your home residence to that new location without being detected or spotted through police surveillance or other electronic means that may be monitoring you.”
Turner disappeared into the woods behind his home while carrying a gun, the family’s attorney, Adrian Collins, said on Friday, November 28.
The search for Turner has centered on the expansive area of woods and rivers near his home, utilizing drones, K-9 units and a helicopter.
“He had went into the woods right near the general location of his house, and that’s basically where we’ve focused our search on,” Virginia State Police 1st Sgt. Jason Day said on November 22.
The Turner family has also executed their own search parties, which their attorney revealed in his November 28 statement.
“Family members and friends have also conducted search efforts in the surrounding woods,” the statement said. “These efforts have been limited by weather conditions and with respect for the official operations underway.”
The statement added, “It is the family’s prayer that Travis is safe and will have the opportunity to defend himself in a court of law.”
Experts have theorized that the difficult Virginia terrain and weather in the area have played roles in the search for Turner.
John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, explained that authorities might need to use motion sensors that are left in an area of interest that send signals back to the search’s base camp. Miller also suggested search parties might be using drones with heat-seeking capabilities in an attempt to track Turner.
CNN meteorologist Mary Gilbert said weather in the area has been warmer than usual with some rainfall, which might have slightly impeded Turner’s movements through the woods.
All of that might not matter, however, according to the husband of one of Turner’s former high school classmates.
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In a story published by The Athletic on November 25, Eddie Blair said Turner knows the rural Appalachia area “better than most people.”
Turner has been married to his wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, since 2001 and the couple share three children: sons Bailey, 25, and Grayden, 21, and daughter Brynlee, 11.
In a statement released on November 25, the Turner family attorney said they “remain prayerful for his safe return and for everyone affected by the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.”
“We trust God to bring truth and clarity in His time. Any allegations should be addressed through the proper legal process — not through speculation or rumor. We ask the public and media to show compassion, accuracy, and respect for the family’s privacy.”
