Police were on their way to a Virginia football coach’s house. Then they found he’d gone missing
It was a big night for the football team at Union High School in Virginia’s northwest tip: After going undefeated all season, they were ready to play a big game.
Union High Bears rose to another victoryThey advanced to the regional finals for the 12th time since the season began in August, two games away from a potential state championship.
But the coach who guided them through the season wasn’t there to cheer them on. She disappeared earlier in the week and is now the subject of a missing person investigation.
Travis Turner is listed as a physical education teacher and head football coach. Birlik High SchoolHe has been missing since Thursday, according to Virginia State Police. The 46-year-old man was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, sweatpants and glasses.
Authorities did not share when or where Turner was last seen. But the mystery begins before her disappearance: Officials told CNN Thursday evening that special agents from the Virginia State Police were dispatched to her home in Appalachia, a town of fewer than 2,000 people.
Police said agents were sent in as part of the “early stages of the investigation” but did not go on to arrest the football coach. It’s unclear what the investigation is about.
“During the move, agents were informed that Turner was no longer there,” the agency said.
The official search for Turner continued throughout the weekend, with search and rescue teams, drones and K-9 units dispatched as part of the effort. Virginia State Police told CNN in a statement Monday evening that the investigation is ongoing and Turner has still not been found.
Wise County Public Schools, which includes Union, responded to CNN’s questions about Turner with the following statement: “A staff member has been placed on paid administrative leave while an outside agency investigates an allegation reported to the department. This is standard procedure and is not a finding of misconduct. This also involves an active law enforcement matter and the department cannot comment further.”
A pastor led the way before Saturday’s game a community prayer. “We can trust that our community is bigger than the situation we are facing,” Pastor Bryan Gunter said in an interview with CNN affiliate WCYB.
One student-athlete said he encouraged his teammates to overcome the challenges of the week.
“We talked in the huddle and said, listen, guys, we’re going to have to deal with adversity here,” senior runner Keith Chandler said after the game, according to WCYB. “We are united here as brothers and we must come out of here victorious,” he said.
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