WISE COUNTY, Va. — It was a big night for the football team at Union High School on Virginia’s northwest edge: They were set to play a pivotal game after going undefeated all season.
The Union High School Bears soared to another victory, their 12th since the season began in August, as they advanced to the regional finals, two games away from a potential state championship.
But the coach who had guided them throughout the season wasn’t there to cheer them on.
He had disappeared earlier that week — and is now the subject of a missing persons investigation.
Travis Turner, listed as a physical education teacher and the head football coach at Union High School, has been missing since Thursday, according to Virginia State Police.
They say the 46-year-old was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt, sweatpants and glasses.
Authorities didn’t share when or where Turner was last seen.
But the mystery starts before his disappearance: Virginia State Police special agents were sent to his home in Appalachia, a town of fewer than 2,000 people, Thursday evening, officials told CNN.
Police say the agents were sent as part of “the early stages of an investigation,” but that they did not go to arrest the football coach. It’s unclear what the investigation is about.
“While in transit, the agents were informed that Turner was no longer at the location,” the agency said.
An official search for Turner continued throughout the weekend, with search and rescue teams, drones and K-9 units dispatched as part of the effort.
The investigation is ongoing and Turner still hasn’t been found, Virginia State Police told CNN in a Monday evening statement.
Wise County Public Schools, which includes Union, responded to CNN’s questions about Turner with a statement saying that, “A staff member has been placed on administrative leave with pay while an external agency reviews an allegation that was reported to the division. 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.”
Before Saturday’s game, a pastor led a community prayer.
Pastor Bryan Gunter said, “We can count on our community to be bigger than the situation we’re facing,” in an interview with CNN affiliate WCYB.
One student athlete said he had encouraged his teammates to persevere past the week’s challenges.
“We talked in the huddle and we said, listen boys, we’re going to have to handle adversity here,” senior running back Keith Chandler said after the game, according to WCYB. “We stick together as brothers here and we should come out with the victory.”
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