Wife of missing football coach Travis Turner breaks silence after husband mysteriously vanishes: ‘Keep praying’
The wife of missing Virginia high school football coach Travis Turner urged people to “keep praying” her husband returns home after he mysteriously vanished late last week in the middle of an undefeated season.
“I just wanted to get on here for a second to clear up something, as of right now, 10:25 PM on Friday night, Travis is missing, & that’s all we know,” Leslie Turner wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post, obtained by News Channel 11.
“We love him & need him here with us. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love & support. It means more than you know. Just keep praying that he comes home,” she said, according to the outlet.
Travis Turner was officially listed as a missing person on Sunday after last being seen on Thursday, according to Virginia State Police.
Turner, the head gridiron coach at Union High School in Big Stone Gap, Va, was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, police said.
Officers were reportedly dispatched to the 46-year-old’s home in Appalachia Thursday evening to investigate a complaint, not arrest him. After they arrived, cops discovered Turner was no longer there.
The details of the complaint the police were investigating were not disclosed.
On the same day, officials at Wise County Public Schools, which oversees Union High, disclosed that an employee within the district had been placed on administrative leave amid an ongoing investigation.
Neither cops nor school officials would confirm whether Turner was the employee placed on leave or the subject of the investigation.
“A staff member has been placed on administrative leave with pay while an external agency reviews an allegation that was reported to the division,” the district said in a statement without elaborating further.
“This is standard procedure and not a determination of wrongdoing. This situation also involves an active law-enforcement matter, and the division cannot comment further.”
Virginia State Police have since launched a full-out search, utilizing search and rescue teams, drones, and K-9s to locate Turner.
The Union High School football team was in the midst of what should have been a celebratory, undefeated season when the head coach suddenly vanished.
The school’s assistant coach, Jay Edwards, has since stepped in to handle all coaching responsibilities as the search for Turner continues.
