According to the family’s attorney, Turner walked out of his home on November 20th, carrying a firearm, and headed into a heavily wooded, mountainous area near his property. At that time, no arrest warrants had been issued, and nothing publicly indicated he was in legal danger.

That day was the last time his family ever heard from him.

When Turner didn’t return home that evening, his wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, immediately reached out to local authorities — but was reportedly told she had to wait 24 hours to file a missing person’s report. The next morning, she filed with the Virginia State Police, and family and friends began searching the rugged terrain surrounding their home. ⛰️💔

But as the search intensified… the legal situation changed dramatically.

A few days later, Virginia State Police announced 10 felony charges against Turner, including:

🔹 Five counts of possession of child pornography
🔹 Five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor

Authorities say they were actually on their way to speak with Turner on November 20th when they learned he had already gone missing.

By November 22, Turner was officially listed as an “endangered missing person.”

Search efforts have centered around the dense woods near his home — the same direction he was last seen walking, armed.

His wife, Leslie, broke her silence in a now-deleted Facebook post the following evening, writing:

“As of right now… Travis is missing, & that’s all we know.
We love him & need him here with us.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out.
Just keep praying that he comes home.”

Speaking later through tears, she added:

“He’s a good dad and a good husband… and we want him home.
I don’t know anything. I’m sorry.”

Meanwhile, the Union High School football community has been left stunned. Just days before Turner disappeared, the team was charging through the state playoffs — unaware of the investigation that was about to unfold.

🏈 Nov. 15: Union defeated Lee High School
🏈 Nov. 22: Union beat Graham High School
🏈 Nov. 29: Union is scheduled to face Ridgeview in the regional finals

As the team presses forward, the community is left with more questions than answers.

A missing coach.
A gun.
A walk into the woods.
Felony warrants filed days later.
A family desperate for answers.

🙏 Prayers for truth. Prayers for answers. Prayers for closure — whatever that may look like.

Wife of Missing Football Coach Wanted on Child Pornography Charges Didn’t Help Him Escape: Lawyer

The family of wanted Virginia high school football coach Travis Turner says he was last seen walking into the woods with a firearm last month

An attorney for the family of missing high school football coach Travis Turner said this week that the Virginia fugitive’s wife was not helping him escape when he went missing late last month.

Turner, 46, was last seen on Nov. 20, less than a week before Virginia State Police announced 10 warrants for his arrest on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.

“His wife was not helping him escape, she was asking for help to find him,” the family’s attorney Adrian Collins said in a statement to PEOPLE.

“The family of Travis Turner continues to cooperate with law enforcement efforts to locate Travis,” Collins’ statement continued. “Their homes and properties have been searched multiple times, with their consent.”

The family’s attorney added: “While the family’s last contact with Travis causes them to have great concern for his well being, they cling to the hope he will be found and afforded the opportunity to defend himself in a court of law.”

A spokesperson for the Virginia State Police Department would not comment when PEOPLE asked them about investigators’ interest in Turner’s wife.

“There are no updates to share at this time,” the state police spokesperson said. “The search efforts are ongoing with the assistance of the Marshals Service and FBI. We are still asking for the public’s assistance in providing any information that may lead to Turner’s whereabouts.”

Travis Turner.WJHL/YouTube

Earlier this week, PEOPLE reported that Turner’s wife allegedly told police she last saw her husband walking into the woods near their home in Appalachia, Va., on Nov. 20, one day before she officially reported him missing to local authorities.

Turner’s disappearance came just days before his undefeated Union High School boy’s football team began the Virginia state playoffs, sending shockwaves through the local community as questions swirled around his whereabouts.

In his statement to PEOPLE, Collins included “a recap with some additional details” about what the Turner family says happened.

“Travis was last seen by some of his family as he was walking off into the local woods near his home with a firearm,” Collins reiterated on behalf of the family. “This was something he had done multiple times throughout the years. When he did not return to his home that evening, his wife, out of concern, asked for assistance from law enforcement. As directed, she filed a missing person report the following day with the Virginia State Police.”

Collins added that Turner’s “wife’s concerns were heightened by the following facts: Travis’ car and keys were left at home. Travis wore contact lenses by day and glasses in the evenings. Travis’ contact lens supplies and glasses were left at home. Travis’ wallet, license, cash, and all its contents were left in the home. Travis is prescribed certain daily medications which he needs, those were left in the home.”

“It is not like Travis to disappear or stay away from home,” Collins said, noting that “criminal charges were not obtained against Travis until days after he failed to return home.”

The family’s attorney also included a plea to Turner: “If Travis has the ability and is able to respond to his family’s wishes; your wife and children are in distress,” Collins said. “Leslie pleads for you to come home and face the allegations by defending yourself in a court of law. Don’t leave your family to fight this battle without you. They love and miss you. They want you to know they are your support.”

Virginia State Police

Turner is now considered a fugitive by Virginia State Police, according to reports from ABC News, WCYB and WJHL, as authorities continue searching for him this week.

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