Virginia family’s attorney says missing coach entered woods with firearm
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A fugitive Virginia high school football coach who disappeared during a child pornography investigation was last seen walking into a wooded area with a firearm, a family lawyer said.
Travis L. Turner, 46, the award-winning head coach at Union High School in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, left his home on Nov. 20 to walk “into a heavily wooded and mountainous area,” attorney Adrian Collins said in a statement on behalf of the family. WCYB.
“The family’s last known contact with Travis occurred on or about Thursday, November 20, after he left his home to walk through the woods armed with a firearm,” the statement said. His statement was included and it was pointed out that no arrest warrant was issued for him before his disappearance.
Travis Turner, a Virginia high school football coach, disappeared into the woods with a firearm during a child pornography investigation. (Leslie Turner/Facebook)
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When he didn’t come home that evening, his wife notified local law enforcement, but was told she would have to wait 24 hours to file a missing person report, according to the statement. He submitted the report to the Virginia State Police (VSP) the next day.
The family said they searched the surrounding forest with friends, but their efforts were limited by poor weather conditions and the need to avoid interfering with the official search.
On Tuesday, five days after Turner was last seen, authorities announced they had issued 10 arrest warrants charging Turner with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to molest a minor.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected. VSP said Turner is now considered a fugitive.
Virginia State Police are searching for Union High School football coach Travis Turner, whose disappearance stunned the Big Stone Gap community. (Virginia State Police)
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Turner was reported missing. On Friday, Nov. 21 — a day after he was last seen — Virginia State Police investigators returned to his home in Appalachia to speak with him about the case. Police said they visited the home on Nov. 20, the day he disappeared, and did not try to arrest him at that time.
Turner’s wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, responded after her husband was accused: Daily Mail “none of this is true.”
“He’s a good father and a good husband, and we want him at home. That’s it,” she said. “I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. I’m sorry.”
Travis Turner disappeared from his family’s home in Appalachia, Virginia, on Friday, November 21, 2025. Authorities say they obtained 10 arrest warrants charging Turner with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to molest a minor. (Facebook/Leslie Caudill Turner)
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Police launched an extensive search of Wise County using drones, K-9 units and foot patrols. He was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, sweatpants and glasses. accordingly Virginia’s missing persons database.
Anyone with information on Turner’s whereabouts is asked to contact Virginia State Police at (276) 228-3131.
Fox News’ Julia Bonavita and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
