THE wife of a fugitive football coach has taken drastic action and deleted her social media – just days after he suddenly vanished.
Leslie Caudill Turner shut down her Facebook account after staunchly defending her husband of almost 25 years, Travis.
Travis, 46, has been missing since November 20, according to Virginia state cops, and his disappearance sparked an urgent search.
The coach, whose football team is undefeated, disappeared before it became apparent he was wanted over child sex crimes.
Leslie deactivated her social media account on November 26, as reported by US Weekly.
In her final Facebook post, she said she was praying for her husband to come home.
“We love him & need him here with us,” the subsequently-deleted post said.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love & support. It means more than you know.”
Before deleting her account, Leslie shared football-related content on her page.
Leslie has stood by Turner, describing the allegations against him as false.
“None of that is true,” she told The Mail.
Leslie initially refused to comment on speculation that Turner had fled the family home with a rifle.
But, the family’s lawyer has shed more light on his final movements.
“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,” Adrian Collins, an attorney, said.
“He is believed to have entered a heavily wooded and mountainous area.”
Travis Turner disappearance
Thursday November 20:
- Virginia State Police authorities went to Turner’s home in Appalachia, Virginia, to question him as part of an investigation.
- Turner suddenly vanished from his property.
- He was reportedly last seen walking into a wooded, mountainous area, which he is very familiar with.
November 21-24:
- Turner was initially declared missing.
- An urgent search was launched, deploying search-and-rescue teams, drones, and K9 units in the Appalachian hinterlands.
Tuesday, November 25:
- Virginia state troopers announced that they had obtained 10 warrants for Turner, including five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Search continues:
- Crews are continually searching for any sign of the coach.
- His family is defending his innocence and calling for his safe recovery.
- Meanwhile, Union High School Bears, the team Turner coached, continues to compete in playoff games without him
- On November 29, Union defeated Ridgeview Wolfpack to reach the state semi finals.
Investigators realized he had vanished while heading to his home as part of an investigation.
Cops stressed they were not going to his home to arrest him.
Investigators scoured woodland near the family home after it became apparent that Turner had vanished.
Eddie Blair, the husband of Katherine – an ex-classmate of Turner’s, said the coach was very familiar with the Appalachian hinterland, as per The New York Times.
Search and rescue teams, as well as canines, were deployed as part of the efforts to find Turner.
Dad-of-three Turner had coached the Union High School Bears football team to an undefeated season before his disappearance.
He has been charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Turner’s profile has since been wiped from the school’s website.
Union High School remains undefeated after they recorded a 21-14 victory over Ridgeview Wolfpack on Saturday.
Turner’s son Bailey described the victory as “bittersweet,” as reported by The Mail.
He reportedly fought back tears after the end of the contest.
Bailey was a quarterback at Union High between 2015 and 2018.
Union High will face off against Glenvar next Saturday in the state semi finals.
