A high school football coach in the state of Virginia suddenly went missing during the playoffs, right in the middle of an undefeated season. Union High School head coach Travis Turner is on the run with a gun.
What started out as a bizarre story that rallied the community together has since taken a dark turn.
Turner is under investigation for multiple counts of child pornography. The high school football coach has not been seen since Nov. 20, when local police were on the way to his place of residence.
Union High School is the best 2A football team in Virginia this season.
Union High School is located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, about 60 miles north of Johnson City, Tennessee near the state border. It enrolls approximately 600 students in Grades 9-12.
The Bears finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in Virginia Class 2A at 10-0 and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs by a combined score of 467-97. They won each of their first two postseason games by a combined score of 52-7 to reach the quarterfinals.
Union is set to play No. 2-seed Ridgeview on Saturday afternoon without its head coach.
Head coach Travis Turner is a wanted man.
Travis Turner was officially listed in the Virginia State Police Department’s database for missing persons last weekend. He was also considered the subject of an “active search” that involved agents from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation Wytheville Field Office at the time.
But that’s all we knew. The community joined together to pray for Turner. They hoped for his safe return. The team fought hard without him.
And then news broke on Friday of the basis for the investigation. He is wanted on five counts child porn possession and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Travis Turner did not go missing. Travis Turner is on the run.
Police continue to search the region around Big Stone Gap for the (now former) head coach. His whereabouts remain unknown. There is no way to know whether he is alive, let alone where he might be.
According to an attorney for the family of the fugitive, Turner left home with a firearm. He wandered into a heavily wooded and mountainous area with a firearm on the night of Nov. 20.
Adrian Collins, the attorney, says Turner’s wife contacted law enforcement once he did not return home that evening and was advised a missing persons report could not be taken until 24 hours had passed. She filed a missing persons report on Friday. His full statement is as follows:
Statement from Adrian Collins, Attorney at Law, On Behalf of the Family of Coach Travis Turner
On behalf of the family of Travis Turner, I wish to express their sincere gratitude to all who have shown concern during this difficult time.
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. He is believed to have entered a heavily wooded and mountainous area. At which point, no warrants had been issued for his arrest.
When Travis did not return home that evening, his wife promptly notified local law enforcement. She was advised that a missing-person report could not be taken until at least 24 hours had passed. The following day, she filed a missing-person report with the Virginia State Police. The family has cooperated fully with law-enforcement in their ongoing efforts to locate Travis.
Family members and friends have also conducted search efforts in the surrounding woods. These efforts have been limited by weather conditions and with respect for the official operations underway.
It is the family’s prayer that Travis is safe and will have the opportunity to defend himself in a court of law.
Wise County Public Schools, which oversees Union High School, placed Turner on paid administrative leave after he left town. The school has since scrubbed him from its website after 11 years as a football coach and gym teacher. He is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students.