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Missing Virginia high school football coach wanted for child sexual abuse material: Police

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on November 25, 2025

(APPALACHIA, Va.) — A high school football coach who went missing last week is wanted for possession of child sexual abuse material and using a computer to solicit a minor, authorities in Virginia said Tuesday.

Travis Turner, 46, of Appalachia, Virginia, has been missing since Nov. 20, according to the Virginia State Police. The Union High School football coach is considered a fugitive, police said.

State police have obtained 10 warrants for Turner, including five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor, authorities said. The investigation remains ongoing and additional charges are pending, police said.

Agents with the state police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation Wytheville Field Office were en route to Turner’s home on Nov. 20 as part of an investigation, not an arrest, when they were informed he was no longer there, police said.

“Police are actively searching for Turner,” Virginia State Police said in a statement on Tuesday. “Since his disappearance, VSP has utilized a number of assets, including search and rescue teams, drones and k9s, to assist in the search. VSP’s main priority is locating Turner safely; he is now considered a fugitive.”

Turner is a physical education teacher and head football coach at Union High School, in the Wise County public school district, according to the school’s website. Amid his disappearance, the football team has advanced to the Virginia regional final, scheduled for this weekend, during their 12-0 season.

ABC News has reached out to the Wise County Public Schools for comment on the charges Turner is facing.

School officials had previously said a Wise County Public Schools staff member had been placed on administrative leave, but did not identify the employee.

“A staff member has been placed on administrative leave with pay while an external agency reviews an allegation that was reported to the division,” the school district said in a statement to ABC News on Monday. “This is standard procedure and is not a determination of wrongdoing. This situation also involves an active law-enforcement matter, and the division cannot comment further.”

Wise County Public Schools Superintendent Mike Goforth said Monday that the school district is unable to provide additional details due to the “personnel and law enforcement components.”

Anyone with information on Turner’s whereabouts is asked to contact Virginia State Police Division 4 at 276-484-9483 or email questions@vsp.virginia.gov.