TN TN - Teresa 'Trenny' Lynn Gibson, 16, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 8 Oct 1976

Missing Since: October 8, 1976 from The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Classification: Lost/Injured Missing
Date Of Birth: August 17, 1960
Age: 16 years old
Height and Weight: 5'3, 115 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A blue blouse, a blue and white striped sweater, a borrowed brown plaid heavy jacket, blue jeans, blue Adidas shoes and a diamond and star sapphire ring.

Details of Disappearance

Gibson accompanied 40 of her classmates from Knoxville, Tennessee on a field trip to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park on October 8, 1976. The students were hiking to Andrews Bald on the trip and separated into small groups when they arrived at the trails. Gibson apparently hiked with several different sections of her classmates at different paces during the day. She was last seen at approximately 3:00 p.m. near Clingman's Dome, walking on a moderately steep trail with sharp dropoffs and dense undergrowth on both sides.

Extensive searches of the park continued until the end of October 1976, but Gibson has never been located. She was a sophomore at Bearden High School at the time of her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Tennessee Bureau Of Investigation

615-744-4000

Charley Project​

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Old cases always considered open until answers found

Dennis Lloyd Martin, Trenny Lynn Gibson and Derek Joseph Lueking — the three names represent separate open cases that began when their loved ones called Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers to report them missing.

Rangers immediately began search-and-rescue missions — missions that would never turn up any sign.

Park spokeswoman Molly Schroer said any case is considered open until there is a determination of what happened.

[snip]

Trenny Lynn Gibson, a 16-year-old Bearden High School sophomore, disappeared Oct. 8, 1976, while hiking with a group of students on a field trip.

The students were hiking from the parking area below Clingmans Dome to Andrew’s Bald, and the teen was last seen walking toward the parking lot.
It was reported that there were groups of students both in front of and behind Gibson when she was last seen. After several months, officials called off the search.

In 1982, Trenny’s father, Bob Gibson, told the News Sentinel that he believed his daughter had been abducted and taken from the park.

More: www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jun/23/old-cases-always-considered-open-until-answers/

Poor girl could she have just had an accident? Another thing there seems to be quite a few cases of children missing in national parks/woodland areas im wondering if there could be a perp working in this area.

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed said:

In 1982, Trenny’s father, Bob Gibson, told the News Sentinel that he believed his daughter had been abducted and taken from the park.

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In all respect to the father, it's hard to imagine how someone could have abducted this teenager and taken her from the scene with her fellow students both in front and behind her along the trail. Especially since the trail has been described as having sharp dropoffs on each side.

I found more details from this page.

It states she was seen frequently with one fellow student and that she borrowed his jacket along the trail at one point. It also adds that her comb was found in this fellow student's car. "According to Trenny's mother, the comb was something Trenny never parted with under any circumstances. "

Also, I found this interesting: "A recently-opened can of beer and three cigarette butts were found on the trail near where Trenny was last seen.

Tracking dogs were immediately brought in to aid in the search. They picked up Trenny's scent and followed it 1.6 miles from the Clingmans Dome parking area to a highway roadside. On Sunday, October 10, three additional tracking dogs were brought in; working separately from the first group, the dogs tracked Trenny's scent to the same roadside. It was here that searchers discovered cigarette butts matching the brand of those found on the trail near where Trenny was last seen."

This may be why her father believes she was abducted.

I guess she ran off with a student and met foul play? did they ever question the students who were in front and back? What happened to the student who had her comb?

I wouldn't think that a 16 yr old kid on a school trip would bring along smokes and beer. On the other hand, what could possibly entice this young woman to walk 1.6 miles away from her classmates with some stranger?

Speculation is that she wasn't lured, but forced. Perhaps at gunpoint.

Bumping for Trenny. I was thinking of her this morning. Whoever took her could still be living, or somebody may still be around who knows something.

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed said:

Missing Since: October 8, 1976 from The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Classification: Lost/Injured Missing
Date Of Birth: August 17, 1960
Age: 16 years old
Height and Weight: 5'3, 115 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A blue blouse, a blue and white striped sweater, a borrowed brown plaid heavy jacket, blue jeans, blue Adidas shoes and a diamond and star sapphire ring.

Details of Disappearance

Gibson accompanied 40 of her classmates from Knoxville, Tennessee on a field trip to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park on October 8, 1976. The students were hiking to Andrews Bald on the trip and separated into small groups when they arrived at the trails. Gibson apparently hiked with several different sections of her classmates at different paces during the day. She was last seen at approximately 3:00 p.m. near Clingman's Dome, walking on a moderately steep trail with sharp dropoffs and dense undergrowth on both sides.

Extensive searches of the park continued until the end of October 1976, but Gibson has never been located. She was a sophomore at Bearden High School at the time of her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Tennessee Bureau Of Investigation

615-744-4000

Charley Project​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Click to expand...

With the evidence of her comb found in a student's car, and the cans of beer and cigarette butts matching, I always believed that Trenny was abducted, and maybe the student who's car was where Trenny's comb was found could know what happened to her? Did he take a polygraph? What were the results?

There is also contradictory information about how long the search went. Charlie Project says the search ended at the end of October 1976. Other sources say the search went on for seveal months. Which is correct?

Satch

Trenny's mom seems to have highly suspected the friend. Could be he knew more than he told. I don't know if he ever took a polygraph or not. Most all I have read about this case comes from the book "Unsolved Disappearances In The Great Smoky Mountains". There is a section in it that Trenny's mom wrote. The friend is the one Trenny spent most of that day with and she apparently borrowed his jacket because the location of the field trip was a surprise and she hadn't dressed warmly enough. It's possible she put her comb in his jacket pocket, but in the description of the clothing she was still wearing when she went missing it lists her as having the jacket on. So if that's true, then the comb ended up in his possession some other way. He was also quick to point the finger at another young man from school and claimed he had been following the bus that day. Police say they proved he was in school at the time. The teacher who took them on the trip said nobody could have followed the bus because he didn't tell the students their destination until they got on the bus. I believe he is wrong on this point because anyone parked at or near the school could easily have followed the bus when it pulled out. They wouldn't have to know the destination in order to simply follow it down the road. I think Trenny's friend could have been investigated better and also the boy at the school who had previously harrassed her. Even if neither of these men actually abducted her themselves, they might know who did or have been a party to it somehow. I wonder if both these men are still living and whether either has been involved in criminal activity. The book lists their names but I don't have it with me right now to look them up.

I wonder if any comparison was done to this Jane Doe who was found 3 years later in Gatlinburg. She's too young for the age range given, but we've all see those be off. She's too short, but she could have grown in the years in between.

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/1589

Trenny didn't go missing until Oct 1976 and the remains were
found in 1974.

Is this a hoax?

https://bigfoothistory.wordpress.com/tag/trenny-gibson/

New evidence in the missing hikers, Trenny Gibson and Thelma Pauline Melton, comes to light when a suspicious package and letter are discovered at a ranger’s station lookout in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The package which consisted of a used burlap sack contained several items. Upon inspection, it was determined that three of the items belonged to Trenny Gibson, missing since 1981. Several other items clearly belonged to Thelma Pauline Melton, missing since 1987. Authorities did not reveal the specifics of the items found.

I can't put much faith in any reports that begin with incorrect information. Trenny Gibson disappeared in 1976 (not 1981). I prefer to learn of additional information from law enforcement personnel or reports from creditable news sources and not from website creators who appear more interested in science fiction.

I am puzzled in this case that the students reportedly were not told of where they were going ahead of time. Also, wasn't advanced parental permission required that would permit each student to make the trip?

Robin Hood said:

Is this a hoax?

https://bigfoothistory.wordpress.com/tag/trenny-gibson/

New evidence in the missing hikers, Trenny Gibson and Thelma Pauline Melton, comes to light when a suspicious package and letter are discovered at a ranger’s station lookout in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The package which consisted of a used burlap sack contained several items. Upon inspection, it was determined that three of the items belonged to Trenny Gibson, missing since 1981. Several other items clearly belonged to Thelma Pauline Melton, missing since 1987. Authorities did not reveal the specifics of the items found.

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That's a hoax. For the life of me, I can't figure out why they schedule hikes and field trips with that many students. I have spent a lot of time in these mountains, and that's just plain carelessness. These mountains are hard enough for experienced hikers to tackle, but a class group? Nope, no way!

Cincinnati Kid said:

I can't put much faith in any reports that begin with incorrect information. Trenny Gibson disappeared in 1976 (not 1981). I prefer to learn of additional information from law enforcement personnel or reports from creditable news sources and not from website creators who appear more interested in science fiction.

I am puzzled in this case that the students reportedly were not told of where they were going ahead of time. Also, wasn't advanced parental permission required that would permit each student to make the trip?

Click to expand...

They do in Kentucky. I would think Tennessee would be the same.

Robin Hood said:

Is this a hoax?

https://bigfoothistory.wordpress.com/tag/trenny-gibson/

New evidence in the missing hikers, Trenny Gibson and Thelma Pauline Melton, comes to light when a suspicious package and letter are discovered at a ranger’s station lookout in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The package which consisted of a used burlap sack contained several items. Upon inspection, it was determined that three of the items belonged to Trenny Gibson, missing since 1981. Several other items clearly belonged to Thelma Pauline Melton, missing since 1987. Authorities did not reveal the specifics of the items found.

Click to expand...

Also that site has her listed as, Trenny Gibson, missing since 1981. Trenny went missing in 76.

Bargle said:

Speculation is that she wasn't lured, but forced. Perhaps at gunpoint.

Click to expand...

how would that have been possible? the other students would have seen that and no tracks of her where found

Miss Coghill either a student or teacher stated she was approximately two hundred feet from Trenny and Miss Coghill states that "Trenny bent over on the trail as if looking at something near a flat rock and then disappeared to the right of the trail"

Anita Bounds who was with Trenny when she was last seen - The main group in which Anita was a part of stopped to rest and Trenny continued on " She was on the trail when I last saw her, I looked away and when I looked back Trenny was nowhere in sight. I should have been able to see her if she went up the trail"

"I checked the area where Trenny was last seen, no trail leading off, very rough small stream, brush and trees, yelled but no answer"

taken from Missing 411 Eastern United States book by David Paulides with more statements from fellow students, teachers, search/rescuers on that trail