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

[T rex]

Why would she run away with nothing? She wasn't in good clothes for the hike/outdoors. She wasn't even sure there was going to be a field trip that day, according to her mother's account (and apparently no one knew where they were going).

What does being dressed for hiking have to do with getting in a vehicle and riding up the road?

I think Trenny knew exactly where she was going.

She had a good chunk of money left behind in her bank account from her job at the K&W cafeteria, and she left her jewelry behind.

And knowing what we know about Trenny's strict overprotective upbringing are we to believe that Trenny actually had access to that money? Think about it.

I don't know that she did leave her jewelry behind.

The usual consensus in the 70's when a teen went missing was that they ran away. So her peers saying that, without any additional details and anecdotes, does not sway me in that direction.

I know many missing teens are not runaways but some are.

Her peers would have known more details about Trenny than we do.

Not only do I believe Trenny ranaway, I believe it was planned to a T.
I think it was up to Trenny to seperate herself from the rest of the group and make it over to the trail leading to the tower and it was here or at the junction of the AT that she met someone that accompanied her to the road. I think she was out of there before it got dark.

JMO.

 

[MissLaura]

What does being dressed for hiking have to do with getting in a vehicle and riding up the road?

I think Trenny knew exactly where she was going.



And knowing what we know about Trenny's strict overprotective upbringing are we to believe that Trenny actually had access to that money? Think about it.

I don't know that she did leave her jewelry behind.



I know many missing teens are not runaways but some are.

Her peers would have known more details about Trenny than we do.

Not only do I believe Trenny ranaway, I believe it was planned to a T.
I think it was up to Trenny to seperate herself from the rest of the group and make it over to the trail leading to the tower and it was here or at the junction of the AT that she met someone that accompanied her to the road. I think she was out of there before it got dark.

JMO.

You have an interesting theory. I am not saying it definitely didn't happen, just that it does not make sense to me based on the information we have. In fairness, much of what is known is based on personal testimony which may or may not be true. It was Trenny's bank account, so I don't think there was anything her family could have done to stop her from accessing it. Her paychecks from her employers had to be in her name. You are right that there are and were teens, especially back then, that ran away. Then there were those that were thought to have run away, but met with foul play.

I know it was said that Trenny's family was religious, but I'm not sure they were so strict that Trenny would not have access to her own money.

 

[Betty P]

Why would she run away with nothing? She wasn't in good clothes for the hike/outdoors. She wasn't even sure there was going to be a field trip that day, according to her mother's account (and apparently no one knew where they were going). She had a good chunk of money left behind in her bank account from her job at the K&W cafeteria, and she left her jewelry behind. Running away in these circumstances doesn't fit for me. The usual consensus in the 70's when a teen went missing was that they ran away. So her peers saying that, without any additional details and anecdotes, does not sway me in that direction.

That’s an important point. Trenny and the other students didn’t know where they were going that day. The teachers wanted to keep it a secret until the trip was underway.

Trenny wouldn’t be able to plan a detailed scheme to run away with a man when she didnt know her own destination. There were no cell phones back then, nor any pay phone.

 

[jetsfanjohn]

While it can't be ruled out entirely, a planned attempt to runaway would not be my first option in this case.

I tend to go with the idea that Robert Simpson 'spooked' her in some way, she wanted to put some distance from him and got lost in the woods.

 

[T rex]

That’s an important point. Trenny and the other students didn’t know where they were going that day. The teachers wanted to keep it a secret until the trip was underway.

Trenny wouldn’t be able to plan a detailed scheme to run away with a man when she didnt know her own destination. There were no cell phones back then, nor any pay phone.

I've heard it said just as many times that the students did know where they were going that day. Some say some, some say half knew but we were all teenagers and teenagers don't keep secrets like that. If one knew then all knew. I still say Trenny was well aware of where she was going that day.

 

[T rex]

While it can't be ruled out entirely, a planned attempt to runaway would not be my first option in this case.

I tend to go with the idea that Robert Simpson 'spooked' her in some way, she wanted to put some distance from him and got lost in the woods.

One thing about this case, I believe a dogs nose over EVERYTHING that has been said. If Trenny had continued off the trail and the dogs had lost her scent in the wilderness I would say she got lost but the dogs tracked her to the road.
When I look at a map and I look at the timeline one thing becomes apparent to me. When RS was headed back up, towards the end of the trail, whether he was unaware OR aware of it, Trenny was right on his heels. I don't see anyway around it.

 

[Betty P]

While it can't be ruled out entirely, a planned attempt to runaway would not be my first option in this case.

I tend to go with the idea that Robert Simpson 'spooked' her in some way, she wanted to put some distance from him and got lost in the woods.

It would have been so easy to get lost if she wandered off trail. It's happened many times, unfortunately.

 

[Starbuck80]

The story about the ring keeps changing. If Trenny gave the ring to someone to hold BEFORE the hike on the mountain, then there's no reason to suspect foul play.

Since no one has yet turned this ring (or any of Trenny's possesions from that day) over to LE, there's still reason to question whether the stories about them are accurate.

The story about the ring has not changed on my part since I made it public in 2020. The story goes as follows, but bear in mind, it’s a story. And it’s nearly 47 years old. Some major characters are also deceased.

The Gibson’s never saw the ring again after Trenny left on the field trip that October morning in 1976.

While on the field trip, Trenny went to the washroom. She took her ring off to wash her hands. When finished, she gave the ring to sophomore girl to “ hold for her”. This is what Robert Simpson relayed. How and why he was made aware of this, I don’t know. Most teenage boys I knew were not authorities on girl’s jewelry.

The ring ended up in the hands of a different sophomore girl. A friend of the Gibson family was informed of this by her mother. She had apparently found this out at church. It was thought that perhaps the two girls, being friends, one might tell the other how they came to have this ring in their possession, and maybe they could be talked into returning it to the Gibson family. During a phone call, the friend tried to get information from the person who had the ring but they were very evasive. They did agree to return the ring, but they did not. This ring possessor/whatever you want to call her- has been deceased for 20 years.

The first girl who supposedly got the ring in the washroom from Trenny is still alive, but will not respond to my queries.

 

[Starbuck80]

I've heard it said just as many times that the students did know where they were going that day. Some say some, some say half knew but we were all teenagers and teenagers don't keep secrets like that. If one knew then all knew. I still say Trenny was well aware of where she was going that day.

I say it’s likely that some at least knew. Trenny may have known herself and just didn’t tell her parents.

I’ve had a number of classmates tell me that the teacher did not want anyone to follow them, that was why he wanted the destination kept quiet. I’ve also had about the same number tell me that yes, they knew where they were going,

 

[Starbuck80]

Yes, DNA is available as well as Trenny’s dental records. My understanding is that a sophomore girl had the ring, likely given it by Simpson, although Simpson claimed that HE was given the ring by a DIFFERENT sophomore girl. That Trenny gave it to HER in the washroom to HOLD for her. If that makes any sense.

HE should say SHE. My bad.
Basically, Trenny gave it to a girl who gave it to another girl. That was the last anyone had seen it, LE did nothing about it, and the last person to have it died 20 years ago.

 

[dogperson]

The story the students told about the ring is so fishy. If Trenny took the ring off to wash her hands, seems like she'd put it back on after she dried her hands, not tell another girl to hold it for her for the rest of the day. I like to take my rings off to wash my hands but then I put them right back on, so unless the girl refused to give it back to Trenny I can't imagine why she didn't put it back on. It could be the girl slipped it into her pocket momentarily and then for some reason the girls got distracted and they both forgot about the ring, but if that's the case then it seems like the girl would have just said that's what happened instead of claiming Trenny wanted her to hold it. And that doesn't explain why it got passed on to some other girl later.

I assume this ring was quite dear to her because it had been a birthday gift from her parents. If she received the ring on her last birthday before she went missing then she'd only had it for a little less than two months. The specialness of it and the newness of it would still have been a big deal, I would think, and I don't know why she'd trust somebody to hold it for her. But even if she'd been given the ring the previous year, it was still a piece of fine jewelry and when I was her age I wouldn't have felt safe asking even my best friend to hold a ring for me that my parents gave me because I'd have been afraid she'd lose it accidentally. And I don't get the impression that either of the girls who had the ring was her best friend. It's suspicious to me that the one who is still living won't talk about it.

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.

 

[Starbuck80]

The story the students told about the ring is so fishy. If Trenny took the ring off to wash her hands, seems like she'd put it back on after she dried her hands, not tell another girl to hold it for her for the rest of the day. I like to take my rings off to wash my hands but then I put them right back on, so unless the girl refused to give it back to Trenny I can't imagine why she didn't put it back on. It could be the girl slipped it into her pocket momentarily and then for some reason the girls got distracted and they both forgot about the ring, but if that's the case then it seems like the girl would have just said that's what happened instead of claiming Trenny wanted her to hold it. And that doesn't explain why it got passed on to some other girl later.

I assume this ring was quite dear to her because it had been a birthday gift from her parents. If she received the ring on her last birthday before she went missing then she'd only had it for a little less than two months. The specialness of it and the newness of it would still have been a big deal, I would think, and I don't know why she'd trust somebody to hold it for her. But even if she'd been given the ring the previous year, it was still a piece of fine jewelry and when I was her age I wouldn't have felt safe asking even my best friend to hold a ring for me that my parents gave me because I'd have been afraid she'd lose it accidentally. And I don't get the impression that either of the girls who had the ring was her best friend. It's suspicious to me that the one who is still living won't talk about it.

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.

Yes, I agree. There was something

 

[Starbuck80]

Yes, I agree. There was something in the air that day, something brewing.

 

[theshadow45]

Today is Trenny’s birthday.

 

[Starbuck80]

Trenny vanished 47 years ago today.

 

[Betty P]

Trenny vanished 47 years ago today.

RIP Trenny. It was probably a beautiful hike that day, the beginning of fall colors.

 

[Diane Redfern]

Bowman v. State

Bowman v. State - 598 S.W.2d 809

law.justia.com

Is this the same Kelvin Bowman?
To be honest, I suspect of Robert Simpson, but I also think he did not act alone.
Both should be questioned deeply.

 

[DD Byrd]

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.

 

[Nate_Bro]

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

 

[Diane Redfern]