TRUE CRIME NEWSNancy Grace Believes Missing High School Coach Travis Turner Is 'Alive'
Nancy Grace thinks Travis Turner is in hiding, not dead.
June 16 2026, Published 3:12 p.m. ET
True crime veteran Nancy Grace believes that missing high school football coach Travis Turner is alive and actively hiding to evade serious criminal charges.
During the June 11 episode of her podcast "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace," the impassioned crime commentator pushed back against community speculation that Turner committed suicide or got lost in the wilderness.
Turner, 46, is a well-known legacy football coach and physical education teacher at Union High School in Wise County, Va.
Nancy Grace discussed Travis Turner's disappearance during an episode of her true crime podcast.
In November 2025, law enforcement investigators were en route to Turner's family home to interview him. Detectives received a tip that he had fled into the rugged woods behind his house carrying a rifle.
Shortly after his disappearance, Virginia State Police charged Turner with five counts of possessing child p----graphy and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Grace argued that Turner's background and the lack of physical evidence strongly indicate an organized escape plan, highlighting that despite extensive search efforts utilizing K-9 scent trackers, cadaver dogs, search teams and drones, no trace of Turner or a crime scene has been found in the Appalachian Mountains.
'I Think He's Alive'
Travis Turner was charged with five counts of possessing child sexual abuse material and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
“I think he’s alive,” Grace said.
The former prosecutor noted that Turner is "not stupid" and likely used his deep local ties and cash to lay low, alter his appearance, and potentially flee the United States.
“All he has to do is lay low for a period of weeks, get out, change his appearance and leave the country,” she mused.
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'I Don't Think He's Far'
'I think he’s hiding out somewhere,' Wise County parent Stephen Murray told Nancy Grace.
The former HLN host pushed back on the family’s allusions to suicide, saying, “If that was his plan, then how come cadaver dogs haven’t found him? K-9 scent dogs haven’t found a trail? Drones have been used, you name it. Search teams. There’s no evidence that he continued on into those mountains.”
Stephen Murray, a Wise County parent featured on the panel, agreed with Grace's alive-and-hiding theory. However, he hypothesized that Turner may still be hiding relatively close by rather than having successfully fled the country.
“I think he’s alive. I think he’s hiding out somewhere,” Murray agreed on "Crime Stories." “I don’t think he’s far, honestly. I think he’s somewhere in these mountains. He’s got a long list of people who would protect his name.”
'I Think He's Tucked Away Somewhere'
'I highly doubt that he is dead,' Stephen Murray said.
Murray added that “He’s gotta know some people that are willing to stick their neck out for him. I highly doubt that he is dead. I really do. And a lot of people share that opinion.”
Turner remains a high-profile fugitive, having been missing for over six months. The U.S. Marshals Service is actively involved in the manhunt and has previously posted a $5,000 reward for any actionable information leading to his direct arrest.
“I think he’s tucked away somewhere. I don’t think he was able to leave the country. I think it would be too many red flags. He would be caught,” Murray said.
