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

[Vern]

RSBM ...

There's no mention of her carrying a purse or back pack. I can't imagine her carrying a comb on the hike. Is it possible that she asked the young man to carry her comb in his pocket for her, and that he pulled it out of his pocket when he got back to the school and to his car, without giving it any more thought. To a typical high school teen, it would be just a comb, not worth fussing over.

I don't know how old you are, but in the 70s we strove to carry combs in our back pockets; the kind with handles that would stick up out of our pockets - the bigger, the better. It was just a fashion statement thing, but hair, and the combs for it, was a thing.

Those who had curly hair would have afro-pics in their back pockets - or stuck into their hair. Normal sight for me in those days.

I can soooo imagine her having a comb.

Edit to add links:
70s pocket combs - Google Search

70s pocket combs - Google Search

 

[carbuff]

Could she have found her way to the roadside on her own, where she was offered a ride back to the school? If she had been left behind, would she have tried to hitch hike back?

There's no mention of her carrying a purse or back pack. I can't imagine her carrying a comb on the hike. Is it possible that she asked the young man to carry her comb in his pocket for her, and that he pulled it out of his pocket when he got back to the school and to his car, without giving it any more thought. To a typical high school teen, it would be just a comb, not worth fussing over.

I can picture scenarios where she was attacked by a group and just left there, only not dead, and made her way out, and figured, screw all that, I'm not going back there ever again. And caught a ride to wherever.

 

[dogperson]

I don't know how old you are, but in the 70s we strove to carry combs in our back pockets; the kind with handles that would stick up out of our pockets - the bigger, the better. It was just a fashion statement thing, but hair, and the combs for it, was a thing.

Those who had curly hair would have afro-pics in their back pockets - or stuck into their hair. Normal sight for me in those days.

I can soooo imagine her having a comb.

Edit to add links:
70s pocket combs - Google Search

70s pocket combs - Google Search

That's the kind of comb I kept picturing whenever it was mentioned. I was born in 1970 and I remember people carrying big combs like that when I was a little girl. I wanted one so bad and my mom finally got me one but she didn't let me wear it in my back pocket to school because I was so bad to lose things. I'd have lost it in the restroom or on the playground or somewhere. But she would let me stick it in my back pocket when we went to town on Saturdays. It probably looked huge in a little kid's pocket like that but I thought I looked so cool. I can definitely see why Trenny's family said she would not have been without her comb. People who had those kept up with them like you'd keep up with your sunglasses or any other important accessory.

 

[Starbuck80]

Could she have found her way to the roadside on her own, where she was offered a ride back to the school? If she had been left behind, would she have tried to hitch hike back?

There's no mention of her carrying a purse or back pack. I can't imagine her carrying a comb on the hike. Is it possible that she asked the young man to carry her comb in his pocket for her, and that he pulled it out of his pocket when he got back to the school and to his car, without giving it any more thought. To a typical high school teen, it would be just a comb, not worth fussing over.

Yes, she could have tried to catch a ride out once she realized how lost she was, but more as a last resort. She was levelheaded and not likely to panic. If that’s the case, I could see her staying put for awhile hoping to be found. Maybe she saw headlights and made her way there.

Trenny didn’t have a purse or backpack with her.
She was crazy about her comb, and it wasn't a cheap drugstore one, but a Stanley one. Let’s put it this way, the comb was important to Trenny, but not likely to be important to someone else.

 

[Starbuck80]

I don't know how old you are, but in the 70s we strove to carry combs in our back pockets; the kind with handles that would stick up out of our pockets - the bigger, the better. It was just a fashion statement thing, but hair, and the combs for it, was a thing.


Those who had curly hair would have afro-pics in their back pockets - or stuck into their hair. Normal sight for me in those days.

I can soooo imagine her having a comb.

Sure, I know what you mean about the big combs in back pockets, Afro picks in you Afro, etc.

Edit to add links:
70s pocket combs - Google Search

70s pocket combs - Google Search

 

[Starbuck80]

That's the kind of comb I kept picturing whenever it was mentioned. I was born in 1970 and I remember people carrying big combs like that when I was a little girl. I wanted one so bad and my mom finally got me one but she didn't let me wear it in my back pocket to school because I was so bad to lose things. I'd have lost it in the restroom or on the playground or somewhere. But she would let me stick it in my back pocket when we went to town on Saturdays. It probably looked huge in a little kid's pocket like that but I thought I looked so cool. I can definitely see why Trenny's family said she would not have been without her comb. People who had those kept up with them like you'd keep up with your sunglasses or any other important accessory.

Trenny was vert fastidious about her belongings and she loved her comb. Her hair was long and tended towards wavy, so it was handy to pull it out of your pocket and run it through your hair several times a day. Definitely a tool but also an accessory back then.

 

[Starbuck80]

Maybe—if you believe his story about tracking a bear.

Moreover, I thought that the comb that was missing was one that Trenny wore in her hair—one that normally wouldn't have left her head during the day. If that's the case, and if Simpson had it, that's enough to convince me that he was involved in killing her. He may have done it himself, but he might have needed to have an accomplice to help him get rid of Trenny's body.

No, it was a heavy wide tooth Stanley comb, very well made. They were pricey back then, and it had been a treat from her mother, her sister having the same one. It would be very odd to see the comb and not see Trenny on one end of it. Unless Simpson found it, and tossed it onto the dashboard of his car and just didn’t mention it further to anyone. It was Bob Gibson who spotted it laying there.

 

[Starbuck80]

No, it was a heavy wide tooth Stanley comb, very well made. They were pricey back then, and it had been a treat from her mother, her sister having the same one. It would be very odd to see the comb and not see Trenny on one end of it. Unless Simpson found it, and tossed it onto the dashboard of his car and just didn’t mention it further to anyone. It was Bob Gibson who spotted it laying there.

And I may add, if he found the comb on the trail or someplace other than that, maybe mention that to the Gibson’s and/or the authorities.

 

[Ozoner]

No, it was a heavy wide tooth Stanley comb, very well made. They were pricey back then, and it had been a treat from her mother, her sister having the same one. It would be very odd to see the comb and not see Trenny on one end of it. Unless Simpson found it, and tossed it onto the dashboard of his car and just didn’t mention it further to anyone. It was Bob Gibson who spotted it laying there.

OK, I'm convinced that Simpson killed Trenny—after raping her, probably—and kept the comb as a trophy. I'm not sure about the logistics of how he got rid of her body. Either he hid her somewhere and then went back that night to bury her, or he had help.

The story about Trenny asking another girl to hold her jewelry is absolutely absurd. Clearly, the jewelry was a gift from whomever murdered Trenny or from one of the people who assisted. The fact that the girl was evasive about where the jewelry came from tells me that she was probably an accomplice; she may have been the one who helped Simpson get rid of Trenny's body; the jewelry may have been her thank you gift.

 

[dogperson]

It was only recently that I learned here on Websleuths that someone else had her jewelry in their possession. Until then I was always leaning toward this being an abduction but if someone took her she'd have been wearing her jewelry. It's sounding more and more like something happened there on the trail and one or more persons covered it up. I don't know what they did with her remains or how they got them out of the park. I'd think she was hidden there except for the tracking dogs tracking her to the road.

 

[Starbuck80]

It was only recently that I learned here on Websleuths that someone else had her jewelry in their possession. Until then I was always leaning toward this being an abduction but if someone took her she'd have been wearing her jewelry. It's sounding more and more like something happened there on the trail and one or more persons covered it up. I don't know what they did with her remains or how they got them out of the park. I'd think she was hidden there except for the tracking dogs tracking her to the road.

The jewelry is a fairly recent development, I was first made aware of it a couple of years ago, by the person who confronted the new-owner of Trenny’s jewelry. They contacted me and reported what had happened. It was then confirmed to be true by the Gibson family, but until it was deemed factual, I wanted to keep it off of the site and out of podcasts, interviews, etc. I’m sure that you understand why .

 

[Ozoner]

It was only recently that I learned here on Websleuths that someone else had her jewelry in their possession. Until then I was always leaning toward this being an abduction but if someone took her she'd have been wearing her jewelry. It's sounding more and more like something happened there on the trail and one or more persons covered it up. I don't know what they did with her remains or how they got them out of the park. I'd think she was hidden there except for the tracking dogs tracking her to the road.

The first evening that they were looking for her, they were focused on looking for a live person Her body could have been hidden under some bushes ten feet from the trail, and nobody would have noticed. Her body must have been dragged to the road later on and disposed of, probably that same night. In my opinion, they should walk every square foot of that park with cadaver dogs. A good cadaver dog might still be able to get a hit.

 

[Starbuck80]

The first evening that they were looking for her, they were focused on looking for a live person Her body could have been hidden under some bushes ten feet from the trail, and nobody would have noticed. Her body must have been dragged to the road later on and disposed of, probably that same night. In my opinion, they should walk every square foot of that park with cadaver dogs. A good cadaver dog might still be able to get a hit.

Excellent point. I wish cadaver dogs could have been part of the search but the NPS was very resistant to anything search-related past November 1976, due to the fact that nothing concrete was found. It was only through Mr. Gibson’s relationship with Jimmy Carter that a second search was launched the following spring. Even that was met with opposition and the demand from the Park to keep the search party small.
The only search party for Trenny the afternoon she vanished, was one ranger, Mr.Dunlap and one Bearden student. More rangers joined them around 6:30-6:45 that afternoon. By this time, the school bus had been sent back to Knoxville and Bearden High.

 

[Laughing]

The jewelry is a fairly recent development, I was first made aware of it a couple of years ago, by the person who confronted the new-owner of Trenny’s jewelry. They contacted me and reported what had happened. It was then confirmed to be true by the Gibson family, but until it was deemed factual, I wanted to keep it off of the site and out of podcasts, interviews, etc. I’m sure that you understand why .

in the group interested in a link re: this jewelry.

JMHO YMMV LRR

 

[Laughing]

@Starbuck80 , if you are local &/or know family & friends of Ms. Gibson, consider becoming a Verified Insider:

Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters

This permits posting without supporting links/documents; keeps us all within TOS.

YMMV LRR

 

[Ozoner]

The person that reported it to me wants to remain anonymous. I questioned the Gibson family and they confirmed that it was true about the jewelry. There’s nothing more to add, unfortunately. The person that had Trenny’s jewelry is now deceased, and no, the Gibson family never got the pieces back.

It would be interesting to know whether she had a connection to Robert Simpson and/or Kelvin Bowman and/or Ronnie Joiner.

 

[Sillybilly]

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[crimeblogger1983]

 

[JudgeJoe]

View attachment 263250

I wish they’d toss in an age progression pic on these fliers, just in case.

It occurred to me that GSMNP is one of the only parks that doesn’t have an admission fee. If someone disappeared in Yosemite, for example, you’d need to buy admission at the Ranger Station during business hours, gates closed at night. They do now (not sure in 1970’s) record license plates. But in GSMNP, the only way a license plate might have been recorded is if the perp had stayed in one of the campgrounds around the time of Trenny’s disappearance. The road to Clingman’s Dome is narrow, steep & winding- few turnouts. It’d be so hard to abduct someone up there & not be seen I’d think. I wonder if LE tracked down & interviewed all the campground people to see if they went to the Dome that day & if they saw anything odd.

 

[theshadow45]

Trenny has been missing for 44 years today.