Virginia high school football coach vanishes during team’s undefeated season amid sex-crime investigation

Travis Turner is now considered a fugitive, authorities said. He is wanted on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor

Virginia high school football coach Travis Turner, 46, is wanted on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor, authorities said (Virginia State Police)

A Virginia high school football coach, who mysteriously disappeared last week during an undefeated season, is being investigated for child pornography possession and soliciting a minor, according to law enforcement.

Travis Turner, a physical education teacher and head football coach at Union High School in Big Stone Gap, vanished Thursday as police officers were headed to his home as part of an investigation.

The 46-year-old married father is now considered a fugitive, Virginia State Police said in an update Tuesday. Turner is wanted on five counts of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.

Police are actively searching for Turner using search and rescue teams, drones and K-9s. Additional charges are pending, and the investigation remains ongoing, authorities added.

Virginia high school football coach Travis Turner, 46, is wanted on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor, authorities said (Virginia State Police)

Turner, the head coach of the Union High School Bears, went missing as his team was preparing for a playoff game. Despite his absence, the team remained triumphant, now with an undefeated 12-0 season. Turner has been head coach at the public high school since 2011.

In a since-deleted Facebook post, Turner’s wife, Leslie Turner, wrote that he was “missing and that’s all we know,” KTVU reported.

Authorities arrived at Turner’s home in Appalachia, a town of less than 2,000 people, as “part of the early stages of an investigation,” not to arrest him, state police said.

Authorities went to Turner’s home November 20 as part of their investigation but he was not there. He has not been seen since (Virginia State Police)

However, as police were headed to the residence November 20, they were told that he had left that location.

Turner was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and glasses, authorities said. He is described as being 6’3” and weighing 260 pounds.

Virginia State Police and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation are actively searching for Turner.