The wife of a missing Virginia high school football coach has made an emotional public appeal as police continue their intensive search operation across Appalachian woodland.
Desperate Search for Beloved Coach
Virginia State Police confirmed on Saturday that multiple state agencies are involved in the active search for Travis L Turner, the 46-year-old head coach of Union High School's football team. The search began after police visited Turner's home on Thursday as part of an ongoing investigation, only to discover he wasn't there.
According to official statements, Turner was last seen entering woodland near his Appalachia home, prompting search teams to concentrate their efforts in the surrounding area. The missing coach was described as wearing a grey sweatshirt, grey sweatpants and glasses when he disappeared.
Family's Emotional Plea
As search operations continued through the weekend, Turner's wife Leslie broke her silence with a heartfelt social media post on Saturday evening. Taking to Facebook, she wrote: 'I just wanted to get on here for a second to clear up something, as of right now, 10:25 PM on Friday night, Travis is missing, & that's all we know.'
She continued with an emotional appeal: '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.'
Authorities have been quick to clarify that their initial visit to Turner's property wasn't intended as an arrest operation. Police emphasised they simply wanted to make contact with him as part of their investigation, according to Football Scoop.
Intensive Ground and Air Search
Search teams have deployed significant resources in their efforts to locate the missing coach. Officer Jason Day of the Virginia State Police revealed to WJHL that drones and K-9 units have been actively searching the area, while helicopter support was planned but hampered by poor weather conditions on Saturday.
The investigation involves agents from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Wytheville field office, who were in the early stages of investigating a man from Wise County.
Meanwhile, Wise County school officials announced on Friday that an unidentified employee had been placed on administrative leave pending an external investigation, though no direct connection to Turner's disappearance has been confirmed.
Football Community Rallies
Turner's disappearance comes during a particularly successful season for Union High School's football team. The coach had led his squad to an undefeated season with an 11-0 record, positioning them among the state's top-ranked teams within their division.
Despite their coach's mysterious absence, the team demonstrated remarkable resilience by securing a 12-0 victory against Graham High School on Saturday. Assistant Coach Jay Edwards has assumed coaching duties as the season reaches its conclusion.
Senior defensive leader Carlos Anderson told the Bristol Herald-Courier: 'We were going to play no matter what. We were ready for this game. We've been ready since summer and we just had to go out and execute.'
Turner's football credentials are impressive - he was a high school football star himself, quarterbacking three state championship teams between 1994-97. He has served as Union's head coach since 2011 and has been honoured twice as Southwest Virginia Coach of the Year.
Friends have rallied around the Turner family, with one posting online: 'Everybody needs to be looking out for Leslie Caudill Turner and her family, and focus on finding her husband, not put stress [on] her and her kids.'
As the search enters another day, the community remains hopeful for the safe return of their respected coach, with many echoing his wife's request to keep praying for his homecoming.
