Football coach missing near Kentucky-Virginia border. KY police on alert

A high school football coach near Virginia’s border with Eastern Kentucky is missing.

Travis Turner, head football coach at Union High School, is listed as missing in a Virginia State Police database. Police say Turner, 46, was last seen Thursday, Nov. 20, wearing a gray sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and glasses.

Union High is in the midst of an undefeated season.

Several news outlets, including WCYB, a TV station in Bristol, Virginia, reported Friday that an employee in the Wise County School District — home to Union High School — had been placed on leave.

Neither the district nor the news outlets named the employee, but the news outlets included it in the same story as Turner’s disappearance.

Union High is about 30 minutes south of Jenkins. Union regularly played Letcher Central High School until 2020.

Matt Gayheart, a spokesperson for Kentucky State Police’s post in Hazard, told the Herald-Leader Monday that because of how close Wise County is to the border, Kentucky State Police are assisting with the search.

“We are going to be doing our part on our side as well,” Gayheart said. Gayheart said he was not aware of any sightings of Turner in Kentucky.

Virginia State Police were also dispatched to Turner’s home in the small Virginia town of Appalachia Thursday evening, though not to arrest Turner, WCYB reported. They were told on the way that Turner was no longer at the home.

Herald-leader staff writer Jared Peck contributed to this article.