Trenny Lynn Gibson and 38 other students from Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, went on a horticultural field trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. While hiking on the Forney Ridge Trail, Trenny rushed ahead of friends, veered off the trail, and disappeared without a trace.
Trenny was last seen about 40 minutes before they were supposed to meet back at the bus.
The subsequent search for her would be extensive, uncovering many weird details that eventually led to dead ends. These discoveries included a scent trail leading to a nearby road. This implies Trenny may have left in a vehicle. Though the question is whether it was planned beforehand or if she was abducted?
As more information came to light, it became apparent that she was probably not lost in the wilderness. At the end, investigators were left with more questions than potential leads, and the trail went cold for decades.
Who was Trenny Gibson
Trenny Lynn Gibson lived with her mother, father, two brothers, and a younger sister. She worked at a cafeteria based in the local mall and was reportedly diligent about saving what she earned.
At the time she went missing on October 8, 1976, the 16-year-old was approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall, and she weighed 115 pounds. She had light brown hair and green eyes.
Trenny was also part of the horticulture class, which is why the field trip to the Great Smoky Mountains was included. Wayne Dunlap taught her class.
Trenny had an affinity for plants and trees, hoping to apply these interests to study landscape architecture at the University of Tennessee.
Events Leading Up To the Disappearance of Trenny Gibson
The students were only informed about their destination on the morning of their field trip, and their excitement was palpable.
Rain, hail, and fog threatened to dampen the mood, but the trip was not cancelled. Trenny opted to leave her coat, books, and purse in the car, but she did take her lunch.
She sat beside Robert Simpson, a friend of her older brother. Both were excited when they learned the destination was Kuwohi, previously known as Clingman’s Dome. This is the highest point in the park.
Before they set off along the Forney Ridge Trail towards Andrew’s Bald Point, Mr Dunlap instructed the students to stay on the trail and not go beyond Bald. They were also told to be back at the bus by 3.30 pm.
The students were given maps before they broke into groups and set off on the trail. Naturally, as they had sat together on the bus, Trenny and Robert were in the same group.
Dunlap was the only supervising teacher for the 38 students. The only other adult present was the bus driver, and he remained on the bus.
Though the weather was chilly and damp, Trenny opted to leave her coat behind. She only wore a blue blouse, a blue-and-white striped sweater, and jeans. Trenny also donned a star sapphire pendant.
Robert volunteered his brown-and-orange wool jacket to keep her warm as they continued on the trail.
Both had their lunch when they got to Andrew’s Bald. At around 1.30 pm, Trenny decided to start heading back to the bus, according to Robert’s account.
He added that he spotted a bear and began to track it, but Trenny was not interested; she started for the gathering area in the parking lot.
On the way back, she was alone but soon encountered a group of girls who were also going to the parking lot. This included Lisa Mikel, Angela Beckner, and Bobbie Coghill. Trenny was walking fast, but Bobbie caught up for a while. Further along, they met another group.
Bobbie asked if everyone was breathing hard, and Trenny answered, ‘Yeah, everybody.’ Anita Rounds and Scott Troy decided to take a break. Everyone gratefully stopped to rest except Trenny.
They invited her to stay with them, but she insisted on getting to the parking area. By this time, they were almost halfway to the bus. Bobbie estimated they were about three-quarters of a mile away.
Then the students allegedly watched her walk a bit further, stop, bend, and go off the trail by herself.
It was about 2.50 pm. Students mentioned that Trenny seemed in a hurry to get back to the bus. Another from the group suggested that she might have wanted to go cross-country to the Dome parking area.
It was only when the tally was taken at the bus at 3.30 pm that they discovered Trenny’s absence. Immediately, Mr Dunlap and one of the students, Danny Johnson, began a search for her.
The Frantic Search for Theresa Gibson
Wayne Dunlap questioned his students about Trenny’s whereabouts, and Bobbie Coghill stepped forward to give an account of how she left them on the trail.
Assuming that she had gone back on the trail, he decided to take a two-pronged approach. Dunlap sent a student, Danny Johnson, up the straightforward path to Andrew’s Bald, while he walked out to the Double Spring Gap Shelter to the northwest.
He made this decision on the assumption that Trenny may have missed the turn to the parking lot. At that time, the rest of the students were instructed to remain put in the parking lot and maybe search it for any sign of Trenny.
Danny did not find any sign of Trenny as he went to Andrew’s Bald and back. Though Mr Dunlap did see some tennis shoe tracks that looked like Trenny’s size, while on the Appalachian Trail.
He lost the trail about a half mile past the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and the trails to Andrew’s Bald and Forney’s Ridge.
Mr Dunlap immediately called a park technician, Sammy Lail, via CB Radio and informed him of the missing student. Ranger Lail arrived at 4.30 pm and began a search up the trail to Double Springs. Mr Dunlap continued searching along the Appalachian Trail.
The school group began making their way home at 5.30 pm. Interestingly, many of the students believed it was orchestrated and that Trenny had used the opportunity to run away with someone.
Though Mr Dunlap disagreed with that assessment, primarily since Trenny was not known to be a troublesome student.
Park rangers, Phillips, Taylor, and Dick arrived on scene by 6.30 pm. They spread out to check the Mount Collins shelter, then headed to Collins Gap to interview Wayne, before congregating in the parking lot.
In the evening, the weather worsened with wind, rain, and fog. This hampered the search as more help arrived between 6.30 and 8 pm. The trails were slippery with rain and falling leaves. Visibility was also heavily affected.
Trenny’s mother was informed that her daughter was missing. Hope called her husband, who was on a business trip, and he decided to fly home immediately.
He collected his wife before going to the search area, and they brought some of her clothes so the dogs could pick up her scent to help in the search.
Despite the ongoing weather complications, there was some undergrowth on the trail near the area her classmates last saw Trenny. Cigarette butts were also found near there, along with a partially consumed can of beer.
At 10.15 pm, the searchers split in pairs and began searching various areas, including Forney’s Creek, Andrew’s Bald, and Collins Gap. The men were prepared to stay all night to continue with the search. By midnight, all teams had reported in, and there was no sign of her.
Tracking dogs had been deployed to the Appalachian Trail. They followed Trenny’s scent past Clingman’s Tower to an area, a mile and a half from Newfound Gap. Interestingly, some cigarette butts were found at that point. The search continued until 3.00 am before being called off until the next day.
Second Day of the Search
On the 9th, Ranger Jack Linahan coordinated a full-day search. This time, more dogs were added to the search, and pieces of Trenny’s clothing were supplied to acquaint the dogs with her scent.
Two of Trenny’s uncles also joined the search, bringing in their own dogs. Approximately 150 people took part in the search from the 9th. The Red Cross was also on-site, providing food to volunteers.
A group of 20 Marines also arrived to assist in the search, though they were not kitted for the cold weather. They were only cleared to search for a specific amount of time.
Helicopters were put in the air, as well, to widen the search area, but bad weather prevented them from reaching Clingman’s Dome.
However, a pair of searchers with a bloodhound found a scent when walking the Appalachian Trail at the Clingman’s Dome tower.
They followed the scent off-trail to Clingman’s Dome Road before losing it as well. This was at Collins Road, and there is a parking lot for people who want to stop.
Search loses Momentum
Each day, as searchers came to the park, the dogs would follow the same trajectory with Trenny’s scent. It would start somewhere after Andrew’s Bald, then go northeast, passing Clingman’s Dome along the Dome road to Collins Gap. This is near the rest stop.
By 4.30 pm, many search parties would call it a day. Even in the evening, the dog teams would confirm the same trail path but lose the scent after Collins Gap.
Day after day, the search teams were reduced, and the official rescue attempt was called off on 18 October with no further evidence being obtained. It was an intense effort that included rangers and more than 700 individuals looking for the girl over a period.
The search radius was up to three miles, and the trails were searched up to 15 miles in every direction. Nothing was found to indicate that the girl was still in the park.
Afterwards, the governor’s office would offer a reward for anyone who provided conclusive knowledge on the person responsible for Trenny’s disappearance.
Trenny had some encounters with students like Kevin Bowman in the past, though the nature of those relationships was not verified. Some, like her mother, Hope claimed he was a stalker and tried to assault her by breaking into their home.
Another version indicated they were secretly dating. This led to increased bullying at school, considering Kevin was African American and their relationship was frowned upon.
This may have created stress and the desire to escape. She seemed determined to move ahead of the other students as they headed back to the bus.
Investigators also hypothesised that she got lost, made her way to the road, and got picked up by a stranger who later killed her.
In any case, the tracking dogs seem to show she went towards Collins Gap, which is near the road, and from there, she could have travelled by car.
There are many questions still left unanswered, like why she was not seen after leaving the trail and whether her goal was to avoid being caught.
She may have been forced along and warned not to call for help. A myriad of things could have gone wrong between the halfway point and the parking lot.
Anyone with information on what may have happened to Gibson is asked to call the Investigative Branch of the National Park Service at (888)-653-0009 or contact local law enforcement.
