In this quiet Virginia town, a football team whose coach went suspiciously missing is winning every game without him
WCYB, VIRGINIA STATE POLICE, CNN
By Alaa Elassar, Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN
(CNN) — Cheers rang out as hands lifted the gleaming trophy high, a symbol of victory for this undefeated small-town Virginia football team. But in the midst of Saturday’s celebration, one key figure was glaringly absent – someone who should have been at the heart of it all.
Eleven days earlier, Union High School football coach Travis Turner is believed by his family to have walked out of his home in Appalachia carrying a firearm, disappearing into the thick, mountainous woods. He hasn’t been seen since.
Virginia State Police said they were on their way to visit Turner at his home, but when they arrived, the coach was already gone. Days later, they announced that the coach is wanted on five counts of child pornography possession and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Brett Hall, the commonwealth’s attorney for Wise County, told CNN Wednesday over email his office “is aware of the ongoing investigation pertaining to charges against Union High School’s head football coach” but can’t comment further.
Turner, who was also listed as a physical education teacher at Union High School in a now-removed entry on the school’s online staff roster, was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, sweatpants and glasses, state police said. The agency hasn’t shared any details about when or where he was last seen or who may have seen him last.
The last known contact Turner’s family had with him was on or around Thursday, November 20, when he set off into the nearby woods with a firearm, the family’s attorney, Adrian Collins, said in a statement. At that time, no arrest warrants had been issued for him, Collins said.
When Turner failed to return home that night, his wife immediately contacted local authorities but was informed that a missing person report couldn’t be filed until 24 hours had passed, according to Collins. The next day, she formally reported him missing to the Virginia State Police. The family has been fully cooperative with law enforcement in their ongoing search for Turner, Collins said.
As the search for Turner continues, nearby in the tiny town of Big Stone Gap, the Union High School football team – the Bears – have remained steadfast, fighting through the storm of scandal and uncertainty.
On November 29, they overcame fierce rivals Ridgeview High School with a nail-biting 21-14 victory, pushing them into the state semifinals. Saturday’s victory marked the second game that they played without their head coach watching and guiding them from the sidelines.
The wins are more than just games: they’re defiant statements. Despite the national media frenzy and the shadow of their coach’s alleged crimes, the Bears stand tall, united by an unspoken bond.
Defensive coordinator Jay Edwards, thrust into the role of interim head coach, has stepped up to guide the players, but their grit is what has kept them pushing forward.
“We talked in the huddle and we said, listen boys, we’re going to have to handle adversity here,” senior running back Keith Chandler told CNN affiliate WCYB after their first victory without Turner last weekend. “We stick together as brothers here and we should come out with the victory.”
As Union High’s football team perseveres through its season, the school is confronting its second allegation in as many years involving a reported employee.
Court records show another reported employee of the high school was accused of, and later pleaded guilty to, sex-related crimes in 2023. Timothy Lee Meador, who CNN affiliate WCYB reported was a teacher and coach at the same high school, pleaded guilty to two felony charges of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial or supervisory relationship, Virginia court records show.
CNN has reached out to Meador’s attorney at the time, who is the same attorney currently representing Turner.
A community tackles adversity
In the heart of rural Appalachia, a tight-knit western Virginia community of fewer than 2,000 people shaken by unimaginable accusations has rallied behind its high school football team, whose season of triumph now feels like a bittersweet battle for redemption.
The Union High School Bears, undefeated and hungry for a state championship, have become powerful representations of resilience in the face of heartache and chaos.
After winning the regional final game at home against Ridgeview on Saturday afternoon, the team will advance to the Class 2 state semifinal on December 6, one step before the state final set for December 13.
It’s a poignant victory that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the community, both at Union High and beyond. Among the cheering crowd were students from Eastside High School, who traveled by bus to show their support, and athletes from Lebanon High School, who joined in solidarity with their fellow players, CNN affiliate WCYB reported.
“This is one of the most positive, uplifting moments that I have ever been part of,” Eastside High’s pep club wrote on Facebook. “From the police escort, to the fans on the street, to the massive roar and announcement we received as the bus entered (the) park, and finally the fan reception as we entered the stadium. As the tears came to my eyes I realized. There is no better place than these communities we live in.”
Their presence was a reminder of something bigger: a community rallying together, standing shoulder to shoulder with the young men as they fight to finish their season amid unrelenting pressure.
On Facebook, the community has been vocal and unwavering, insisting that the spotlight should be on the players — not the accusations surrounding their coach.
“The student athletes are not the ones charged, and should be left out of all this,” Mountain 7 Sports Report, which covers the student games, said in a post. Parents of the football players and other members of the community replied in agreement.
An ongoing search and the mystery of his disappearance
Since Turner’s disappearance, authorities have used search and rescue teams, drones and police dogs to try to locate him, state police said this week.
In an email to CNN Tuesday, the Wise County Public Schools superintendent, Mike Goforth, said the district is “aware that law enforcement has filed charges against a staff member who has been on administrative leave.” Turner is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students, Goforth said.
Searching the area, nestled in a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, isn’t easy.
Its rugged topography, carved by rivers and forests with elevations that vary from low valleys to high peaks, makes for a challenging environment for search and rescue operations.
Outside of police dogs and foot traffic, authorities may need to rely on technology, like motion sensors left in an area of interest that send signals to the search team’s base, or drones with heat-sensing abilities that can track movement, said John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst. That’s not a perfect science, he notes, given all the activity such sensors pick up.
If Turner is in the woods, weather could impact how he fares. Since his disappearance, the area has seen warmer than normal temperatures during the day and overnight – sometimes with light rainfall, but not enough to flood the area, according to CNN meteorologist Mary Gilbert.
When reached by CNN on Tuesday, Turner’s wife shared a statement from the family’s attorney.
“I speak today on behalf of Coach Turner’s family. We remain prayerful for his safe return and for everyone affected by the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. We trust God to bring truth and clarity in His time,” the statement, which also asks for the family’s privacy, reads. “Any allegations should be addressed through the proper legal process – not through speculation or rumor,” the statement from Collins reads.
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