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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 💐

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.

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

Mind blowing how much tragedy that this family has gone through! My condolences to them. 🙏🏻

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.

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.

Something doesn't sound right with this story.... Ty Bryan for a another great story and I hope Trenny rests in peace 🙏🙏....

So Compassionate!

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?

The students with her property that she held dear well.......obviously they killed her and took her stuff

This is my area and I firmly believe some people know more than they ever admitted to!

Truly irresponsible to have so few staff to look after so many !!! 😢❤

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!

Had some strange experiences on the trail to clingmans dome. Unexplainable.

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.

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 😂

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!!

love your channel and always look forward to new stories! youre a great story teller!

The comb could have been borrowed. but it’s highly suspicious about the ring.

My goodness. That right there is a sad story. Breaks my heart for her and her family.

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

Some people know something. You don't just magically come to own someone's cherished possessions. Dark secrets.

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

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?

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.

Yeah ! Why's wasn't it solved ? They are involved ! All theses years come & gones now's !they knows ! thank you

The people who had or have her jewelry know something I think. They should be questioned some more.

I was just out of high school then remembered the news story and the search, didn’t realize it still isn’t solved.

Buddy do a Patreon!! I join them whenever there’s a channel I watch. Some of us CAN… you should allow us ♥️

GUARANTEE the kid who had her jewelry knows what happened. Women do NOT relinquish jewelry that has emotional attachment.

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.

That story sickens me Bryan I can only imagine what happened to her and not one person was found accountable, that's baffling.

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!

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...

Interesting story and fact!

Thanks Bryan. I learn so much from your videos. I went to college near there in Western NC. I think Robert hurt her.

Terrible. Often the last person that saw that person is gildi they say.

I live in Alaska

Cops and detectives really dropped the ball on this one!

Does the Appalachian trail go through there. Class mates did it. The jewelry.....damn.

Love your videos!

I'm sorry the family has been through so much loss and heartache.

Aw geez. Poor kids. That one that had her things is very nefarious. RIP. Prayers to all. 🙏

So Sad🥺 Prayers For their Family 🙏

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.

Really bizarre how she could disappear in broad daylight with other students around. Too bad this has never been solved.

Thank you for your great videos.

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 video

i always enjoy your presentations, support sent, best wishes :)

Robert knows where she is and she's most likely somewhere off the trails they were on.

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.

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.

Stanley products were excellent in the 70's!...

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.

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. :)

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.

I love your channel and will be making a donation. You have a pleasant voice and sound very kind.

Another girl having her jewelry is a red flag. Sad..

Stay safe out there.

Love the background music

Thanks again lot more details than those writing about this story for example in a book

So sad..god bless

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. 🙏

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

Super suspicious. Love your channel, by the way.

Them students that had her thing’s killed her, they will have to answer for what they did or know one day soon.

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.

I can’t believe a school would take a bunch of kids to the Smokies and no one watching over them.

Like your style 😎

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.

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.

Fanny packs are great! I personally like to wear 2 of them while hiking, front/back. I like my storage...

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.

🙏🏼

Hey Brain been watching from the start. A few idea's. KZfaq 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.

Robert did something to her. Took her stuff and gave away the jewelry.

I just don’t understand how people ina group just disappear???So strange!

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.

Yeah something doesn't sound right with that guy that wouldn't go back down with her.

They need to press the girl who had her jewelry. She knows where it came from, police should lean on her hard.

What do they mean? The girl in her class had no explanation on how she has Trenny's jewelry! They just let that go?!

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-:>(

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.

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.

The Great Smoky mountains national Park in Tennessee holds many mysteries. From missing children, to cryptids, to fowl play ( likely due to homicides.)

Such a strange case

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?😅❤️🙏

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.

The GSMNP is "not located in the state of Tennessee " as you said but rather in the states of North Carolina and Tennessee. The stock photo footage prior to this assertion was actually the entrance of the GSMNP in Cherokee NC. Andrew's Bald and Forney Ridge are in North Carolina.

Parents Robert and Hope Gibson alerted authorities about a past incident in October 1975 in which a young man had tried to break into their home. Kelvin Bowman, also attending Bearden High, had broken into the Gibson residence one night. He was shot in the foot by Hope and was charged and sentenced to serve time in a corrections facility for juveniles. Although sentenced to two years, he only served around six months and was back at Bearden High by the time Trenny disappeared. When he was convicted, he had made threats in the courtroom to harm Trenny when he was released. From what Principal Frank Hall could determine, Kelvin Bowman was attending classes at Bearden the day Trenny disappeared.

Could you talk about some mysterious urban disappearances. Thank you.

Should be at least one adult for each ten students, and that means with the students on the hike

Do you have a memberships on KZfaq? If so I'd join!