Union High School football coach Travis Turner went missing in November 2025 as his undefeated team pursued the state championships.
In the wake of his disappearance, news broke that the high school football coach left his home as officers of Virginia’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation were en route to speak to him about child pornography allegations. His family said that Turner was last seen alive with a firearm while heading towards a wooded area near his house.
“We remain prayerful for his safe return and for everyone affected by the circumstances surrounding his disappearance,” Turner family attorney Adrian Collins said in a statement on the family’s behalf on November 26, 2025. “We trust God to bring truth and clarity in His time. Any allegations should be addressed through the proper legal process — not through speculation or rumor.”
Turner’s disappearance — and the allegations levied against him — rocked the close knit community of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, where the Union High School football team were forced to press on with the postseason without their coach.
Keep scrolling for a timeline of key dates surrounding Turner’s disappearance.
November 20, 2025
Travis Turner was last seen by his family.
According to multiple media reports, Virginia’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation officers were sent to speak to Turner at his home about an open child pornography investigation, though he was not present when they arrived. Virginia State Police later specified that they had no plans to arrest Turner during their visit.
November 21, 2025
Wise County Public Schools — the district in which Turner worked — announced on November 21 that an unnamed staff member was placed on administrative leave.
“At this time, a staff member has been placed on administrative leave with pay while an external agency reviews an allegation that was reported to us,” Wise County Public Schools said in a statement. “This is standard procedure and not a determination of wrongdoing. The division cannot comment further.”
November 22, 2025
Turner was officially named an “endangered missing person” by Virginia State Police as search operations commenced.
November 22, 2025
Turner was not in attendance when his Union High School football team defeated Graham High School, 12-0. At that time, Union High had a perfect 12-0 record.
The school appointed interim head coach Jay Edward to step in for Turner during the game.
“Today is really about the students here and at Union High School,” Wise County Public Schools superintendent Mike Goforth told News Channel 11. “You know, I can’t discuss any personnel matters, and I really think that folks need to review the statement that we released yesterday. You can refer to the last statement if there’s no further comment at this time.”
November 24, 2025
Virginia State Police confirmed that an active search was underway for Turner, after he was last seen on November 20, 2025.
Virginia State Police 1st Sgt. Jason Day told News Channel 11 that his team had dispatched K9 units and “drones up in the air looking,” though their efforts were hampered by bad weather. Police focused their search on “the woods right near the general location of his house” as that’s the last place Turner was seen, according to Day.
November 25, 2025
Travis’ wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, wrote that her husband was “missing and that’s all we know” in a since-deleted Facebook post.
“We love him & need him here with us. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love & support. It means more than you know. Just keep praying that he comes home,” she wrote.
She later deleted her social media entirely.
Travis and Leslie share three children: sons Bailey, 25, and Grayden, 21, and daughter Brynlee, 11.
November 25, 2025
Virginia State Police confirmed that Travis was being investigated on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. A warrant for his arrest was obtained on November 24 and he was labeled a “fugitive” from justice by authorities.
“The Virginia State Police is actively searching for Turner,” police said in a statement.
The State Police asked for “the public’s help in providing any information that may lead to his whereabouts.”
November 26, 2025
Travis’ attorney first addressed allegations that the coach was being investigated for child pornography and solicitation before he disappeared.
“We remain prayerful for his safe return and for everyone affected by the circumstances surrounding his disappearance,” attorney Adrian Collins said in a statement on the family’s behalf. “We trust God to bring truth and clarity in His time. Any allegations should be addressed through the proper legal process — not through speculation or rumor.”
Collins concluded, “We ask the public and media to show compassion, accuracy, and respect for the family’s privacy.”
November 28, 2025
Collins disclosed in a new statement that Travis “left his residence to walk in the woods with a firearm” after his last known contact with his family.
“He is believed to have entered a heavily wooded and mountainous area,” the attorney clarified.
Collins said that the Turner family had “cooperated fully with law enforcement in their ongoing efforts to locate Travis.”
November 29, 2025
The Union High School football team made it to the Virginia High School League Region 2D semifinals after defeating rival Ridgeview High School, 21-14. Edwards once again stepped in for Travis as head coach.
November 30, 2025
Travis’ son Bailey Turner told the Daily Mail that Union High School’s win was “bittersweet” given his father’s disappearance. Bailey added that his family “appreciated the support” they’ve received from the community.
December 1, 2025
As Virginia authorities continued investigating Travis’ whereabouts, his family announced that they were organizing separate search efforts.
“Family members and friends have also conducted search efforts in the surrounding woods,” Collins, the family’s attorney, said in a statement. “These efforts have been limited by weather conditions and with respect for the official operations underway.”
The lawyer went on, “It is the family’s prayer that Travis is safe and will have the opportunity to defend himself in a court of law.”
December 1, 2025
John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, offered theories on why police were not able to locate Travis nearly two weeks after his disappearance. He explained that police may need to use motion sensors that send signals back to the search team’s base, or even drones with heat-sensing abilities that can track an individual’s movement.
Eddie Blair, the husband of a former high school classmate of Travis’, told The Athletic that it may be especially difficult for authorities to find the coach since he knew the wooded Appalachian area “better than most people.”
December 1, 2025
The United States Marshals Service announced a reward of up to $5,000 for any information that leads to Travis’ whereabouts. Individuals with any relevant tips were asked to call 911 or the Virginia State Police, or visit usmarshals.gov/tips.
The U.S. Marshalls encouraged the public to “use caution” if they spot Travis because he “may be armed.”
The reward was issued after the Marshals met with members of the Virginia State Police on December 1 at Appalachia High School, Travis’ alma mater. Dr. Ken Lang, a former detective and head of Milligan University’s criminal justice program, offered an explanation to News Channel 11 about why the Marshals joined the investigation.
“If the FBI recognizes that a local agency doesn’t necessarily have the resources that [are] available to the FBI or other federal agencies, then they’ll come in and often offer their help and assistance in loaning that equipment or helping them facilitate the function of finding this person,” Lang noted.
December 3, 2025
The Virginia State Police offered an update on the search for Travis nearly two weeks after he went missing.
“The search remains active and ongoing with the assistance of the US Marshals Service and FBI,” a spokesperson told Us Weekly. “We are still asking for the public’s assistance in providing any information that may lead to Turner’s whereabouts.”
The police said that they were “following up on all tips received” since the U.S. Marshalls offered a reward.
December 3, 2025
Bobby Taghavi, a veteran prosecutor, shared insight with the Daily Mail about what punishment Travis could face if he is found alive and convicted of child pornography and solicitation charges. The prosecutor suggested Travis could receive “a more serious sentence” of between 5 to 30 years in prison. (Taghavi is not involved in the Turner case.)
Travis would be forced to register as a sex offender if convicted, meaning that he could no longer work as a coach or physical education teacher.
“Someone like Travis Turner [if he is guilty] is sitting in a position where his life as he knows it is, for all intents and purposes, over,” Taghavi said. “He’ll no longer be a coach, he’ll no longer be a teacher, he’s probably going to have a lot of issues within his family and within the community, especially when you’re living in a small community with someone who’s high-profile like him.”
December 4, 2025
The Turner family’s attorney told Us that their “last contact with Travis causes them to have great concern for his well-being.”
“Travis’ car and keys were left at home,” his attorney said. “Travis wore contact lenses by day and glasses in the evenings. Travis’ contact lens supplies and glasses were left at home. Travis’ wallet, license, cash, and all its contents were left in the home.”
The family revealed that Travis was “prescribed certain daily medication,” which was also left at home.
“It is not like Travis to disappear or stay away from home,” they said.
December 3, 2025
Criminologist Dr. Alex del Carmen speculated that Travis may have left the country or could have received help from others in evading justice. (Dr. Carmen is not directly involved in the case.)
“There’s always the school of thought that we assume there could be people helping him be in a different place,” Dr. Carmen told WCYB-News 5. “He would have had a different haircut, maybe even a different identity somewhere. Left the country, that’s the other possibility.”
Dr. Carmen acknowledged that there’s “always the reality” that Travis may have died by suicide.
“Based on all of those possibilities, we cannot discard one or the other,” Dr. Carmen said.
December 4, 2025
Travis’ wife Leslie denied any suggestion that she helped him escape from justice on November 20, 2025.
“Criminal charges were not obtained against Travis until days after he failed to return home,” the Turner family attorney said. “He was not a fugitive nor wanted by law enforcement at the time he went missing. His wife was not helping him escape, she was asking for help to find him.”
Their lawyer said that the Turner family “continues to cooperate with law enforcement efforts to locate Travis.”
“Their homes and properties have been searched multiple times, with their consent,” they added.
The family’s lawyer addressed why Leslie did not immediately contact authorities when her husband left home.
“This was something he had done multiple times throughout the years,” their rep explained. “When [Travis] did not return to his home that evening, his wife, out of concern, asked for assistance from law enforcement. As directed, she filed a missing person report the following day with the Virginia State Police.”
December 5, 2025
WJHL reporter Belle Johnson reported that she spoke with interim Union High School football coach Jay Edwards about the mood at school following the team’s victory over Ridgeview High School on November 29.
“He said they’ve had student leaders step up to just kind of guide the younger [students] along,” Johnson reported. “They’ve been telling [Jay], ‘Don’t listen to the outside influence right now.’”
Edwards previously offered a comment about the team’s undefeated record on November 29, simply telling reporters: “The kids are the key to everything.”
December 6, 2025
The Union High School football team’s undefeated season came to an end when they lost to Glenvar High School, 21-20, in the Virginia High School League Class 2 semifinals.
December 6, 2025
Law enforcement veteran and criminology professor Dr. Ken Lang — who is not directly connected to the case — told the Daily Mail that the search for Travis was “like looking for a needle in the haystack” due to the rugged terrain of the Appalachian Mountains, where the coach supposedly disappeared.
“That’s a pretty remote, densely wooded area,” Dr. Lang said. “We’re in the cold time of the year, and so at night, if we’re looking for somebody, we would send helicopters up and use Forward-Looking Infrared [FLIR] to look for body heat.”
The criminology professor acknowledged that it is “hard to discern” whether those sensors detect a person or, for example, a “deer that has bedded down for the night or other animals.”
December 8, 2025
WCYB-5 News reported on a “tense” meeting of the Wise County School Board, where chair Larry Greear announced that he would not allow “open expression” from the public. The local station said parents were “aggravated and concerned about what they say is a lack of communication from the school board.”
“Our main focus is the kids, we want to keep them as normal as possible,” Greear explained. “We have resources, we have counseling services available in addition to what they ordinarily have at that particular site.”
Greear promised that public comment would be reinstated at the Wise County School Board’s next meeting, which is set for January 12.
December 10, 2025
Wise County, Virginia’s Clerk of Circuit Court told WCYB-5 News that a Circuit Court Judge officially sealed all documents related to the investigation.
