Turner’s family have called for him to face the allegations in court in a message issued through their lawyer

SCHOOL bosses have sparked fresh fury after dropping a cryptic “see who answers” remark at a tense meeting over missing high school coach Travis Turner.

Parents packed into the Wise County School Board’s first meeting since Turner vanished, only to be told they couldn’t address officials about the scandal.

Turner, 46, allegedly walked into the woods near his Appalachia home with a gun on November 20, just hours before Virginia State Police came to question him.

He has since been hit with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor, and is now wanted as a fugitive.

The US Marshals Service has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his capture and warned he “may be armed” and that the public should “use caution.”

But instead of answers, parents said they saw a wall of silence from school leaders when they turned up to Monday’s meeting.

Public comment was quietly pulled from the agenda, with board chair Larry Greear blaming a closed session on employment matters.

“We just decided that tonight we just wouldn’t have open expression,” Greear said.

One parent told NBC local affiliate WCYB they were “aggravated and concerned” about what they see as a “lack of communication from the school board.”

Families also wanted clarity on who else, if anyone, had been sidelined at Union High since Turner was placed on administrative leave with pay.

When asked if any other staff members were on paid leave and pressed specifically about the principal, Greear refused to say.

“So there’s nothing else you can say about the principal either?” he was asked.

“No, it’s personnel,” Greear replied, before adding the line that left parents stunned: “My advice is call the office tomorrow and see who answers.”

Greear insisted the district is focused on protecting students while the investigation rumbles on.

“Our main focus is the kids, we want to keep them as normal as possible,” he said.

“We have resources, we have counseling services available in addition to what they ordinarily have at that particular site.”

He said public comment would return at the board’s next meeting in January, and parents told WCYB they plan to show up and speak out.

Turner had taught and coached at Union High for around 14 years before he was removed from his post and later scrubbed from the school’s website.

Currently, the only Turner listed as staff member on the Union High site is his son, Bailey.

Bailey Turner, 23, made his first public appearance since the charges were announced when he attended a Bears game against Ridgeview High.

The former Bears quarterback was seen on the sidelines, emotional and tearful, and called the team’s win “bittersweet” as he thanked locals for their support, the Daily Mail reported.

“Everyone is here to support the team, and wants them to do well. It’s a tight knit community and this really hit everyone hard,” one fan told the outlet, adding: “Today is about the boys and the team doing their best.”

Behind the scenes, investigators have zeroed in on the family home and surrounding properties as the hunt for Turner continues.

“Their homes and properties have been searched multiple times, with their consent,” family attorney Adrian Collins told US Weekly, adding that the family is still cooperating with law enforcement.

Collins also delivered a direct plea to the fugitive coach: “Leslie pleads for you to come home and face the allegations by defending yourself in a court of law. Don’t leave your family to fight this battle without you. They love and miss you.”

Turner’s wife, Leslie, has repeatedly insisted she had no knowledge of any alleged inappropriate contact with minors and says she does not believe the charges.

“I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. I’m sorry,” she said at the couple’s Appalachia home.

When asked about the child porn accusations, she said “None of that is true. He’s a good dad and a good husband, and we want him home. That’s it.”

She added that the family is struggling as the weeks drag on with no trace of him.

“We are all just hanging in there until we get news,” she said.

Relatives say Turner left behind his car, keys, wallet, driver’s license, daily medications, contact lenses, and glasses when he vanished into the nearby mountains.

His wife was not able to file a missing persons report immediately, and he was not officially reported missing until November 21 – roughly 24 hours after he was last seen.

That delay has fueled fears that Turner may have had a head start either into the wilderness or out of the area entirely.

Retired law enforcement veteran Dr Ken Lang told the Mail the search teams are battling brutal terrain.

“That’s a pretty remote, densely wooded area,” he said.

He explained that crews are scouring the Appalachian wilderness for footprints and subtle signs like broken twigs, but warned that, if Turner died in the woods, his body may never be recovered, especially if animals have disturbed remains.

Private investigator Patrick McCall has suggested Turner might have slipped out of Virginia altogether or could be lying low with friends.

Meanwhile, Turner’s family described themselves as “in distress” in a statement through their attorney, saying they have allowed “multiple” searches of their properties in the hope of a breakthrough.

Turner’s case is not the first time the small school community has been rocked by allegations involving staff and students.

Disturbing Pattern at Union High & Nearby School

In 2023, Union High science teacher and assistant football and baseball coach Timothy Lee Meador was indicted on three felony child sex-related charges.

He later pleaded guilty to two felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial or supervisory relationship, court records show.

Meador served around a year and three months behind bars and is now listed on the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry.

In August this year, another Wise County Schools employee, 28-year-old teacher Tyler Jay Tibbs, was arrested after a complaint of inappropriate conduct with a minor.

Tibbs, who worked at Coeburn Middle School about half an hour from Union High, has been charged with three counts of carnal knowledge, which under Virginia law covers sexual intercourse with a 13-to-15-year-old without force.

He is also accused of taking indecent liberties with a child he had a custodial or supervisory relationship with.

Tibbs was released from jail on a $25,000 bond and has been dismissed from the school district, while his criminal case remains ongoing.

Asked about the string of arrests, Wise County Schools Superintendent Mike Goforth said the district could not comment on personnel matters, but stressed officials are cooperating with law enforcement.