Fugitive football coach disappeared into woods with gun, family says
Travis Turner, a decorated Virginia high school football coach, disappeared into wooded areas with a firearm amid a child pornography investigation. Fox News © Leslie Turner/Facebook
Posted For: Rotorblade
When Turner didn’t return home that evening, his wife contacted local authorities, but she was informed that she needed to wait 24 hours before filing a missing-person report, according to officials. She filed the report with the Virginia State Police (VSP) the following day.
Family members and friends searched the nearby woods, but their efforts were limited by poor weather conditions and the need to avoid interfering with law-enforcement operations. On Tuesday—five days after Turner was last seen—authorities announced they had secured 10 warrants charging him with five counts of possessing child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Investigators say the case is still active and that additional charges may follow. Turner is now classified as a fugitive, according to the VSP.
He was reported missing on Friday, Nov. 21, one day after he was last seen, just as state police investigators were returning to his home in Appalachia to speak with him further. Officers had visited the residence the previous day, Nov. 20, but said they were not attempting to arrest him at that time.
After the charges were issued, Turner’s wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, told The Daily Mail that “none of that is true.”
“He’s a good dad and a good husband, and we want him home. That’s it,” she said. “I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. I’m sorry.”
Police have launched a large-scale search across Wise County, using drones, K-9 teams, and foot patrols. According to Virginia’s missing-person database, he was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, sweatpants, and glasses.
Anyone with information on Turner’s location is urged to contact the Virginia State Police at (276) 228-3131.
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