Fugitive high school coach erased as school scrubs staff profile amid child porn charges: report
The fugitive Virginia high school football coach who disappeared amid an alleged child pornography investigation has had his profile scrubbed from the school’s website.
On Tuesday, authorities announced that they have obtained 10 warrants to charge Travis L. Turner, 46, with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities adding that additional charges are pending.
Turner was first reported missing as officers with the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Wytheville Field Office were en route to his Appalachia home to speak with him about the investigation on Friday, Nov. 21, according to authorities. Officials had visited Turner’s home one day prior, and were returning only to speak with him and not make any arrests, police said.
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Police have launched an extensive search across Wise County utilizing drones, K-9 units and foot patrols. He was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, sweatpants and glasses, according to Virginia’s missing person database.
Just days after the investigation was announced and following Turner’s disappearance, Union High School appeared to have scrubbed the football coach’s profile from the online staff directory, according to ABC 7.
Upon searching Turner’s last name on the site, the only ‘Turner’ listed as an employee is his eldest son, Bailey, who works as a physical education teacher, the Daily Mail reported.
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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. However, the statement did not identify the staff member involved or mention the charges filed against Turner.
“A staff member has been placed on administrative leave with pay while an external agency reviews an allegation that was reported to the division,” Superintendent Mike Goforth said in a statement at the time. “This is standard procedure and is not a determination of wrongdoing.”
In an updated statement released later in the week, the school district acknowledged that law enforcement has since filed charges against the staff member who was already placed on leave.
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“The individual remains on leave and is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students,” 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.”
Wise County Public Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding Turner’s current employment status.
The allegations against Turner are not the first to uproot the Virginia high school community.
In 2023, Timothy Lee Meador, a teacher and coach at the same school, pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent liberties with a child and served one year and three months in prison, ABC 7 reported.
The two men’s employment at the school reportedly overlapped, but details regarding which sport Meador coached remain unclear.
In light of the charges filed against Turner, his wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, has spoken out to deny the accusations after her husband was charged, telling 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.”
Turner’s family attorney and the VSP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Anyone with information about Turner’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Virginia State Police at (276) 228-3131.
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