Trenny Gibson (Namus #MP4524) - Food for thought and comparisons

By: Shane Lambert

The missing person's case of Trenny (Teresa) Lynn Gibson is one of the most puzzling missing person's cases from the 1970s. Trenny was a part of a school field trip on October 8th, 1976 near a site called Clingsman Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She went missing from a trail at about 3pm despite being part of a large group of classmates taking the trail. She has not been heard from since.

Those thinking about this case should be aware of the case of Phillip Roman in 1994. He went missing near Clingsman Dome as well. He was found three days later alive and well but there are still some pointers about the trails near Clingsman Dome that should be noted.

Roman was only 20 feet away from his father on the trail when he went missing. He was 10 years old and looking for a shortcut to the parking lot. The "tangled mess" of the area then caused him to get lost. The impression I get of the area is that a short off-trail excursion might have major implications. The area sounds like one where any kind of diversion could disorient you quickly.

News-Press Dec. 30, 1994. Page 28.

One scenario with Trenny is that maybe she went off-trail voluntarily, perhaps for a bathroom break, or perhaps to try and find a shortcut to the parking lot. If she was doing either of these, she might do so quietly and covertly. If she was looking for a shortcut, then she might have understood that this would be frowned upon by the field trip's leadership.

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