The wife of a fugitive high school football coach has taken drastic action and deleted her online presence, just days after he suddenly disappeared.
Leslie Caudill Turner quietly shut down her Facebook account after fiercely defending her husband of nearly 25 years, Travis Turner — the undefeated coach who has been missing since November 20, Virginia authorities confirmed. His disappearance has triggered an urgent, multi-agency search.
What came next shocked the community: Turner vanished before it became public that he was wanted in connection with child sex crime charges.
According to Us Weekly, Leslie deactivated her Facebook on November 26.
In her final post, she wrote that she was praying for Travis to return home:
“We love him & need him here with us.”
She also thanked supporters, saying their kindness meant more than they knew.
Before taking her account offline, Leslie had regularly shared football updates and stood firmly behind her husband, calling the allegations “false.”
“None of that is true,” she told The Mail.
She initially declined to address rumors that Travis fled their home armed with a rifle — but the family’s attorney later confirmed key details.
“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,” said attorney Adrian Collins. “He is believed to have entered a heavily wooded and mountainous area.”
Investigators discovered he was gone as they headed to the home as part of an inquiry — stressing that they were not attempting to arrest him at the time.
Search teams combed dense Appalachian terrain near the family’s property, deploying dogs, drones, and rescue crews to track him down. Eddie Blair, husband of one of Turner’s former classmates, told The New York Times the coach knew the rugged landscape extremely well.
Turner — a father of three and head coach of the undefeated Union High School Bears — disappeared just as serious charges surfaced. He is now accused of five counts of possessing child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. His profile has been removed from the school’s website.
Meanwhile, Union High continues its winning streak. The Bears edged out Ridgeview Wolfpack 21–14 on Saturday, keeping their undefeated season alive.
But for Turner’s son Bailey, a former quarterback for Union High from 2015 to 2018, the victory felt hollow. He described the win as “bittersweet,” reportedly fighting back tears after the game.
The Bears are now set to face Glenvar next Saturday in the state semifinals — while the search for their missing coach grows more urgent by the day.
