Leslie Caudill Turner, the wife of missing high school football coach Travis Turner, supported her husband just days before he disappeared.
Before Union High School, where Travis coached, played Lee High School in the Virginia state regional quarterfinals on November 15, Leslie offered her words of encouragement.
“Game day! Good luck to my guys today & to all of Unions football team & coaches #GoBears #UnionBearsFootball #coachswife #coachsmom #footballwife #playoffs,” she shared via Facebook.
After Union emerged victorious, she updated her social media followers with the news.
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“That’s the ballgame! Final score is 40-7 Union #greatjobBears #playoffs #ontoround2,” she wrote.
Five days later, Travis fled the family’s home and has not been seen since.
Travis went missing on Thursday, November 20, disappearing as agents from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation were on their way to question him at his residence. When the agents were en route, they were informed that Travis was no longer at his house.
The football coach was charged with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor, the Virginia State Police revealed on Tuesday, November 25.
A warrant for Turner’s arrest was obtained on Monday, November 24, and he is officially considered a “fugitive,” according to police.
Authorities said other charges against Turner are pending and the investigation remains open.
Leslie addressed the allegations made against her husband, telling the Daily Mail on Tuesday, “None of that is true.”
“He’s a good dad and a good husband and we want him home. That’s it,” Leslie said.
She added, ”I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. I’m sorry.”
Leslie said she and her family are “all just hanging in there until we get news.”
When asked to address speculation that her husband escaped into the woods with a rifle, Leslie replied, “I was told not to comment.”
After Travis was officially classified as an “endangered missing person” on Saturday, November 22, a search involving drones, K-9 units and a helicopter centered on the wooded area behind the Turner family home.
“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 told News Channel 11.
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In Travis’ absence, Union High School defeated Graham High School 12-0 on Saturday in the state regional semifinals.
“We talked in the huddle and we said, ‘Listen boys, we’re going to have to handle adversity here,’” senior running back Keith Chandler told WCYB at the game. “We stick together as brothers here and we should come out with the victory.”
Senior tight end and defensive end Carlos Anderson told the Bristol Herald-Courier, “I think we were going to play no matter what. We were ready for this game. We’ve been ready since summer and we just had to go out and execute.”
Union will play Ridgeview High School in the state regional finals on Saturday, November 29.
