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

[T rex]

She said to "hold" the ring for her, if we believe that was what was said. So I think she did 'leave' on her own, just maybe not (in her own mind) forever, or how exactly she intended. If she really hadn't been away from home, and wanted to be, that was her chance. And if she was abducted by someone, that was his or hers. Or theirs. Or a mix of the two resulting in her never being seen again.

We don't know much about the inner workings of the family, maybe it wasn't healthy. If that was known or assumed, perhaps kids who did know or sensed she ran away did keep it to themselves. Especially if they didn't have the actual plan that she had made...the facts were still the facts, "we saw her go right off the trail."

As for the ring, if she was protective of it, did she actually like it and treasure it? Or did she feel she had to wear it and definitely not lose it. Maybe she did treasure it, and assumed it would make it back to her family or her brother if she didn't come back for awhile. Or ever. It seems sketchy to have her brush on his DASHBOARD, but in the same way, that's so obvious, esp if it was a woman's hairbrush. I can see keeping a memento in a dark way, but not spotlighting it. I think it was a clueless thing to do, clueless as in he wasn't involved and had no reason to think it strange.

As for the bus being followed, it's entirely possible. Even if the kids didn't know (which it sounds like they did), whoever followed knew a bus full of kids was undoubtedly headed for a field trip. In that area, how many places would a school trip go? Especially a horticulture class. And most certainly as it had to be drivable for a day trip there and back. So the 'there' part wouldn't be a big deal if someone really wanted to run away with someone else, or plan something (positive or negative) FOR someone else. I'd imagine a lot of the class had been there, much like kids growing up in Phoenix arer more likely to have been to the Grand Canyon or those in NYC to the viewing deck of the Empire State Building. No, not all, but I'm thinking statistically.

I agree with a prior poster that she knew where she was going from the TRAIL. Once to the parking lot, maybe she did know, had a vague idea, or didn't know at all where she'd be taken. Or for how long.

I think she left of her own will and I think it was planned. I've posted as much here. I knew it wasn't going to be a popular theory but that's the way I see it.
The observation tower would be the perfect place for a person that was lost to wait and it might offer some shelter in the meantime. There's no way I believe she would have continued on past it if she were lost. Of course all of this hinges on if you believe the dogs got it right and I do. Mostly because when it comes to matters like this dogs are impartial. JMO.

 

[jetsfanjohn]

I still feel like something was going on that day between Trenny and one or more of the students and that whatever it was caused her disappearance. It's weird that two girls had a piece of her fine jewelry in their possession and Robert had her prized comb in his possession. I don't know if she was accosted by Robert sexually or if he or some of the kids were bullying her but I think it's all connected. Could she have left the park on purpose? Maybe. But if she did perhaps it was to get away from certain people. She might have made her way up to the road to hitch a ride. Hitchhiking was very common then and the wrong type of person might have stopped to pick her up. But I'm leaning more toward something happening to her in the park at the hands of someone who was there with her.

This is what I think, also. Whether it was just bullying and she ended upgoing off trail in a somewhat distressed state or something more sinister, I am not sure. My best guess is the former. It would be enough for RS and the girl being 'cagey' about how they came to have her possessions, as they would be someway responsible for her disappearance if bullying was involved.

If she did leave the park, I don't think it was of her own free will. JMO.

 

[Starbuck80]

Has this Jane Doe ever been looked at? Had similar Blue Adidas shoes, and also wore blue jeans and top. Anyone know what size the shoes were?

1522UFCA

View attachment 471490

Yes, this young person was looked into as a potential match.

 

[Starbuck80]

Yes, this young person was looked into as a potential match.

Yes, this young person was looked into as a potential match.

Trenny wore a size 7 shoe.

 

[OddOneOut]

I don't put any faith in the theory that the school bus wasn't followed. How could you not be able to follow a big yellow school bus? Maybe Robert Simpson's claim that another student followed the bus is partially true? He could have just given a different student's name or even a former student could have followed it? Maybe, it was followed by a friend of Robert's who was not in that class?

Also, if I was going to take off jewelry and ask someone to hold it in a public restroom, it would be while I washed my hands and then I would put it back on. The only purpose I can see in asking someone else to hold it would be to prevent in from getting knocked into the sink and down the drain. I would definitely get it back before leaving the restroom.

 

[dogperson]

I don't put any faith in the theory that the school bus wasn't followed. How could you not be able to follow a big yellow school bus? Maybe Robert Simpson's claim that another student followed the bus is partially true? He could have just given a different student's name or even a former student could have followed it? Maybe, it was followed by a friend of Robert's who was not in that class?

Also, if I was going to take off jewelry and ask someone to hold it in a public restroom, it would be while I washed my hands and then I would put it back on. The only purpose I can see in asking someone else to hold it would be to prevent in from getting knocked into the sink and down the drain. I would definitely get it back before leaving the restroom.

Exactly! I agree with everything you said.

I always thought it was ridiculous for the school authorities or anyone else to claim that they couldn't have been followed because nobody had told the students where they were going. Anybody could have sat in their car someplace nearby in order to follow the bus when it pulled out.

Also with the jewelry, I don't think it makes sense she'd have told someone to hold it for her. The only way I can see that is if it had been a very trusted person, like a best friend, and even then I'm not sure why she'd have someone hold it for her for more than just a few minutes like in the restroom. If she were going to be doing something where she was afraid of losing it or getting it dirty, it might make sense. But it didn't sound to me like the person who ended up with the ring was a best friend.

Something hinky was going on that day with how some of the students were behaving toward Trenny, in my opinion. I think one or more of them is responsible for the events of that day, either directly by harming her or indirectly by perhaps causing her to go off trail to cry (and getting lost) or causing her to want to leave the park altogether and getting a ride with someone.

 

[jetsfanjohn]

The bus being followed seems more likely, if the students knew about the trip in advance. A bit trickier, but still possible, I guess, if they don't. I am beginning to think that KB is a red herring in this case, though. I think RS is the most likely suspect if foul play is involved. He had her comb in his possession, with no good reason for it. One of the last students to return to the bus, also.

 

[Oddbins]

I’m sorry but I think far too much attention is being given to the alleged jewelry and comb. I have read everything I can get my hands on about this case, and so far, I have seen nothing concrete to support any claim that Robert S. had her comb or that an anonymous sophomore had Trenney’s jewelry. All of that apparently came anecdotal sources.

<modsnip - not an approved source>

So all we have is hearsay after the fact based on some comments of students. And if this reporting is correct, the police didn’t even investigate it? Sorry, but I just don’t believe it. The police wouldn’t overlook physical evidence that would directly link a potential suspect to a missing person. And without the actual pieces of personal items being returned to the family -which verified sources say didn’t happen- then there’s no actual proof at all that R.S. or anyone else actually ever had these in their possession.

But just for argument’s sake, devil’s advocate, let’s pretend that they DID. Why on earth would they tell anyone or show anyone? If I were involved in a murder, I wouldn’t keep a personal item of the victim on the dashboard of my car. If R.S. was such a criminal mastermind to pull off an abduction/murder and hide it for 50 years, would he really be stupid and careless enough to leave Trenny’s comb in plain view in his car? He sounds like a total jerk and *advertiser censored**hole, but that doesn’t make him a killer.

No, I’m completely not taking any of this into account because I just don’t see that there’s any proof here. Take out the jewelry and comb, and we’re really back to Square One.

I personally don’t believe that Trenny ran away. There’s absolutely no proof of that either or really anything to even base it on. And, like the jewelry and comb, nothing about her running away while on a school trip is logical. If she were going to do that, it would have made more sense for her to show up at the bus, check in, then slip off.

This really only leaves two scenarios. She either fell off the trail and was killed or she met with foul play -either an abduction or assault/murder.

Regardless of what LE believed, I find her leaving the mountain unlikely. I honestly don’t think that with 40 students milling around and potentially other people in the park, that a stranger would have attempted an abduction. I’m not saying it’s
Impossible, but I find a spur of the moment kidnapping when you have limited ways out and many people around who could catch you at any moment to not be a likely scenario.

Now, it’s being subtly suggested all over that R.S. or Bowman or other classmates (or even all three) were involved. Again, this seems extremely unlikely to me. First of all, if any of these choices or a combination thereof harmed Trenny, what did they do with her? Presumably all of the people on this trip got back on the bus and left. At that point authorities were alerted. There would have been a very short period of time for Trenny to be lured away, killed, and disposed of in time for everyone to make it back to the parking area, and even if they did, they couldn’t very well take the body on the bus. So what happened to it?

The only way for the above scenario to realistically work is if it had been premeditated. And in order for that to happen it’s my feeling that the bus driver or someone within the school admin would also have to involved because no one knew where they were going. There were no cell phones or any way to contact anyone en route. If Trenny were lured away, taken, and killed later, someone else would have had to have followed them and would have had to have known where in the park they would be and at what time and all the ways in and out. And even then they’d be operating on a whole lot of luck to actually catch Trenny alone and get her away from her classmates without being seen. And I simply don’t see that as logical or likely either. Again, if someone wanted to harm Trenny, why wait until you were surrounded by your entire class and in a public park where other tourists could be? It would have been far easier to simply snatch her after she left work, or after school, or on some lazy weekend when the parents might be away or distracted.

And one final comment regarding the trained dogs and their trail. In the late 2000s there was a case in Arkansas where the CFO of a major company vanished. His car was found parked at a resort in the mountains. Dogs were brought in, picked up his scent, and led authorities to a nearby highway where there was a truck stop/gas station. EVERYONE was convinced that the missing man had walked to the road then hitchhiked his way out of Arkansas either in a state of amnesia, or to simply start over with a new identity. This theory was pushed over and over again. For 7 years. That’s how long it took for hikers to find his body at the base of a cliff not far from the resort and his parked car. He’d been there the whole time. Sorry, dogs are wonderful and in some cases can be amazingly helpful in these types of cases, but they’re not always right or accurate and in cases such as the one I mentioned can be horribly misleading.

 

[Richard]

Tracking dogs are only as good as their experience and training with their handler. They can follow the scent of one individual person to the exclusion of all other scents, even more recent ones which cross over the target scent.

Tracking dog training involves the handler laying a track for the dog to follow, simple at first, but later making the track longer with more turns, and under varying weather conditions.

Later, he makes things more challenging to the dog by introducing various cross tracks and distractions, such as laying the track close to a ground hog hole, crossing various types of terrain, and having a cage with a cat or chicken near the track.

A well trained tracking dog can do remarkably well in following a scent but the handler has to make certain that it is the right scent to begin with. For instance, if two persons were in a vehicle, there would be two separate and distinct scents in it. Simply starting at the vehicle with the dog and telling him to "go find", might cause the dog to select the most recent scent and follow it.

However, if an article known to contain the scent of the specific person you want to find is presented to the dog BEFORE showing him the vehicle, the dog would attempt to commence a search for that specific scent.

Unfortunately, the handler (and his dog) often have only what they are presented with to begin a tracking search.

 

[DD Byrd]

base of a cliff not far from the resort and his parked car.

Haven't heard of this and whether it's known if he fell, was pushed, or jumped. Just playing devil's advocate here...if he'd left something near the trail and it was picked up and carried by another person (or animal, but that seems unlikely) I can see how his scent would travel. I had read one case where a child's scent was tracked even though she was carried away (as in, she never touched the ground). One could drop all sorts of things (or leave intentionally) that could be picked up. "Hey, cool ball cap, finders keepers!"

 

[Satch]

The biggest issue for me that sends of red flags and sirens,
It's the teacher sending the students off a surprised field trip? Did the kids/ parents of the kids even know about the surprise trip? I went to school during this time, and there were always mandatory permission slips that parents had to sign that detailed:
1.) The name of the event on the permission slip
2.) The date and time of the departure from the school and return from school.
3.) What the students should bring for the trip?
4.) Any special tasks or assignments that the students would be expected to do on the trip? In college, we had the option of field trips as extra credit. In grade through high school, the teachers would sometimes pass out a work sheet of what to do on the trip, or things to see if it was an excursion.
5.) Parents and guardians were encouraged to come along as chaperons.
6.) Yes, kids would forge parent's signatures from time to time and get in trouble at school and probably if they got home, but the communication and planning of the trips was very well structured and supervised.
7.) Even if stopping for lunch or bringing a bag lunch was planned. That was included on the permission slips. A lot of times, these were not just permission slips, they were form letters. Everything had to be signed.
8.) The teacher had to communicate with the principle the purpose and nature of all activities that took place outside of school during school hours.

Sorry, but did this teacher have rocks in his head, or just stuck on stupid? Review, were their any kind of lawsuits involved and what were the results. If a teacher pulled a stunt like this today, he/she would be fired. For health, safety, endurance and medical reasons, no teacher's gonna take a class unsupervised hiking through The Great Smoky Mountains. What happened to Treeny is another post, but the prerequisites leading up to this are not only weird, they are almost illegal!

Satch

 

[Richard]

Haven't heard of this and whether it's known if he fell, was pushed, or jumped. Just playing devil's advocate here...if he'd left something near the trail and it was picked up and carried by another person (or animal, but that seems unlikely) I can see how his scent would travel. I had read one case where a child's scent was tracked even though she was carried away (as in, she never touched the ground). One could drop all sorts of things (or leave intentionally) that could be picked up. "Hey, cool ball cap, finders keepers!"

The dog will track both a scent trail left by a person's feet, and also the "wind blown" scent - which is a swath of scent to the downwind side of the footstep path.

The strongest human scent comes off the exposed skin or top of the head rather than off the soles of the shoes.

So, yes, an object containing the known target scent (such as a carried child or personal item) can be tracked by the dog.

An important part in the training of the dog is for him/her to indicate any dropped objects to the handler.

 

[DD Byrd]

Indeed.
In Trenny's case, I still think she "left" the immediate trail area of her own accord. Whether that was intended to be just a few minutes to have a beer with another student and then come back to the parking lot, or to a meet point to be picked up or hitch out, is the question. But I think she got to the road on her own and was either (incredibly) randomly abducted or continued a plan to leave - for an afternoon or forever. I lean towards a longer time period since Clingman's is, relative to just an afternoon of hooky, in the middle of nowhere.

If she hitched or was picked up, it seems she didn't have much on her person though she could have had a lot of cash in multiple pockets. So, it's possible she was headed somewhere that already had her stuff. Or, the pick up driver had it ready to go in his/her vehicle.

All to say, I can think of several scenarios rather than she was murdered by students who have kept the secret. If she was killed by one person, there's a tight timeline to effectively hide the body. I only see it working if she was successfully hidden in a place where she could be moved soon after. Dragging dead weight in that terrain would be tough, and I'd think the area would have a police presence deterring a wee hours return to clean up.

So all we have is hearsay after the fact based on some comments of students. And if this reporting is correct, the police didn’t even investigate it? Sorry, but I just don’t believe it. The police wouldn’t overlook physical evidence that would directly link a potential suspect to a missing person. And without the actual pieces of personal items being returned to the family -which verified sources say didn’t happen- then there’s no actual proof at all that R.S. or anyone else actually ever had these in their possession.

I agree with Oddbins, and this is the pall over this case, as the 'facts' truly seem to be repeated hearsay, or worse tales repeated as certainties. Boiled down there really isn't a lot to go on. As with most cases like these, the odds are she wandered off the trail, got lost and succumbed to the elements. It doesn't ring clear to me though. And like most threads on WS, the same info and theories circle around for years. I certainly hope there is more info than we know and it's not just a case file on a shelf.

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

Just happened across this case. And as an aged hiker and camper of both the Blue Ridge mountains in VA and Smokies in NC, TN, and the AT, and still no clarity on the case, it is sad.

I couldn’t quite sort between the up thread Maura Murray video and posts here, on whether Trenny was ahead of or behind other hikers, and then had turned around to trek back. And who she initially accompanied, and retreated from, or passed while visibly on the trail?

IMO tend to wonder if RS, as having been asked to ‘watch’ her on the hike, might have used that to his advantage. Was it speculated or determined if perhaps he had pressed her for something she was unwilling to give or do? And perhaps that is why she had backtracked if I am understanding some of the chronology of events? Or if so, an interaction between RS and TLG led to other events that might have occurred? MOO

 

[DD Byrd]

as having been asked to ‘watch’ her on the hike

I've wondered about that comment (if it's true) as well. Trenny wasn't a 5 yr old who was scared of the dark and going on her 1st overnight camp trip to a giant woodland. So, again if true, there must be some reason to say that. Is there a possibility her brother knew or had an inkling she might bolt? For all we know, she'd mentioned hitching or running away (maybe just in passing and not in regards to this trip, but still). "I can leave any time I want, I just need to get to an interstate!" or some such declaration by a teen. Or, her family was protective for some reason, i.e. past experience concerning someone around Trenny. And of course, if said, the comment could mean nothing beyond "look after my sis, she's clumsy and there are rocky trails."

But I just can't see her getting lost and not staying put. I know people can, and do, head off in the wrong direction. A young child might walk until exhaustion, but a teen would probably think for a second. The group was on the way BACK to the bus, so she knew within an hour, 2 as a reach (after main group, bathroom break?, then stragglers, then headcount, then more stragglers) the concern would be real that she was missing. If she made it to the wrong road, what are the chances that someone offered her a ride back to the correct parking lot and took her.

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

I've wondered about that comment (if it's true) as well. Trenny wasn't a 5 yr old who was scared of the dark and going on her 1st overnight camp trip to a giant woodland. So, again if true, there must be some reason to say that. Is there a possibility her brother knew or had an inkling she might bolt? For all we know, she'd mentioned hitching or running away (maybe just in passing and not in regards to this trip, but still). "I can leave any time I want, I just need to get to an interstate!" or some such declaration by a teen. Or, her family was protective for some reason, i.e. past experience concerning someone around Trenny. And of course, if said, the comment could mean nothing beyond "look after my sis, she's clumsy and there are rocky trails."

But I just can't see her getting lost and not staying put. I know people can, and do, head off in the wrong direction. A young child might walk until exhaustion, but a teen would probably think for a second. The group was on the way BACK to the bus, so she knew within an hour, 2 as a reach (after main group, bathroom break?, then stragglers, then headcount, then more stragglers) the concern would be real that she was missing. If she made it to the wrong road, what are the chances that someone offered her a ride back to the correct parking lot and took her.

That is another interesting possibility. My thought was that the brother just wanted someone he thought he could trust to watch her. Not that she would flee, but in case others on the hike might have other intentions. I’m not a high school boy any longer, but once was. MOO

 

[DD Byrd]

in case others on the hike might have other intentions

Agreed. I'm just looking at all possibilities. Especially if all unconfirmed aspects (did her mother even take her to the bus? did she really wear another person's coat?) are removed. Including whether her brother said anything at all. So, in essence, all WE have is she disappeared from Clingman's Dome, the date, and why she was there. If we can't even believe the accounts of "she was ahead and went right off the trail," it's no wonder this hasn't been narrowed down.

I realize LE keeps key details close to the vest for future prosecution, but nailing down peripheral facts would help. Was Trenny actually threatened by someone who her mother actually shot?

 

[Betty P]

Agreed. I'm just looking at all possibilities. Especially if all unconfirmed aspects (did her mother even take her to the bus? did she really wear another person's coat?) are removed. Including whether her brother said anything at all. So, in essence, all WE have is she disappeared from Clingman's Dome, the date, and why she was there. If we can't even believe the accounts of "she was ahead and went right off the trail," it's no wonder this hasn't been narrowed down.

I realize LE keeps key details close to the vest for future prosecution, but nailing down peripheral facts would help. Was Trenny actually threatened by someone who her mother actually shot?

I’ve never read or seen anything about Trenny being threatened by someone who her mother shot. Is there a link for that? TIA.

 

[DD Byrd]

Is there a link for that?

I'm thinking of an outside page, which may have been created by a verified insider on this thread. There was a lot of detail on the other site, which I don't think would be accepted here. IIRC, that is where a lot of the jewelry, comb, and more family details came in.

In terms of verified pages, here's a National Park Service report on Trenny's case. To me, this looks pretty thorough and I paused at the following details that are rehashed:
- Dogs tracked her 1.5 miles and lost scent at road (bold/underline in the actual hand written report, not added by me)When I see emphasis in hand writing it carries more oomph than typed. Lots of "positive" hits but no finds for the dogs, so I don't think this is a case where the dogs were 'confused.' She was there, and likely made it to the road.
- Witness account of her ahead and setting off into "very dense undergrowth") right off the trail. It reiterates she was in the "middle of the group." One witness mentions heading towards Double Springs (many mentions of Double Springs and Collins Gap), a shoeprint, etc.
- Very interesting note about a sighting of a girl walking the road and crying, no girl found
It's reinforcing my sense that she left the immediate area on her own. Whether she intended to leave forever or just spur of the moment got in a car, only she knew as it happened. I don't think abductors actively recon non-easily accessible locations, but we don't know who was traveling those roads just passing by.

 

[ifindedout]

- Very interesting note about a sighting of a girl walking the road and crying, no girl found
It's reinforcing my sense that she left the immediate area on her own. Whether she intended to leave forever or just spur of the moment got in a car, only she knew as it happened. I don't think abductors actively recon non-easily accessible locations, but we don't know who was traveling those roads just passing by.

RSBBM
Mentioned on PDF page 28 (stamped #38 and typed 5), at 1432 hrs on 10/9/76.