Missing coach Travis Turner left without essentials as family urges him to face child porn charges: Attorney

Family attorney says Turner left Virginia home without key items before 10 warrants were issued

The family of missing Virginia high school football coach Travis Turner is urging him to return home and face child pornography charges, according to a statement released by their attorney.

“The family of Travis Turner continues to cooperate with law enforcement efforts to locate Travis. Their homes and properties have been searched multiple times, with their consent,” the family's attorney, Adrian Collins, said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

Turner, 46, was last seen walking into the woods near his Appalachia home carrying a gun, something he had done “multiple times throughout the years,” according to the statement.

Concern quickly mounted for his wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, when she discovered that her husband, whose high school football team was in the midst of an undefeated season, had vanished without his car, keys, wallet, glasses or contacts, cash, or the prescription medications he relies on.

Travis Turner was leading the Union High School football team through an undefeated season when he disappeared from his family’s home in Appalachia, Virginia, on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (Facebook/Leslie Caudill Turner)

“It is not like Travis to disappear or stay away from home,” the statement said.

When he did not return home, his wife contacted authorities and filed a missing person report with the Virginia State Police (VSP).

Virginia State Police have launched a search for Union High football coach Travis Turner, whose disappearance has stunned the Big Stone Gap community. (Virginia State Police)

Collins noted that criminal charges were not obtained “until days after he failed to return home.”

“He was not a fugitive nor wanted by law enforcement at the time he went missing. His wife was not helping him escape, she was asking for help to find him,” he said.

Last week, authorities obtained 10 warrants to charge Turner with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.

Authorities announced that they have obtained 10 warrants to charge Travis Turner with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. Turner is employed as a football coach at Union High School in Wise County, Virginia. (Facebook/Leslie Caudill Turner)

The family also issued a direct plea for the missing coach.

“If Travis has the ability and is able to respond to his family’s wishes; your wife and children are in distress,” the attorney 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.”

The U.S. Marshals Service announced it is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for any information leading to his arrest.

Last week, Turner’s staff profile page was removed from Union High School’s website shortly after the investigation was announced, ABC 7 reported.

Travis Turner disappeared from his family’s home in Appalachia, Virginia on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. Authorities announced that they have obtained 10 warrants to charge Turner with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. (Facebook/Leslie Caudill Turner)

In a previous statement, a spokesperson for Wise County Public Schools confirmed that a staff member employed by the district had been placed on administrative leave pending review of an external allegation. Days later, the district released an updated statement to acknowledge that charges have since been filed against the staff member in question, but failed to identify Turner by name.

“The individual remains on leave and is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students,” Superintendent Mike Goforth said. “The division will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this process moves forward. Because this is an active legal matter involving personnel, the division cannot comment further.”

Union High School head football coach Travis Turner, who has been reported missing, in an undated photo released by the Virginia State Police. (Virginia State Police)

The USMS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Turner was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, according to Virginia's missing person database. Tips can be reported to 911, Virginia State Police or the USMS tip line at 1-877-WANTED2 or online usmarshals.gov/tips.

In a stunning development that has intensified the already gripping manhunt for Virginia high school football coach Travis L. Turner, investigators now believe the 46-year-old fugitive may not be evading capture alone. Sources close to the investigation, speaking exclusively to this outlet on condition of anonymity, reveal that a former detective with decades of experience in fugitive hunts has come forward with claims of an “accomplice” possibly aiding Turner's escape. This bombshell allegation coincides with the discovery of the last known GPS trace from Turner's vehicle, pinpointing it to a rugged, remote stretch along the Virginia-Kentucky border—a revelation that has turned the search into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse across treacherous Appalachian terrain.

The case, which began as a missing persons report on November 20, has spiraled into a national saga of betrayal, child exploitation allegations, and small-town shock. Turner, once a celebrated figure in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, as the head coach of the undefeated Union High School Bears football team, vanished hours before state police arrived at his home to question him about horrific charges. Now, with the U.S. Marshals Service joining the fray and a $5,000 reward on the table, the probe has taken a darker turn, suggesting layers of deception that extend beyond the man himself.

Retired Detective Harlan Brooks, a 32-year veteran of the Virginia State Police who led high-profile pursuits in the 1990s and early 2000s, broke his silence in an exclusive interview Thursday evening. “I've seen fugitives go solo into the woods, but this doesn't add up,” Brooks said, his voice gravelly from years of fieldwork. “Turner left on foot with a gun, no vehicle, no supplies. Yet his car's GPS pings in a spot 20 miles away, in a holler nobody drives through without reason. Someone moved it. Someone's helping him—supplying food, intel, maybe even a hideout. It's not just man versus nature anymore; it's a network.”

Brooks, who requested anonymity in initial reports but granted this interview after corroborating details with active investigators, pointed to inconsistencies in the timeline. Turner's family, through their attorney Adrian Collins, has maintained that the coach stepped out for a walk in the woods near their Appalachia home around midday on November 20, armed with a personal firearm for what they described as routine protection in bear country. His wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, reported him missing the next day after he failed to return, initially treated as a standard endangered missing person case. But warrants were unsealed just days later: five counts each of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and using a computer to solicit a minor, with more charges pending. By November 25, the Virginia State Police (VSP) had elevated him to fugitive status, deploying drones, K-9 units, helicopters, and ground teams across the expansive Jefferson National Forest.

The GPS breakthrough came late Wednesday, December 3, when forensic techs from the VSP's Digital Forensics Unit cracked the black box of Turner's 2018 Ford F-150, last serviced at a local dealership in October. The signal, dormant for nearly two weeks, lit up briefly in a signal dead zone near Pound Gap—a narrow mountain pass riddled with old coal mine shafts and dense rhododendron thickets. “It's like he—or they—knew exactly where to ditch it to buy time,” one source in the task force told us. “The truck's there, keys in the ignition, but no Turner. Footprints lead into the brush, but they're muddled, like multiple sets.”

This trace has shifted resources dramatically. The U.S. Marshals Service, which announced its involvement on December 2 with the $5,000 bounty, has now looped in federal partners from the FBI's Appalachian Fugitive Initiative. “We're treating this as a potential interstate flight with assistance,” a Marshals spokesperson confirmed to reporters Friday, though they declined to elaborate on the accomplice angle. “Every lead is being pursued aggressively. The public is urged to report any sightings—Turner is armed and considered dangerous.”

Whispers of an accomplice have swirled since early rumors hit social media, fueled by true-crime enthusiasts and armchair sleuths on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit. But Brooks' claims lend credence, drawing from patterns he's seen in cases like the 2013 D.B. Cooper-style evasion in the Smokies. “Fugitives don't last long alone in these mountains come winter,” he explained. “Temperatures drop to 20s, flash floods hit the rivers. Turner was a coach, not a survivalist. If he's making it, someone's feeding him—maybe a former player, a coaching buddy, or hell, someone from the dark web circles he was allegedly in.”

The “dark web circles” reference cuts to the heart of the allegations. According to unsealed affidavits obtained by this outlet, Turner's digital trail began unraveling in late October when tips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children flagged suspicious activity on a Tor browser linked to his home IP. Investigators uncovered encrypted files containing CSAM, chat logs soliciting explicit images from what appeared to be underage boys, and geolocated meetup attempts in nearby rest stops. “It was methodical, not impulsive,” said a source familiar with the forensics. “He covered tracks well—until he didn't.”

Turner's fall from grace is as precipitous as a fourth-quarter fumble. In Big Stone Gap, a coal-faded town of 1,500 clinging to the Cumberland Mountains, he was a king. Under his helm since 2018, the Union Bears hadn't lost a regular-season game, clinching back-to-back Region 2D titles and eyeing a state championship run this fall. A November 15 post-game interview captured his charisma: “These boys are resilient fighters,” he beamed, praising seniors amid a 40-7 rout. Parents packed the stands, local diners named burgers after him. “He was the glue,” said former assistant coach Mike Harlan, speaking to WCYB on November 27. ” practices built character, not just plays.”

Now, that glue has dissolved into suspicion. The school district placed Turner on administrative leave November 22, and classes at the now-shuttered Appalachia High (merged into Union) were disrupted as rumors festered. Students, many of whom idolized him, grapple with duality. “Coach taught us to own our mistakes,” one anonymous 17-year-old lineman told The Times of India in a December 3 feature. “But this? It's like the playbook lied.”

The human toll extends to Turner's inner circle. His wife, Leslie, a part-time school aide and mother of their three children, has become a lightning rod for online vitriol. After deactivating her Facebook on November 26 amid harassment, her attorney issued a fiery rebuttal on December 4: “Leslie and the family had no knowledge of these allegations. Travis left voluntarily, pre-warrant, and they've cooperated fully—searching woods themselves despite weather and protocol.” Yet, speculation peaked when a viral X thread claimed she “staged” his exit, citing her brief online silence as “guilty.” The family countered: “Criminal charges came days later; he wasn't fleeing police then.”

Collins' statement underscored their anguish: “It's the family's prayer that Travis is safe and can defend himself in court.” Privately, sources say the children—two teens and a pre-teen—have withdrawn from school, counseling sessions booked through the district. Leslie, described as “shattered but steely,” has fielded tips from well-wishers while dodging paparazzi drones buzzing their quiet street.

As the manhunt enters its third week, new leads have VSP buzzing. On December 4, teams scoured the old Appalachia High grounds after a tip about “suspicious activity,” per WJHL reports. Criminologist Dr. Elena Vasquez, consulting on the case, told CNN the terrain favors the hunted: “These hollers are a labyrinth—caves, creeks, zero cell service. But winter's bite changes that; hypothermia claims more than bullets.” Brooks echoed her, warning, “If there's an accomplice, they're local—knows the deer trails, the sympathetic ears. Could be ideological, covering for a ‘framed' hero, or deeper ties to the crimes.”

Online, the frenzy borders on farce. A December 2 YouTube live stream amassed 50,000 views claiming “Turner sighted in Kentucky Walmart,” debunked by grainy footage of a lookalike. The Augusta Free Press lambasted this “true-crime circus” on November 28, arguing it drowns real progress: “Rumors eclipse facts, eroding trust when capture comes.” VSP urges tips to 1-800-822-4453, emphasizing: “No hoaxers; real intel saves lives.”

For Big Stone Gap, the scar runs deep. Football fever, once a salve for economic woes, now sours. The Bears, led by interim coach Harlan, punched into semifinals November 29, but victory tasted hollow—signs reading “Come Home Coach” twisted into questions. “We play for the kids, not the headlines,” Harlan said post-game. Yet, whispers in the bleachers turn: Was the success built on secrets? Did blind faith enable blindness?

Nationally, Turner's tale reignites debates on predator camouflage in youth sports. The FBI reports 500,000+ CSAM images seized yearly, many from trusted figures. Advocates like RAINN call for mandatory digital audits in coaching roles, while defenders decry rushes to judgment. “Innocent until proven,” Collins reiterated, though evidence mounts.

As night falls over the Clinch River valley, searchlights pierce the frost. The GPS dot may have faded, but the hunt endures—now for shadows in the woods, and perhaps, one in plain sight. If Brooks is right, Turner's not just running; he's running with help. And in these mountains, allies can be lifelines—or loose ends. For the family praying, the feds closing in, and a town holding breath, the whistle's blown. Game on.