The high school football coach who went missing in the middle of an undefeated season appeared upbeat and confident in an interview just days before he mysteriously vanished as cops were heading to his home.
In his final interview before becoming the center of a missing person’s probe, Travis Turner — the head grid coach at Union High School in Big Stone Gap, Va. — said he was bracing for a tough match-up against a rival team in a crunch playoff game.
“It’s going to be a battle here … and our kids be ready,” Turner, 46, declared in an interview with the Union Sports Network on Nov. 15, just five days before he vanished.
“Their coaches do a great job,” he added of the opposing side. “They’re very athletic… They’re strong up front and they’re just well coached.”
The interview gave no clue that Turner was battling a hidden crisis, nor that he would vanish just days later as cops headed to his home over a a still unspecified investigation.
Turner’s wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, also posted a handful of photos on Facebook ahead of the game wishing him luck, again with no sense of the upcoming drama.
Authorities were still searching for Turner as of Tuesday after he was listed as a missing person on the Virginia State Police database late last week.
The bizarre ordeal kicked off after police disclosed they had been en route to Turner’s home in Appalachia last Thursday as part of the “early stages of an investigation” when he went missing.
Cops have been tight-lipped on what the probe was about.
“This was part of the investigation, and NOT to arrest [Turner],” police said in a statement.
“While in transit, the agents were informed that Turner was no longer at the location.”
In a since-deleted Facebook post obtained by News Channel 11, Turner’s wife said Friday that the coach was missing — “and that’s all we know.”
“We love him and need him here with us,” she wrote. “Just keep praying that he comes home.”
But the mystery deepened when officials at Wise County Public Schools — which oversees Union High — revealed Friday that an employee within the district had been placed on administrative leave.
Neither the school nor cops have said if the staffer was Turner, or if the two cases were connected.
“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 district said in a brief statement.
“This is standard procedure and not a determination of wrongdoing. This situation also involves an active law-enforcement matter, and the division cannot comment further.”
State police said in the most recent update late Monday that searchers were still scouring the area near Turner’s home in search of him.
“Virginia State Police has utilized a number of assets, including search and rescue teams, drones and k9s, to assist in the search, and hopefully, locate Turner safely,” a spokesperson said.
“At this time, Turner has not been located. The investigation remains ongoing.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
