The small Appalachian town of Wise County, Virginia, is reeling after the sudden disappearance of Travis Turner, the 46-year-old head football coach and physical education teacher at Union High School. Turner vanished on November 20, 2025, just as Virginia State Police were about to investigate his home as part of a probe into child sexual abuse material. The case has cast a long shadow over the school’s undefeated football season and stirred deep emotions in a tight-knit community already grappling with a history of similar scandals.
According to a statement from attorney Adrian Collins, representing the Turner family, "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 the time Turner left, no warrants had been issued for his arrest. Collins emphasized, "At which point, no warrants had been issued for his arrest." When Turner did not return home that evening, his wife, Leslie Turner, promptly notified law enforcement, but was told that a missing-person report could not be filed until 24 hours had passed. The following day, she filed the report with the Virginia State Police.
Authorities soon obtained ten warrants for Turner’s arrest: five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. Virginia State Police, who had been en route to Turner’s home on November 20 as part of their investigation, found he was already gone. Since then, Turner has been the subject of an intense manhunt. Police have deployed search and rescue teams, drones, and K9 units in a bid to locate him. “VSP’s main priority is locating Turner safely; he is now considered a fugitive,” state police said in a statement. Family members and friends have also joined the search in the woods, though their efforts have been hampered by poor weather and the need to avoid interfering with official operations.
The disappearance has deeply affected the Turner family. On November 29, 2025, Turner’s 23-year-old son Bailey made his first public appearance since the scandal broke, attending the Union High School Bears’ football game against Ridgeview High School. The Bears clinched a 21-14 victory, continuing their undefeated streak that began under Travis Turner’s leadership. Bailey, a former Bears quarterback who graduated in 2019 and now works on the coaching staff, described the win as “bittersweet.” Fighting back tears, he told the Daily Mail, “We appreciate the support.” He kept mostly to the sidelines, visibly emotional as the team celebrated.
Supporters at Bullitt Park, where the game was held, expressed their solidarity with the team and the Turner family. One fan remarked, “It’s a credit to the coaches that they have been able to keep the boys focused in the way they have despite everything going on. Everyone is here to support the team, and wants them to do well. It’s a tight knit community and this really hit everyone hard.” Many fans hugged Bailey and reassured him that the family was in their thoughts.
The Bears are now set to face Glenvar in the Class 2 state semifinal on December 6, with the state championship game scheduled for December 13. Interim head coach Jay Edwards told reporters that the team was determined to move forward and focus on their goal of a state title, despite the turmoil surrounding the program.
The fallout from the allegations has been swift. The Wise County School District placed Turner on leave, stating, “The individual remains on leave and is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students.” Union High School quickly removed Turner’s profile from its website, leaving only Bailey Turner listed as staff. School and law enforcement officials have remained tight-lipped about the ongoing investigation, with sources telling the Daily Mail that leaks are being strictly avoided.
Leslie Turner, Travis’s wife and a paralegal, has publicly defended her husband. She told the Daily Mail, “None of that is true. He’s a good dad and a good husband and we want him home. That’s it.” She added, “I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. I’m sorry.” The family’s attorney reiterated their cooperation with authorities, saying, “The family has cooperated fully with law-enforcement in their ongoing efforts to locate Travis.” Leslie admitted that the family is struggling, stating, “We are all just hanging in there until we get news.”
The shockwaves of Turner’s disappearance have been amplified by the school system’s troubled past. In 2023, Timothy Lee Meador, another coach at Union High School, was jailed for child solicitation and indecent liberties. Meador pleaded guilty and served over a year in prison. More recently, Tyler Jay Tibbs, 28, a staff member at nearby Coeburn Middle School, was arrested in August 2025 on three counts of carnal knowledge and one count of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial or supervisory relationship. Tibbs was released on bond, and the investigation is ongoing. Meador remains listed on the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry.
The recurrence of such cases has left the Wise County community shaken and searching for answers. Many residents have known the Turner family for years—Travis’s own father coached the team previously—and the news has been hard to process. “It’s not something anyone wants to talk about, especially today. Today is about the boys and the team doing their best,” a supporter told the Daily Mail.
Travis Turner had been at the helm of the Union High School football program since 2011, earning honors as Southwest Virginia Coach of the Year twice and building the Bears into a regional powerhouse. His sudden disappearance and the grave nature of the allegations have left a leadership vacuum and cast a pall over what would otherwise have been a season of celebration.
As the search for Turner continues, the community remains in limbo—torn between support for the family, concern for the team, and the unsettling reality of repeated scandals. For now, all eyes are on the Bears as they pursue a state championship, even as the fate of their former coach hangs in the balance and the investigation presses on.