A high‑school football coach in Virginia has vanished into the woods with a gun just as police prepared to interview him on a string of child‑pornography and solicitation charges, his family and local authorities confirmed. The missing coach — 46‑year-old Travis Turner, formerly head coach at Union High School in Big Stone Gap — has not been seen since around November 20.
Turner is charged with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. According to a statement from his family attorney, Adrian Collins, Turner left his residence carrying a firearm just as law enforcement officers were arriving to question him. “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,” Collins said. Importantly, at the time Turner fled, no active arrest warrant had been issued, contrary to earlier media reports.
Authorities say Turner is believed to have entered a heavily wooded and mountainous area. He was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants. Local search teams, with the support of law enforcement, are scouring the terrain in hopes of locating him — but as of now, the search remains ongoing.
Union High School acted swiftly once Turner disappeared. The school placed him on administrative leave four days after his disappearance and has since removed him entirely from its official website. The sudden removal and severity of the charges have deeply shaken the Wise County community, which is grappling with feelings of betrayal and concern for student safety.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations and the gravity of his disappearance, Turner’s family continues to assert his innocence. They describe him as a “good dad and a good husband,” and prosecutors have not yet secured any convictions. For now, the situation remains fluid — with law enforcement urging anyone with information to come forward as efforts to locate Turner intensify.
