This happened 45 plus years ago. What has become of Roberts life? What about the girl who had the ring? Many people who do nefarious deeds do them again or do strange things out of guilt. It would be interesting to know what had become of their lives.
As a former high school teacher, I understand why bus drivers wait in the parking lot and occasionally teachers are permitted to take their class without other support. What I do not condone is how any student would find themselves alone, isolated, vulnerable and possibly victimized on a field trip such as this. Not in the mountains, not in the city at a museum, not ANYWHERE would/should a supervising teacher have this situation occur; a buddy-system should be rigidly enforced. God be with Trenny.
It happened to me at the Knoxville Zoo. I got lost trying to find a bathroom. My classmate stayed with me and we both got into trouble for trying to find a restroom. They used to be difficult to locate back then.
People who are younger may not understand, but even down to grade school in that era (which I was), carrying a comb in your back pocket was a “thing”…. It appears from the photo that she had thick hair, and the combs then were not the dollar store ones we have now. They were tough thick plastic. I have thick coarse hair and wish today’s combs were that. Sometimes while sitting they could slide out of your jeans pocket, but it’s still a pertinent clue. Especially if other students practiced the same trend. If the girl with the ring had no clue, it may have been planted on her to throw off police. But to be fair, we may never know
Did it not ever, not even once fall out your back pocket like a phone can, or you think your putting it in your pocket but it falls tk the floor, like you could do with a phone, or did you ever have it in your back pocket then go to the bathroom and it falls out and into the loo, again like it could with a phone? I do that all the time and lose things I'm even holding! It's also why I dont wear rings lol
@@cazc5200 I also lived in that time frame and keeping a comb in a pocket was very common. Sometimes they fell out but we usually figured what type of comb would best stay in our pockets. Phones are very slick so they slide out of pockets so much easier than a comb. The cheaper combs on the market now are also slicker and usually an odd size so they don't stay well in pockets. That's just my experience. I have a funny " falling in the loo" story. I bought movies tickets for the kids then I stopped in the rest room, put the tickets on top the TP holder. When I turned to flush, my elbow knocked the tickets into the pot at exactly the same time the water was swirling down stream 😄
This is my neck of woods and a place I enjoy hiking. There is too many holes in this case. Clingmans Dome being a major destination and highly trafficked area I am shocked that no other witnesses have come forward and no one seems to know anything even with that many tourists and students on the trail. Looks like everyone wore blinders that day and some even going to their grave with a secret. May her soul rest in peace
Sounds absolutely right. Very suspicious no one came forward as it’s very highly trafficked. Sounds like a lot of the classmates knew something but were silenced for some reason and the student with her jewelry and no explanation sounds very suspicious like it was purposely done to distract from the situation. That was really odd mores i than the black bear story. Just a very sad situation for her family especially loosing their other two children as well at a early age just heartbreaking that someone had to know but kept that burden their entire life so sad.
1976. World population was half the amount of today. Also, with a large crowd, people don't notice individuals. The guy tracking the black bear was the last to see her.
@@MF-ty2zn Do your own research/investigation population is declining. People no longer are having large families like they once had. You can walk around in public and see there is not as many pregnant woman or even families with a bunch of children. A large crowd would mean she could have screamed or made a scene that would have put have put a damper in disappearance. I suspect she was lured by a stranger she trusted or went willing with someone she knew. For all we know her classmates were involved somehow.
Many people have gotten lost in this area. When you come up from Andrews Bald it's easy to miss the cut off that heads back to the parking lot. If that happens, you end up on the Appalachian Trail. That happened in 2018 to Susan Clements who got lost and died of exposure.
At least, that’s what is believed to have happened. There are so many unusual disappearances, it’s hard to say for sure how someone disappeared even when their body is found.
Sure she could have gotten lost....if it weren't for her items found in the possession of two students. She 💯 didn't give these items to them willingly. They were precious to her.
I thought about this too and being from this area, the cutoff trail up to the parking lot is easy to miss. Also, not sure why the narrator thought you could get back to the parking lot in 45 minutes. To get there yes, because it's mostly downhill, but going going back it gets narrow and more steep all the way back. Plus, they didn't have all the wooded log steps and grooved cuts back in 76 like they do today. I also believe there is a different risk from other people on the Appalachian Trail than there is on a side trail or to Andrews Bald. Yearly on the AT nefarious people are out there. And the only thing that makes the most sense has to do with why other classmates had her things.
These students know more than they're letting on and Robert Simpson (I believe) is responsible for Trenny Gibson's disappearance. "Vengeance is Mine" saith the Lord. Judgement Day is coming for those who think they got away with Trenny Gibson's disappearance in this life. RIP Trenny Gibson 💐
"Be sure your sin will find you out." Jesus is coming for his Bride. Won't be long until whoever hurt that poor girl will have to face what they did. No girl would just give away her jewelry that was so priceless. How did that other girl explain having that? Very suspicious.
It’s really scary that a bunch of kids seemed to be lying and weren’t pressed by police for real answers. People on that trip know what happened to her. Smh it was so easy for people to get away with murder and other crimes back in the day. I’m just surprised that no one else supposedly heard or saw anything nor was a body ever found. It’s not easy to hide a body in that minimal amount of time with so many potential witnesses around. It’s a very strange case with too many unanswered questions.
I'm very familiar with this story We have hiked the very trail she went missing on numerous times. Of all the strange things involving this story. To me the most bizarre thing is they didn't even bother searching Clingmans dome tower. It's right there! She could have easily been hiding there or possibly been held there. Most of the trail to one side is a steep mountain and the other side a very grown up drop off. Just very few places to go off trail.
nefarious? yeah, they did something to this young lady. they possessed her prize possessions. if she had an accident, why were they in possession of her belongings. they killed her.
Great point. I think getting the folks who held her possessions into the interrogation room would be a good start. And, only plausible explanations are needed. Nonsense responses gets you into a cage until they're ready to sing. 😒
Unfortunately, so much time has passed by that I doubt her family will ever get any answers. Unless of course, the killer or killers confess on their death bed.
@@garyaaron8425 I have researched this case a great deal. Most report only she was last seen wearing the ring so I'm not sure where this video gets the "a student had her items".
@@cliffkelley6550 October 8, 2021 45 years. Longer than a lot of lifetimes. Here one minute, gone the next. The night of October 8, 1976, when a TV movie about Houdini starring Paul Michael Glaser was airing, there was a family in Knoxville, Tennessee in crisis. Their daughter, who was a very levelheaded young lady of 16, had vanished from a school field trip to the Smoky Mountains. Rainy, windy and cold, the Park was searched, but Trenny never surfaced. A few footprints were said to have been spotted and later her comb and jewelry surfaced in the hands of a couple of her classmates. But no Trenny Lynn Gibson. Not then and not now.
I can't believe they didn't question Robert or the girl that had Trenny's jewelry more. And this is wild because I went to UT in Knoxville and my bestie there ended up teaching at Bearden HS for years (we always pronounced it Beerden). Combs were cool in the back pocket back in the 70s, so I get the comb. The fact that the comb and jewelry were in others' possession is downright suspicious.
Thank you for posting this again...I was a senior at Bearden when this happened and is right up there with ole Dennis Martin as one of the greatest unsolved mysteries from the Smoktes....ty 😂
Yo, just wanna say, I only recently discovered your channel. Yours is by far the best channel of this kind I have ever watched. You are measured and empathetic in the way you approach these cases - the way you cover them is very very respectful to the victims and their families. Too many channels covering mysteries and disappearances like this really feel like they sensationalize and dramatize the terrible ordeals these people go through for views and subscriptions and fear mongering, which to me seems unbelievably disrespectful. These are real people and they've often gone through something awful and traumatic, they aren't advertisements for a youtube channel or opportunities to push your vapid superstitions. Personally I really appreciate that you obviously do not see these cases like this and don't use these people's suffering as clickbait fodder or the basis for attracting sponsorships. As for your idea about setting up a patreon, I say 100% do it. You say you want to keep your content free - I do not think these things are mutually exclusive. You could use patreon revenue to donate to causes which help people who have been impacted by events like those you cover. I know I'd sign up to that for a channel like this in a heartbeat, because I would know in your case, the monthly donation would actually go to a meaningful cause and not just feeding a youtube personality's ego. Personally I would do this even without any additional perks, but if you wanted to offer them, you could easily do things like you've already done on your channel here - calendars and custom coins and the like (I for one would love one of those coins). Either way, keep up the great work. I'm just starting to get into hiking, climbing, exploring, etc, and these videos are VERY VERY HELPFUL to teach a newbie what to avoid etc. Channels like yours that take an educational tone on this topic undoubtedly save lives - I know that there are already situations I've been in where I've specifically remembered something you've covered and made decisions differently than I likely would have otherwise. Thank you so much Bryan.
This story breaks my heart. I can’t imagine what the parents went through losing Trini and her younger siblings later on! It sounds like there was foul play involved. I pray that they’ll someday find out what happened to her. Great video thanks!
According to an article by Leslie Stahlhut: "Trenny’s father and two of her three siblings are now deceased. Robert, Jr. her older brother, died in 2000 at the age of 42, Robert, Sr. her father, died in 2004 at the age of 67, and Tina, her sister, died in 2016 at the age of 54."
How is having a cheap plastic comb that you can buy at any store suspicious? Those types of combs are everywhere. Her ring, tho, if it really was hers, now that is suspicious.
@@isabellaangeline2175 ok.. and what about the jewelry? Trenny’s jewelry that another student had. She agreed to meet with the family, but she never did... If it were her own jewelry, but just similar to Trenny’s, why would she even agree to meet with them about it? There couldn’t be any point to that, and they might mistake one sapphire necklace for another. She could be blamed for something. It’s not a huge town. They shop at the same places, and there might’ve been a sale on those items. It’s not a stretch to think two girls had matching jewelry sets from the town’s jewelry store... except now, it’s not a random common comb, it’s the comb plus the jewelry. If they were a gift, once she found out they were just like Trenny’s she’d have to suspect the person who gave it of doing something to Trenny. Why wouldn’t she have revealed him? Was she worried that he’d snitch on her, too?? Instead of doing any of that, she just ducked away. It’s possible Robert or another boy gave her Trenny’s jewelry - if it was Robert, that’s incriminating, especially when he had a comb exactly like Trenny’s. Trenny was wearing the sapphire necklace when she disappeared. It’s confirmed, she wore that necklace every day. It was never found in her belongings. It wasn’t a mistake and it doesn’t seem like a “coincidence”, but how many little “coincidences” must happen before it’s not a coincidence at all?
I've read several articles about Trenny Gibson. She disappeared within a few seconds. A teacher accompanying the group of students stated that she saw Trenny on the trail ahead of her bend down, appearing to be looking at something on the ground. The teacher then stated that Trenny turned sideways and poof - she was gone. She disappeared right in front of several people.
The way I heard it she rounded a bend and when the kids rounded that same bend there was no Trenny. They stated they were less than a minute behind her and poof she was gone....
CAROLINA : Well, if she disappeared and it was an accident she would have been found by now. Very suspicious that Robert and the other student had her private possessions...
@@fredajordan5704 I agree that these other students appear guilty, but the burning question I have is how the hell, being that they were students on a field trip, did they find the time to hide her body somewhere good enough that she was never found? That just seems to be an endeavor that would require much more time, effort and thought than what would be available during a school outing.
I agree. I think the only real question is how the body was disposed of so quickly. I have read from other sources that Trenny’s disappearance was kind of an open secret at her school for years afterward and that her classmates were responsible. It is interesting that this field trip took place at a location that was only decided upon at the last minute. One would think this sequence of events would have required advance planning. Did they know only ONE teacher would be in charge of more than 40 students on the trail? This was a poorly planned activity that unfortunately led to the death of an innocent teenager. As far as I am concerned, that class has blood on its hands. Trenny’s prized personal possessions did not end up in the hands of her classmates after her disappearance by accident. I am glad her parents sued the school, which was absolutely culpable in her disappearance/death, but only modern forensics could have provided real answers. They most likely recovered nothing in the 70s.
I've heard this story on one or two other channels, but they never mentioned the details of her personal prized possessions ending up in the hands of some of her fellow students. That's a whole new ballgame. This mystery is suddenly a lot less mysterious, given that foul play seems to be afoot. The other channels put this girl's disappearance into the high strangeness category, alongside Dennis Martin. But one or more of her schoolmates did something to her that day, or at the very least know more than they're telling. But even still, how did they manage to hide her body, during a field trip, so that even after four and a half decades it would never be found?
Great video. Very bizarre situation with the bear story and her jewelry turning up with someone with no explanation. Very sad for her family especially losing their other 2 children when they were fairly young and not knowing what happened to their daughter very very sad I can’t imagine the not knowing.hopefully the family will have answers for what happens to their family member. Great video again as always
Thank you Bryan for the respectful way you told this story. I am suspicious of her classmate Robert Simpson too. I wonder what happened to him,and if anyone ever followed up over the years?
Thank you for updating this story! I never heard about her prized belongings being found with others who had gone on the field trip. Definitely sounds suspicious. FYI: Fanny pack is a naughty term in the UK. They prefer bum bag. Belly bag or Waist bag would be a good compromise, if you want to use a different term. :)
I’m honestly afraid to donate especially seeing what happened in Canada to the trucker donation - I live in wears valley at the foothills of GSMNP - I don’t remember this incident happening
I think one thing people need to understand is that during that time period parents did not typically accompany school children on field trips. I graduated high school in 1975, so Trenny would have been a contemporary of mine. When I was in the 5th grade our teacher took us on a 6-hour round trip field trip to the state capitol with just a bus driver. No one thought a thing about it back then.
Their trip was NOT to Clingman's dome. Their trip was only to Andrew's bald. The parking and trail head to Andrew's bald is also the parking lot for Clingmans dome. Their is a paved walk to Clingmans dome but that wasn't the route they were to take. Hope this helps.
Hello! GSM park also in North Carolina, have hiked Clingman’s Dome several times. Do you have suggestions for search and rescue organization to donate to, since most are volunteers? Thanks for your videos!
That was typical for the time period. In the late 60's my fifth grade teacher took our class on a field trip to the state capitol on a bus with just a bus driver. It was a 6-hour round trip.
I live near Cummins Falls State Park In Jackson County, TN. The news always says near Cookeville, TN. It has a beautiful waterfall. In February 2021 a lawyer went missing. His name was Robert James Qucsai III. They found his body in March 2022, 13 months after he went missing. You might want to check it out.
Great research!! And you must come to Alaska, I'd like to think we r a unique state but we r definitely a vast place. Come up around summer solstice, here in Anchorage we'll have nearly 20 hours of daylight...it's magical 🌟 we got a little bit of everything.
This is one of the odd stories where I thought her "friend" had a strange story, HOWEVER if he had assaulted her or killed her then there is no way he could hide a body effectively. She'd have been found. I would like more info on him and when these items pop up with other students, you really have to wonder because I don't believe police would just accept "I don't know" as an excuse. I wish there was more info on her personal life and the other students stories all seem insane. No one wander off to track a bear! That's just bs if it's true! Idk if it bad police work, protection of another person or something more simple like an accident, but the way they make it seem is that the students were together Essentially and if they rode a bus why are they talking about Robert's car? They make it seem like forgetting a 5 cent comb is the sword of damocles above Roberts head too! That doesn't seem odd to me. Jewelry does. If she was say giving away her possessions to classmates, well you know exactly what that means for a confused teen...
Thk you Bryan for your concern and compassion! You are doing a great work, no apologies needed. I think the Patreon idea is good. -- And prayers for the bereaved loved ones of Teresa. 🙏
Hey Brain been watching from the start. A few idea's. RUclips seems to be pushing the "shorts". It would take some editing time, but you could use your content and edit it into shorts. Perhaps that could help reach more of an audience. Another idea is doing live pod casts. Donations through super chats, and all that. It would take preparing some cases that could take up a good amount of time for the podcast. That seems to be popular for some channels.
6:52 That looks like one of those cheap plastic combs you can get in the “beauty” section of every single store. They’re for all hair types, not just long hair. In ‘Grease’ and other older movies, you can see guys pulling them out of their back pocket to comb their hair.
I've been through the smokies many many times and 1 thing I've noticed is that smokey mountain fog can , will and does roll in at anytime of day .. And it comes in fast , everything is clear one minute and a few minutes later your surrounded by clouds
There’s so many things that were wrong on this field trip. I wonder if the teacher/chaperone and investigators knew of and questioned if she had been bullied at school prior to the field trip. I feel like it was planned before the field trip by Robert, possibly other kids. If she was bullied at school, the classmates would have looked at this time as a perfect opportunity to play devious cruel tricks on her or just be jerks to her. Those kids know something and kept their mouths shut. Robert is a big red flag. How do so many kids not spill secrets though and I hope Trini’s family won their lawsuit against the school for negligence so the school can learn a real lesson. No principal should allow a teacher to take field trip with that many students w/o several chaperones. Wow 😢😵💫😧
Great channel ! You are really respectful to the missing people and their families ! And don't get involved with conspiracy theories ! I just wonder what some of the families and friends of missing people think when they watch some of the channels that narrate their case , then in that same show the narrator starts discussing Bigfoot , Dogmen , Aliens , Predator creatures Portals and heaven knows what else !
Highly suspicious case. The bear tracking story is ridiculous, and how another student came into possession of Trenny's beloved ring and necklace without explanation, is astounding. Plus Robert had her comb. That the dogs tracked her to a roadway is also suspicious. Reminds me of Summer Wells' disappearance which was tracked to road at end of driveway. And that Robert went to Trenny's house and had things to say to her parents is highly unusual. So unfortunate, and quite a long while ago.
If it was a small town the cops probably covered it up because some of them where related to those involved. Old boy network is always in play more so then than now.
I remember back in those days going on field trips. There never was really any organization to these things. Nobody ever told the parents that we were going on a field trips. Often I would get home from school and tell my mother and that was the first she heard of it. When I told my father, it barely registered. Usually, there was only one teacher and the bus driver just either sat in the bus or drove away for the day. Once on the field trip we were never really monitored and no one ever took things line roll call etc.. Things were super relaxed in those days; it was definitely a better time, a good deal more freedom.
That’s kind of an odd thing to say on a video about someone going missing precisely due to the “relaxed” nature of this trip. Maybe the untempered nostalgia is not so appropriate?
@Chris I think he was just saying it was not so unusual back in the day. It really wasn't- they would just turn you loose and say stay with a partner but there was no real oversight.
@@stephaniecrabtree8912 Yes, you are correct here, although I do appreciate the incites of the previous comment and understand how my comment could have been interpreted as it was , I think, misinterpreted. Regardless, it was absolutely tragic what happened to that young woman. My heart aches for her parents, because I have children and they are everything to me. In the end nothing else really matters except one’s children.
I've been reading everything I could find about the Smokies for the last 50 years. I've been there numerous times, and I've taken the trail to Andrews Bald. I've never heard about Trenny's comb and jewelry winding up with her classmates. Another thing: Open woods are rare in the Smokies. The understory beneath the trees is incredibly tangled and thick. Some areas are called "hells" and for good reason. If Trenny had cut through the woods, she would have left a trail of broken branches that the searchers would have seen. And she would have made a lot of noise. I'd always read that the cigarette butts were found at the road where the dogs lost the scent, not at the spot where Trenny was last seen.
Being a local and hearing about this case for 40 years, what makes the most sense to me with what we know for sure? Other students had something to do with her demise. How did they end up with her things? Do we absolutely know for sure that Robert didn't get by the group(s) of other students on the way back to get to Trenny whom who knows how far up the trail she got? If he managed this, was it possible that he caught up to her and by his hand or her own fault fell and Robert thought he would be blamed, robbed her of her items and hid her body? One thing we know for sure, someone had access to her ring and comb and those seem to be items she wouldn't have parted with. So it seems someone either caused her death, fall, or found her body and said nothing about it. If they wanted the ring after finding her, it makes sense they wouldn't say anything, not knowing if they themselves wouldn't be searched by the authorities before they left the parking lot on the bus. The girl who eventually ended up with the ring, her explanation for having it being poor was probably protecting someone or the someone whom gave it to her. Robert is a hard lean for this because he had the comb, poor excuse of trailing a bear and no clear way to know if anyone for sure can say Robert couldn't have passed them up on the way back without being noticed. If someone is coming up from behind you on the way back, looking at only their backs passing you by, you would fail any questioning that asked, "did you actually see the face of the person that passed you?". Also, how many of us pay any attention to someone that passes us up from behind on a trail if they are going at a good pace, let alone thinking anything of it to take special notice? Lastly, we don't know for sure what was said between Trenny and Robert on the hike down to the bald. What was the nature of what they talked about? Was there a love interest that was denied? We only have Robert's account for any of what the trip down entailed. If you take that time to walk down with someone together, alone with one another, how often do you not walk back with them, unless a disagreement or some unpleasantry occurred? Also, strange no one asked Trenny why she was going back alone? If someone appears off put, put upon or mad that you sense walks off, that could explain why no one asked or attempted to walk with her back. This case has very little detail about her mood upon going back. Of the entire group, she was the only female to opt for walking back alone. Weird. Also, if there were only two adults for the entire group, who was there to witness that the bus driver never left the bus while they were gone and didn't wander down the trail a bit and met Trenny. Just saying, not accusing.
Good point about the bus driver FBI probably checked him out, I hope. One thing that is stated for sure, the dogs tracked Trenny to a road. She would have had to be walking (not carried), for the dogs to pick up her scent.. Whatever happened next happened there at the roadside. Did a serial killer stop and offer her a ride, or did she flag down a car that had a killer behind the wheel? What are the odds of that happening? And if she was attacked on the AT, how did she get to the road on her own two feet? Ok, maybe she hitched a ride to a place where she could make a call to her folks, and somehow met with foul play there, But if it was a store or gas station someone would have seen her. Did the family put up Missing person flyers in the areas surrounding the park? After so many years, there is still one thing that could be done to get some answers, if the family was willing to consult a “forensic”astrologer. The astrologer makes a chart for the place and time the viciim was last seen, and interprets the results.. ie in what direction from where they disappeared ,and how far away measured in distance, they may be found and or when,measured in time they may be found ie days, weeks months or years Also the environment where located ie water, earth, stone, ie building foundations, rocky area. etc. and if the victim is alive. We don’t read in the media about the police consulting these Specialists to help solve a case, for obvious reasons, but there have been many long term missing cases solved this way. and can be found published on-line. And there have been cases of kidnapping victims found living in another city, having grown to maturity and coming forward. or escaping thier captors. Perhaps Trenny may still be found alive, somewhere. We can hope for the sake of her family.
@@prarieborn6458 Excellent points. Being from here and over the last 4 decades can't recall anyone ever saying what the FBI might have said to him, but its befuddling how the park has zero cameras at the dome parking lots even today. Well to get to a roadside, should would have had to walk right past the but driver and down the parking lot to where Clingman's dome road go into the north end of the lost. So that would mean no one else and the bus driver would have had to miss her. Also, depending on where they parked, the road could be as close as 30 feet from the bus and tourists walk that just to get a look over the edge. Nothing too strange about that if Trenny did this with a group when they got off the bus or with a group. I really never bought that theory because no one ever saw her again. No sightings at gas stations. Nothing, just vanished. The closest payphone would have been, maybe down in Gatlinburg at the time? I can't be sure if the parents didn't consult someone like this but the time this happened, what was the mindset of that? Dennis Martin was another case here that drew a lot of attention and manpower to search for him. His was even more bizarre. Even today, it's a decent drive before you get to any gas stations. Most everyone said Trenny was happy, and unlikely she'd just meet someone and run away. Plus, it's quite a hike they were on and once your back your ready for a sit down as the way back is all up hill. But they call it, "gone missing" when your lost in the wilds. Gives you hope that maybe they are still alive. No body, no crime and hope can still live. But them having her things? The only way she's alive in my opinion is if she discarded those things and they just happened to have found them. I doubt this and I think answers to what happened to her have to do with her male friend she walked down with and whom had her ring and comb. Still praying for this family for answers and closure. Thanks for your response, very thought-provoking.
Yes Fanny pack for sure at least if you get stripped of back pack you still have something tohave on your body fire starter compass knife beacon protein snacks water straw purifiers Ace wrap Is that to much?😅❤️🙏
The students were allowed to take their lunch on the trail instead of a more cautious approach in eating after the hike preferably in a picnic ground or in town. There were no restrooms at the trail parking lot.
If I didn't give a rational explanation, I'd be arrested. How do these people get away with it? I hope someone's guilt overwhelms them and they report what they know.
Some of the other students almost certainly know the circumstances of this disappearance. It seems likely that some were involved. And yes, the lack of school chaperones - one for every ten students, perhaps - was incredibly negligent. The truth about what happened might yet emerge. Maybe someone will drink too much and say something they otherwise wouldn't, or someone who was told what happened second hand will come forward. I hope so.
I would think he did something to her but others saw her on the trail by herself.Since the dogs followed her trail to the road I wonder if she had arranged to meet some guy while there without her parents knowing..so she stopped to act like looking at plants and after they went by she ran off to meet this guy .And it turns out he was not a good person who kept and killed her.
This makes the first episode of that old show, The Greatest American Hero make more sense where the teacher takes a busload of children out on a surprise field trip. As much as I love the show I always thought it was unrealistic, until now. Now I see it might have actually happened. 😮
See I try to donate about 20% of any profits I make off of my art.... So with my itchy need to donate before I spent more money shopping online I'm glad i found an outlet.... I love your channel btw
I have been there. There is a connection to the Appalachian trail up there. Maybe she accidentally got on that trail. Funny thing, there was a black 🐻 on the trail the day i was there.
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This happened 45 plus years ago. What has become of Roberts life? What about the girl who had the ring? Many people who do nefarious deeds do them again or do strange things out of guilt. It would be interesting to know what had become of their lives.
Robert died in 2022.
And also, sometimes they speak to people and end up saying things that betray their actions
And the teacher?
As a former high school teacher, I understand why bus drivers wait in the parking lot and occasionally teachers are permitted to take their class without other support. What I do not condone is how any student would find themselves alone, isolated, vulnerable and possibly victimized on a field trip such as this. Not in the mountains, not in the city at a museum, not ANYWHERE would/should a supervising teacher have this situation occur; a buddy-system should be rigidly enforced. God be with Trenny.
A buddy system with more adults to supervise.
It happened to me at the Knoxville Zoo. I got lost trying to find a bathroom. My classmate stayed with me and we both got into trouble for trying to find a restroom. They used to be difficult to locate back then.
The teacher was sued but I wonder where he is now? How is he not guilt ridden??
People who are younger may not understand, but even down to grade school in that era (which I was), carrying a comb in your back pocket was a “thing”…. It appears from the photo that she had thick hair, and the combs then were not the dollar store ones we have now. They were tough thick plastic. I have thick coarse hair and wish today’s combs were that. Sometimes while sitting they could slide out of your jeans pocket, but it’s still a pertinent clue. Especially if other students practiced the same trend. If the girl with the ring had no clue, it may have been planted on her to throw off police. But to be fair, we may never know
Did it not ever, not even once fall out your back pocket like a phone can, or you think your putting it in your pocket but it falls tk the floor, like you could do with a phone, or did you ever have it in your back pocket then go to the bathroom and it falls out and into the loo, again like it could with a phone? I do that all the time and lose things I'm even holding! It's also why I dont wear rings lol
@@cazc5200 I also lived in that time frame and keeping a comb in a pocket was very common. Sometimes they fell out but we usually figured what type of comb would best stay in our pockets. Phones are very slick so they slide out of pockets so much easier than a comb. The cheaper combs on the market now are also slicker and usually an odd size so they don't stay well in pockets. That's just my experience. I have a funny " falling in the loo" story. I bought movies tickets for the kids then I stopped in the rest room, put the tickets on top the TP holder. When I turned to flush, my elbow knocked the tickets into the pot at exactly the same time the water was swirling down stream 😄
Yeah, Simpson
This is my neck of woods and a place I enjoy hiking. There is too many holes in this case. Clingmans Dome being a major destination and highly trafficked area I am shocked that no other witnesses have come forward and no one seems to know anything even with that many tourists and students on the trail. Looks like everyone wore blinders that day and some even going to their grave with a secret. May her soul rest in peace
I completely agree with you! I live in JOHNSON CITY so I’m not to far from there either…
Sounds absolutely right. Very suspicious no one came forward as it’s very highly trafficked. Sounds like a lot of the classmates knew something but were silenced for some reason and the student with her jewelry and no explanation sounds very suspicious like it was purposely done to distract from the situation. That was really odd mores i than the black bear story. Just a very sad situation for her family especially loosing their other two children as well at a early age just heartbreaking that someone had to know but kept that burden their entire life so sad.
1976. World population was half the amount of today. Also, with a large crowd, people don't notice individuals.
The guy tracking the black bear was the last to see her.
@@MF-ty2zn Do your own research/investigation population is declining. People no longer are having large families like they once had. You can walk around in public and see there is not as many pregnant woman or even families with a bunch of children. A large crowd would mean she could have screamed or made a scene that would have put have put a damper in disappearance. I suspect she was lured by a stranger she trusted or went willing with someone she knew. For all we know her classmates were involved somehow.
GSMNP is in a notorious "Missing411" area. There are several unsolved disappearances besides Trenny's still open in the Smokys.
Many people have gotten lost in this area. When you come up from Andrews Bald it's easy to miss the cut off that heads back to the parking lot. If that happens, you end up on the Appalachian Trail. That happened in 2018 to Susan Clements who got lost and died of exposure.
At least, that’s what is believed to have happened. There are so many unusual disappearances, it’s hard to say for sure how someone disappeared even when their body is found.
Sure she could have gotten lost....if it weren't for her items found in the possession of two students. She 💯 didn't give these items to them willingly. They were precious to her.
I thought about this too and being from this area, the cutoff trail up to the parking lot is easy to miss. Also, not sure why the narrator thought you could get back to the parking lot in 45 minutes. To get there yes, because it's mostly downhill, but going going back it gets narrow and more steep all the way back. Plus, they didn't have all the wooded log steps and grooved cuts back in 76 like they do today. I also believe there is a different risk from other people on the Appalachian Trail than there is on a side trail or to Andrews Bald. Yearly on the AT nefarious people are out there. And the only thing that makes the most sense has to do with why other classmates had her things.
These students know more than they're letting on and Robert Simpson (I believe) is responsible for Trenny Gibson's disappearance.
"Vengeance is Mine" saith the Lord.
Judgement Day is coming for those who think they got away with Trenny Gibson's disappearance in this life.
RIP Trenny Gibson 💐
"Be sure your sin will find you out." Jesus is coming for his Bride. Won't be long until whoever hurt that poor girl will have to face what they did. No girl would just give away her jewelry that was so priceless. How did that other girl explain having that? Very suspicious.
@@graceandglory1948 first thought that came to mind is that Robert either gave them to the girl as a gift or sold them to her. Very suspicious.
Amen to that! My thoughts exactly💜
If Robert was responsible, how did he hide the body so good, that it has never been found?
Amen
It’s really scary that a bunch of kids seemed to be lying and weren’t pressed by police for real answers. People on that trip know what happened to her. Smh it was so easy for people to get away with murder and other crimes back in the day. I’m just surprised that no one else supposedly heard or saw anything nor was a body ever found. It’s not easy to hide a body in that minimal amount of time with so many potential witnesses around. It’s a very strange case with too many unanswered questions.
So Compassionate!
Thank you as always for your kind feedback! 🙏🙏
I'm very familiar with this story We have hiked the very trail she went missing on numerous times. Of all the strange things involving this story. To me the most bizarre thing is they didn't even bother searching Clingmans dome tower. It's right there! She could have easily been hiding there or possibly been held there. Most of the trail to one side is a steep mountain and the other side a very grown up drop off. Just very few places to go off trail.
nefarious? yeah, they did something to this young lady. they possessed her prize possessions. if she had an accident, why were they in possession of her belongings. they killed her.
I completely agree but my confusion is where was the body during the search?
Great point. I think getting the folks who held her possessions into the interrogation room would be a good start. And, only plausible explanations are needed. Nonsense responses gets you into a cage until they're ready to sing. 😒
Unfortunately, so much time has passed by that I doubt her family will ever get any answers. Unless of course, the killer or killers confess on their death bed.
@@garyaaron8425 I have researched this case a great deal. Most report only she was last seen wearing the ring so I'm not sure where this video gets the "a student had her items".
@@cliffkelley6550 October 8, 2021
45 years. Longer than a lot of lifetimes. Here one minute, gone the next. The night of October 8, 1976, when a TV movie about Houdini starring Paul Michael Glaser was airing, there was a family in Knoxville, Tennessee in crisis. Their daughter, who was a very levelheaded young lady of 16, had vanished from a school field trip to the Smoky Mountains. Rainy, windy and cold, the Park was searched, but Trenny never surfaced. A few footprints were said to have been spotted and later her comb and jewelry surfaced in the hands of a couple of her classmates. But no Trenny Lynn Gibson. Not then and not now.
I can't believe they didn't question Robert or the girl that had Trenny's jewelry more. And this is wild because I went to UT in Knoxville and my bestie there ended up teaching at Bearden HS for years (we always pronounced it Beerden). Combs were cool in the back pocket back in the 70s, so I get the comb. The fact that the comb and jewelry were in others' possession is downright suspicious.
Thank you for posting this again...I was a senior at Bearden when this happened and is right up there with ole Dennis Martin as one of the greatest unsolved mysteries from the Smoktes....ty 😂
Mind blowing how much tragedy that this family has gone through! My condolences to them. 🙏🏻
This is my area and I firmly believe some people know more than they ever admitted to!
Something doesn't sound right with this story.... Ty Bryan for a another great story and I hope Trenny rests in peace 🙏🙏....
Yo, just wanna say, I only recently discovered your channel. Yours is by far the best channel of this kind I have ever watched. You are measured and empathetic in the way you approach these cases - the way you cover them is very very respectful to the victims and their families. Too many channels covering mysteries and disappearances like this really feel like they sensationalize and dramatize the terrible ordeals these people go through for views and subscriptions and fear mongering, which to me seems unbelievably disrespectful. These are real people and they've often gone through something awful and traumatic, they aren't advertisements for a youtube channel or opportunities to push your vapid superstitions. Personally I really appreciate that you obviously do not see these cases like this and don't use these people's suffering as clickbait fodder or the basis for attracting sponsorships.
As for your idea about setting up a patreon, I say 100% do it. You say you want to keep your content free - I do not think these things are mutually exclusive. You could use patreon revenue to donate to causes which help people who have been impacted by events like those you cover. I know I'd sign up to that for a channel like this in a heartbeat, because I would know in your case, the monthly donation would actually go to a meaningful cause and not just feeding a youtube personality's ego. Personally I would do this even without any additional perks, but if you wanted to offer them, you could easily do things like you've already done on your channel here - calendars and custom coins and the like (I for one would love one of those coins).
Either way, keep up the great work. I'm just starting to get into hiking, climbing, exploring, etc, and these videos are VERY VERY HELPFUL to teach a newbie what to avoid etc. Channels like yours that take an educational tone on this topic undoubtedly save lives - I know that there are already situations I've been in where I've specifically remembered something you've covered and made decisions differently than I likely would have otherwise. Thank you so much Bryan.
Had some strange experiences on the trail to clingmans dome. Unexplainable.
Oh, please share Lee! Record a video if you don’t feel like writing them out…
Please give details.
This story breaks my heart. I can’t imagine what the parents went through losing Trini and her younger siblings later on! It sounds like there was foul play involved. I pray that they’ll someday find out what happened to her. Great video thanks!
Betty. What happened to her younger siblings
According to an article by Leslie Stahlhut:
"Trenny’s father and two of her three siblings are now deceased. Robert, Jr. her older brother, died in 2000 at the age of 42, Robert, Sr. her father, died in 2004 at the age of 67, and Tina, her sister, died in 2016 at the age of 54."
The students with her property that she held dear well.......obviously they killed her and took her stuff
You're obviously better than the cops, and FBI. maybe you should go into law enforcement.
How is having a cheap plastic comb that you can buy at any store suspicious? Those types of combs are everywhere. Her ring, tho, if it really was hers, now that is suspicious.
The FBI couldn't figure that out.
@@isabellaangeline2175 ok.. and what about the jewelry? Trenny’s jewelry that another student had. She agreed to meet with the family, but she never did...
If it were her own jewelry, but just similar to Trenny’s, why would she even agree to meet with them about it? There couldn’t be any point to that, and they might mistake one sapphire necklace for another. She could be blamed for something.
It’s not a huge town. They shop at the same places, and there might’ve been a sale on those items. It’s not a stretch to think two girls had matching jewelry sets from the town’s jewelry store... except now, it’s not a random common comb, it’s the comb plus the jewelry.
If they were a gift, once she found out they were just like Trenny’s she’d have to suspect the person who gave it of doing something to Trenny. Why wouldn’t she have revealed him? Was she worried that he’d snitch on her, too??
Instead of doing any of that, she just ducked away. It’s possible Robert or another boy gave her Trenny’s jewelry - if it was Robert, that’s incriminating, especially when he had a comb exactly like Trenny’s.
Trenny was wearing the sapphire necklace when she disappeared. It’s confirmed, she wore that necklace every day. It was never found in her belongings. It wasn’t a mistake and it doesn’t seem like a “coincidence”, but how many little “coincidences” must happen before it’s not a coincidence at all?
If classmates killed her, how exactly did they hide her body during a field trip?
I've read several articles about Trenny Gibson. She disappeared within a few seconds. A teacher accompanying the group of students stated that she saw Trenny on the trail ahead of her bend down, appearing to be looking at something on the ground. The teacher then stated that Trenny turned sideways and poof - she was gone. She disappeared right in front of several people.
The way I heard it she rounded a bend and when the kids rounded that same bend there was no Trenny. They stated they were less than a minute behind her and poof she was gone....
UFO….
CAROLINA : Well, if she disappeared and it was an accident she would have been found by now. Very suspicious that Robert and the other student had her private possessions...
@@fredajordan5704 I agree that these other students appear guilty, but the burning question I have is how the hell, being that they were students on a field trip, did they find the time to hide her body somewhere good enough that she was never found? That just seems to be an endeavor that would require much more time, effort and thought than what would be available during a school outing.
I agree. I think the only real question is how the body was disposed of so quickly. I have read from other sources that Trenny’s disappearance was kind of an open secret at her school for years afterward and that her classmates were responsible. It is interesting that this field trip took place at a location that was only decided upon at the last minute. One would think this sequence of events would have required advance planning. Did they know only ONE teacher would be in charge of more than 40 students on the trail? This was a poorly planned activity that unfortunately led to the death of an innocent teenager. As far as I am concerned, that class has blood on its hands. Trenny’s prized personal possessions did not end up in the hands of her classmates after her disappearance by accident. I am glad her parents sued the school, which was absolutely culpable in her disappearance/death, but only modern forensics could have provided real answers. They most likely recovered nothing in the 70s.
The comb could have been borrowed. but it’s highly suspicious about the ring.
I've heard this story on one or two other channels, but they never mentioned the details of her personal prized possessions ending up in the hands of some of her fellow students. That's a whole new ballgame. This mystery is suddenly a lot less mysterious, given that foul play seems to be afoot. The other channels put this girl's disappearance into the high strangeness category, alongside Dennis Martin. But one or more of her schoolmates did something to her that day, or at the very least know more than they're telling. But even still, how did they manage to hide her body, during a field trip, so that even after four and a half decades it would never be found?
Buddy do a Patreon!! I join them whenever there’s a channel I watch. Some of us CAN… you should allow us ♥️
Lived in Alaska for 37 years, Been to Wrangle/St Elias National park many times. Lots of Moose/Grizzlies/Dall sheep and Glaciers. Beautiful place!!
Great video. Very bizarre situation with the bear story and her jewelry turning up with someone with no explanation. Very sad for her family especially losing their other 2 children when they were fairly young and not knowing what happened to their daughter very very sad I can’t imagine the not knowing.hopefully the family will have answers for what happens to their family member. Great video again as always
Thank you Bryan for the respectful way you told this story. I am suspicious of her classmate Robert Simpson too. I wonder what happened to him,and if anyone ever followed up over the years?
love your channel and always look forward to new stories! youre a great story teller!
My goodness. That right there is a sad story. Breaks my heart for her and her family.
Yeah ! Why's wasn't it solved ? They are involved ! All theses years come & gones now's !they knows ! thank you
Thank you for updating this story! I never heard about her prized belongings being found with others who had gone on the field trip. Definitely sounds suspicious. FYI: Fanny pack is a naughty term in the UK. They prefer bum bag. Belly bag or Waist bag would be a good compromise, if you want to use a different term. :)
I live in Alaska
I’m honestly afraid to donate especially seeing what happened in Canada to the trucker donation - I live in wears valley at the foothills of GSMNP - I don’t remember this incident happening
I think one thing people need to understand is that during that time period parents did not typically accompany school children on field trips. I graduated high school in 1975, so Trenny would have been a contemporary of mine. When I was in the 5th grade our teacher took us on a 6-hour round trip field trip to the state capitol with just a bus driver. No one thought a thing about it back then.
Their trip was NOT to Clingman's dome. Their trip was only to Andrew's bald. The parking and trail head to Andrew's bald is also the parking lot for Clingmans dome. Their is a paved walk to Clingmans dome but that wasn't the route they were to take. Hope this helps.
Does the Appalachian trail go through there. Class mates did it. The jewelry.....damn.
Yeah. It's the highest point on the AT.
Hello! GSM park also in North Carolina, have hiked Clingman’s Dome several times.
Do you have suggestions for search and rescue organization to donate to, since most are volunteers? Thanks for your videos!
I'm sorry the family has been through so much loss and heartache.
Truly irresponsible to have so few staff to look after so many !!! 😢❤
That was typical for the time period. In the late 60's my fifth grade teacher took our class on a field trip to the state capitol on a bus with just a bus driver. It was a 6-hour round trip.
I was just out of high school then remembered the news story and the search, didn’t realize it still isn’t solved.
Interesting story and fact!
That story sickens me Bryan I can only imagine what happened to her and not one person was found accountable, that's baffling.
The people who had or have her jewelry know something I think. They should be questioned some more.
Love the background music
Thanks Bryan. I learn so much from your videos. I went to college near there in Western NC. I think Robert hurt her.
I live near Cummins Falls State Park In Jackson County, TN. The news always says near Cookeville, TN. It has a beautiful waterfall. In February 2021 a lawyer went missing. His name was Robert James Qucsai III. They found his body in March 2022, 13 months after he went missing. You might want to check it out.
Very sad. I can’t imagine her family’s pain. I hope those involved had karma to deal with - it is not too late to come clean.
Aw geez. Poor kids. That one that had her things is very nefarious. RIP. Prayers to all. 🙏
Stanley products were excellent in the 70's!...
Some people know something. You don't just magically come to own someone's cherished possessions. Dark secrets.
Terrible. Often the last person that saw that person is gildi they say.
Great research!! And you must come to Alaska, I'd like to think we r a unique state but we r definitely a vast place. Come up around summer solstice, here in Anchorage we'll have nearly 20 hours of daylight...it's magical 🌟 we got a little bit of everything.
Really bizarre how she could disappear in broad daylight with other students around. Too bad this has never been solved.
This is one of the odd stories where I thought her "friend" had a strange story, HOWEVER if he had assaulted her or killed her then there is no way he could hide a body effectively. She'd have been found. I would like more info on him and when these items pop up with other students, you really have to wonder because I don't believe police would just accept "I don't know" as an excuse.
I wish there was more info on her personal life and the other students stories all seem insane. No one wander off to track a bear! That's just bs if it's true! Idk if it bad police work, protection of another person or something more simple like an accident, but the way they make it seem is that the students were together Essentially and if they rode a bus why are they talking about Robert's car? They make it seem like forgetting a 5 cent comb is the sword of damocles above Roberts head too! That doesn't seem odd to me. Jewelry does. If she was say giving away her possessions to classmates, well you know exactly what that means for a confused teen...
Great video
Thank you for your great videos.
GUARANTEE the kid who had her jewelry knows what happened. Women do NOT relinquish jewelry that has emotional attachment.
Wow this is a much more detailed account of this disappearance. I've heard it lots of times, but this is far less like a 411 as is always said.
Robert knows where she is and she's most likely somewhere off the trails they were on.
Cops and detectives really dropped the ball on this one!
I love your channel and will be making a donation. You have a pleasant voice and sound very kind.
Thk you Bryan for your concern and compassion! You are doing a great work, no apologies needed. I think the Patreon idea is good. -- And prayers for the bereaved loved ones of Teresa. 🙏
Super suspicious. Love your channel, by the way.
Fanny packs are great! I personally like to wear 2 of them while hiking, front/back. I like my storage...
Thanks again lot more details than those writing about this story for example in a book
So sad..god bless
Like your style 😎
i always enjoy your presentations, support sent, best wishes :)
Hey Brain been watching from the start. A few idea's. RUclips seems to be pushing the "shorts". It would take some editing time, but you could use your content and edit it into shorts. Perhaps that could help reach more of an audience. Another idea is doing live pod casts. Donations through super chats, and all that. It would take preparing some cases that could take up a good amount of time for the podcast. That seems to be popular for some channels.
Stay safe out there.
6:52 That looks like one of those cheap plastic combs you can get in the “beauty” section of every single store. They’re for all hair types, not just long hair. In ‘Grease’ and other older movies, you can see guys pulling them out of their back pocket to comb their hair.
I've been through the smokies many many times and 1 thing I've noticed is that smokey mountain fog can , will and does roll in at anytime of day .. And it comes in fast , everything is clear one minute and a few minutes later your surrounded by clouds
Another girl having her jewelry is a red flag. Sad..
There’s so many things that were wrong on this field trip. I wonder if the teacher/chaperone and investigators knew of and questioned if she had been bullied at school prior to the field trip. I feel like it was planned before the field trip by Robert, possibly other kids. If she was bullied at school, the classmates would have looked at this time as a perfect opportunity to play devious cruel tricks on her or just be jerks to her. Those kids know something and kept their mouths shut. Robert is a big red flag. How do so many kids not spill secrets though and I hope Trini’s family won their lawsuit against the school for negligence so the school can learn a real lesson. No principal should allow a teacher to take field trip with that many students w/o several chaperones. Wow 😢😵💫😧
Yeah something doesn't sound right with that guy that wouldn't go back down with her.
Great channel ! You are really respectful to the missing people and their families ! And don't get involved with conspiracy theories ! I just wonder what some of the families and friends of missing people think when they watch some of the channels that narrate their case , then in that same show the narrator starts discussing Bigfoot , Dogmen , Aliens , Predator creatures Portals and heaven knows what else !
So Sad🥺 Prayers
For their Family 🙏
I just don’t understand how people ina group just disappear???So strange!
Highly suspicious case. The bear tracking story is ridiculous, and how another student came into possession of Trenny's beloved ring and necklace without explanation, is astounding. Plus Robert had her comb. That the dogs tracked her to a roadway is also suspicious. Reminds me of Summer Wells' disappearance which was tracked to road at end of driveway. And that Robert went to Trenny's house and had things to say to her parents is highly unusual. So unfortunate, and quite a long while ago.
If it was a small town the cops probably covered it up because some of them where related to those involved. Old boy network is always in play more so then than now.
Love your videos!
I remember back in those days going on field trips. There never was really any organization to these things. Nobody ever told the parents that we were going on a field trips. Often I would get home from school and tell my mother and that was the first she heard of it. When I told my father, it barely registered. Usually, there was only one teacher and the bus driver just either sat in the bus or drove away for the day. Once on the field trip we were never really monitored and no one ever took things line roll call etc.. Things were super relaxed in those days; it was definitely a better time, a good deal more freedom.
That’s kind of an odd thing to say on a video about someone going missing precisely due to the “relaxed” nature of this trip. Maybe the untempered nostalgia is not so appropriate?
@Chris I think he was just saying it was not so unusual back in the day. It really wasn't- they would just turn you loose and say stay with a partner but there was no real oversight.
@@stephaniecrabtree8912 Yes, you are correct here, although I do appreciate the incites of the previous comment and understand how my comment could have been interpreted as it was , I think, misinterpreted. Regardless, it was absolutely tragic what happened to that young woman. My heart aches for her parents, because I have children and they are everything to me. In the end nothing else really matters except one’s children.
I've been reading everything I could find about the Smokies for the last 50 years. I've been there numerous times, and I've taken the trail to Andrews Bald.
I've never heard about Trenny's comb and jewelry winding up with her classmates. Another thing: Open woods are rare in the Smokies. The understory beneath the trees is incredibly tangled and thick. Some areas are called "hells" and for good reason. If Trenny had cut through the woods, she would have left a trail of broken branches that the searchers would have seen. And she would have made a lot of noise.
I'd always read that the cigarette butts were found at the road where the dogs lost the scent, not at the spot where Trenny was last seen.
Being a local and hearing about this case for 40 years, what makes the most sense to me with what we know for sure? Other students had something to do with her demise. How did they end up with her things? Do we absolutely know for sure that Robert didn't get by the group(s) of other students on the way back to get to Trenny whom who knows how far up the trail she got? If he managed this, was it possible that he caught up to her and by his hand or her own fault fell and Robert thought he would be blamed, robbed her of her items and hid her body? One thing we know for sure, someone had access to her ring and comb and those seem to be items she wouldn't have parted with.
So it seems someone either caused her death, fall, or found her body and said nothing about it. If they wanted the ring after finding her, it makes sense they wouldn't say anything, not knowing if they themselves wouldn't be searched by the authorities before they left the parking lot on the bus. The girl who eventually ended up with the ring, her explanation for having it being poor was probably protecting someone or the someone whom gave it to her. Robert is a hard lean for this because he had the comb, poor excuse of trailing a bear and no clear way to know if anyone for sure can say Robert couldn't have passed them up on the way back without being noticed. If someone is coming up from behind you on the way back, looking at only their backs passing you by, you would fail any questioning that asked, "did you actually see the face of the person that passed you?". Also, how many of us pay any attention to someone that passes us up from behind on a trail if they are going at a good pace, let alone thinking anything of it to take special notice?
Lastly, we don't know for sure what was said between Trenny and Robert on the hike down to the bald. What was the nature of what they talked about? Was there a love interest that was denied? We only have Robert's account for any of what the trip down entailed. If you take that time to walk down with someone together, alone with one another, how often do you not walk back with them, unless a disagreement or some unpleasantry occurred? Also, strange no one asked Trenny why she was going back alone? If someone appears off put, put upon or mad that you sense walks off, that could explain why no one asked or attempted to walk with her back. This case has very little detail about her mood upon going back. Of the entire group, she was the only female to opt for walking back alone. Weird.
Also, if there were only two adults for the entire group, who was there to witness that the bus driver never left the bus while they were gone and didn't wander down the trail a bit and met Trenny. Just saying, not accusing.
Good point about the bus driver FBI probably checked him out, I hope. One thing that is stated for sure, the dogs tracked Trenny to a road. She would have had to be walking (not carried), for the dogs to pick up her scent.. Whatever happened next happened there at the roadside.
Did a serial killer stop and offer her a ride, or did she flag down a car that had a killer behind the wheel? What are the odds of that happening? And if she was attacked on the AT, how did she get to the road on her own two feet? Ok, maybe she hitched a ride to a place where she could make a call to her folks, and somehow met with foul play there, But if it was a store or gas station someone would have seen her. Did the family put up Missing person flyers in the areas surrounding the park? After so many years, there is still one thing that could be done to get some answers, if the family was willing to consult a “forensic”astrologer. The astrologer makes a chart for the place and time the viciim was last seen, and interprets the results.. ie in what direction from where they disappeared ,and how far away measured in distance, they may be found and or when,measured in time they may be found ie days, weeks months or years Also the environment where located ie water, earth, stone, ie building foundations, rocky area. etc. and if the victim is alive. We don’t read in the media about the police consulting these Specialists to help solve a case, for obvious reasons, but there have been many long term missing cases solved this way. and can be found published on-line. And there have been cases of kidnapping victims found living in another city, having grown to maturity and coming forward. or escaping thier captors. Perhaps Trenny may still be found alive, somewhere. We can hope for the sake of her family.
@@prarieborn6458 Excellent points. Being from here and over the last 4 decades can't recall anyone ever saying what the FBI might have said to him, but its befuddling how the park has zero cameras at the dome parking lots even today. Well to get to a roadside, should would have had to walk right past the but driver and down the parking lot to where Clingman's dome road go into the north end of the lost. So that would mean no one else and the bus driver would have had to miss her. Also, depending on where they parked, the road could be as close as 30 feet from the bus and tourists walk that just to get a look over the edge. Nothing too strange about that if Trenny did this with a group when they got off the bus or with a group. I really never bought that theory because no one ever saw her again. No sightings at gas stations. Nothing, just vanished. The closest payphone would have been, maybe down in Gatlinburg at the time? I can't be sure if the parents didn't consult someone like this but the time this happened, what was the mindset of that? Dennis Martin was another case here that drew a lot of attention and manpower to search for him. His was even more bizarre. Even today, it's a decent drive before you get to any gas stations. Most everyone said Trenny was happy, and unlikely she'd just meet someone and run away. Plus, it's quite a hike they were on and once your back your ready for a sit down as the way back is all up hill. But they call it, "gone missing" when your lost in the wilds. Gives you hope that maybe they are still alive. No body, no crime and hope can still live. But them having her things? The only way she's alive in my opinion is if she discarded those things and they just happened to have found them. I doubt this and I think answers to what happened to her have to do with her male friend she walked down with and whom had her ring and comb. Still praying for this family for answers and closure. Thanks for your response, very thought-provoking.
Them students that had her thing’s killed her, they will have to answer for what they did or know one day soon.
Yes Fanny pack for sure at least if you get stripped of back pack you still have something tohave on your body
fire starter compass knife beacon protein snacks water straw purifiers Ace wrap Is that to much?😅❤️🙏
The students were allowed to take their lunch on the trail instead of a more cautious approach in eating after the hike preferably in a picnic ground or in town. There were no restrooms at the trail parking lot.
If I didn't give a rational explanation, I'd be arrested. How do these people get away with it?
I hope someone's guilt overwhelms them and they report what they know.
Robert did something to her. Took her stuff and gave away the jewelry.
Such a strange case
Could you talk about some mysterious urban disappearances.
Thank you.
🙏🏼
Some of the other students almost certainly know the circumstances of this disappearance. It seems likely that some were involved. And yes, the lack of school chaperones - one for every ten students, perhaps - was incredibly negligent. The truth about what happened might yet emerge. Maybe someone will drink too much and say something they otherwise wouldn't, or someone who was told what happened second hand will come forward. I hope so.
It couldn't have been Robert, because other students saw her later on, right? I mean he is the one that stays behind, not her-:>(
Fanny packs are called bum bags in Australia as fanny means something altogether here ( a little closer to the neather regions ).
I would think he did something to her but others saw her on the trail by herself.Since the dogs followed her trail to the road I wonder if she had arranged to meet some guy while there without her parents knowing..so she stopped to act like looking at plants and after they went by she ran off to meet this guy .And it turns out he was not a good person who kept and killed her.
Do you have a memberships on RUclips? If so I'd join!
I can’t believe a school would take a bunch of kids to the Smokies and no one watching over them.
This makes the first episode of that old show, The Greatest American Hero make more sense where the teacher takes a busload of children out on a surprise field trip. As much as I love the show I always thought it was unrealistic, until now. Now I see it might have actually happened. 😮
You have to go to Alaska!! I haven't been to this state park in particular.....go to Alaska, you will not regret it
See I try to donate about 20% of any profits I make off of my art.... So with my itchy need to donate before I spent more money shopping online I'm glad i found an outlet.... I love your channel btw
I have been there. There is a connection to the Appalachian trail up there. Maybe she accidentally got on that trail. Funny thing, there was a black 🐻 on the trail the day i was there.