Virginia high school football coach goes missing as an undefeated team reaches the playoffs

Virginia The police have issued a national alert Monday for missing high school football coach, WHO disappeared in the middle of a law enforcement investigation and his undefeated team’s playoff run, officials said.

Travis Turner, the 46-year-old head coach of the Union High School Bears from Big Stone Gap, went missing Thursday, according to a release from Virginia State Police.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound man was last seen in Wise County, in the far southwestern corner of the commonwealth, wearing a gray sweatshirt, sweatpants and glasses, police said.

Search teams focused their efforts Monday using dogs and drones around the town of Appalachia, where Turner lives, said Matthew Demlien, state police spokesman.

“The Virginia State Police used a number of resources” to “hopefully locate Turner safely,” Demlien added.

Agents from the VSP Bureau of Criminal Investigation, based in Wytheville, were dispatched to Turner’s home in Appalachia on Thursday as “part of the investigation,” Demlien said.

The agency spokesman emphasized that last week’s visit was not focused on Turner’s arrest, but he did not elaborate.

“While en route, officers were advised that Turner was no longer at the location,” Demlein said.

Turner’s disappearance occurred two days before his Bears were defeated the Graham HS G-Men, 12-0, to advance in the Class 2 playoffs.

Union (12-0) will play Ridgeview in the region final on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the state semifinals on Dec. 6.

Wise County Public Schools Superintendent Mike Goforth said Turner is on administrative leave.

But the district administrator declined to elaborate on the nature of the leave or when exactly Turner’s revised employment status began.

“A staff member has been placed on paid leave while an outside agency investigates an allegation reported to the division,” Goforth said in a statement to NBC News on Monday.

“This is standard procedure and is not a finding of misconduct,” the statement said. “This situation also involves an active law enforcement matter, and the division cannot comment further.”