Shocking news swept through Union High School in Virginia after it was revealed that its head coach, Travis Hunter, had gone missing. The 46-year-old is one of the most successful coaches in the state, who led Union to an undefeated season in the division (2A) games. Police reported that a massive search is underway involving multiple agencies to locate the missing coach.

Turner has been missing since Thursday evening (November 20) and was listed as a “missing person” on Friday morning, as of 11 am, by the Virginia State Police. As a part of the initial investigation, the police rushed to Turner’s residence in Appalachia, Virginia, only to learn he was not there.

This raised concerns about his safety and well-being. The Police investigation found out that the neighborhood saw him entering the woods around his home, which is reported to be his last known location.

“We have had the drones up in the air looking, searching,” Jason Day of the VSP told WJHL. “We tried to get the state police aviation, but they were unable to fly yesterday because of the weather. We’ve had K-9 units, bloodhounds from local departments, the sheriff’s office here, and wise state police dogs into the woods, searching, you know, the local area of last known, place where, Mr. Turner may have been or had seen.”

Police officers learned that Travis Turner went missing while preparing his team for the Division 2 second-round playoff game. As Travis went missing, Wise County Public Schools Superintendent Mike Goforth reported that Assistant Coach Jay Edwards would assume the coaching duties.

Union was able to overcome the adversity that hit them during yesterday’s game, coming away with a 12-0 win against Graham HS despite questions looming around their head coach’s status. The win pushed them to an 11-0 record on the season, and they will take on Ridgeview HS in a regional title showdown.

Union community comes out to support the investigation

To support the Virginia State Police’s active effort, there are multiple social media posts about Turner’s disappearance across various platforms, including a Facebook post from his wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, saying, “As of right now, 10:25 PM on Friday night, Travis is missing, & that’s all we know. We love him and need him here with us.”

The Appalachian Project shared the news of Turner’s absence in a Facebook post, writing, “I have neither the words nor the wisdom to say much of anything regarding what transpired… but wanted to acknowledge the pain.”

The Tazewell Bulldog Radio Network shared the post, “There are multiple families who are devastated… There is a community rocked to its core.”

The investigation and searching operations are actively underway in the region of Appalachia and other areas where Travis visits most often, and we’ll keep you posted on future updates.