Coach goes missing days before his team’s biggest game, but what happened Thursday night remains a mystery

Union High School football coach Travis Turner has been reported missing just days before his undefeated team is set to play in their biggest game of the season. This is truly terrible news coming during what should be a happy time for the Big Stone Gap, Virginia, community and its football program.

According to the New York Post, the Virginia State Police officially listed Turner as a missing person on Sunday. This confusing situation started because the coach was last seen way back on Thursday. What makes this whole situation even stranger is the detail about his last known appearance.

Officers were sent to his home Thursday evening to check on a complaint. It’s important to know that the police weren’t there to arrest him, but when they got to the location, Turner was no longer there. This important detail raises more questions than answers about what exactly led to him disappearing that night. State Police confirmed that when he was last seen, he was wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Authorities are using every tool available to find the missing coach

Search efforts in Wise County have totally ramped up as authorities try to find the coach. “We have had the drones up in the air looking, searching,” Jason Day of the State Police said. “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, 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.”

Despite the weather challenges, K-9 units and bloodhounds from local departments and the Wise State Police have been sent out. Day noted they are searching the woods and the local area of the last known place where Turner may have been or had been seen.

It sounds like they’re pulling out all the stops, which is exactly what you want to see in a high-stakes missing person case. Missing person investigations have become increasingly urgent nationwide, with cases like a young child found in horrifying circumstances showing why quick action matters.

This situation is an incredibly tough emotional blow for the Union High football program. The team had celebrated an impressive 11-0 regular season and was firmly focused on their deep playoff run. Turner’s disappearance happened right when the team should have been focused entirely on practice and preparation for the regional title.

Despite the massive distraction and emotional upheaval, the team has managed to press on. Just one day after Turner went missing, the Bears advanced to the regional semifinal. Assistant coach Jay Edwards stepped up immediately to take over the program as the interim head coach. That must be a huge amount of pressure for Edwards, but he clearly handled it well.

The team secured a 12-0 victory against Graham High School in Virginia despite the news swirling around their head coach. That kind of focus and strength in the face of chaos is really impressive. Workplace tragedies have shaken other communities recently, including a shocking fatal attack on a colleague, reminding us how fragile normalcy can be.

Now, the Union Bears are preparing for the biggest game of their season. They will face Ridgeview High School in the upcoming regional title match-up. It’s wild that they’re playing for a championship while their head coach remains officially listed as a missing person.