On October 8, 1976, Teresa “Trenny” Lynn Gibson went missing while on a field trip with Bearden High School. Gibson was only 16 years old at the time, when she and her classmates were hiking near Andrews Bald trail to the Clingmans Dome parking area.
No one on the trip remembers seeing her after 3:00 p.m. on that day.
Gibson was about five feet and three inches tall, weighing 115 pounds with light brown hair. She had on a brown plaid jacket, a blue-and-white striped sweater, blue jeans, and blue Adidas shoes.
Records indicate that Gibson was last seen by a few others in the group around 2:50 p.m., as they were roughly half a mile away from the parking area. One person indicated that they stopped to rest, but Trenny went on.
Gibson was first reported missing at 3:30 p.m. when the entire group returned to the bus.
Crews searched for her throughout the night and the weeks following, when dogs were used to assist in the search. Reportedly, they were able to pick up a scent on a few occasions, but lost it.
The trail has since gone cold.
Anyone with information on what may have happened to Gibson is asked to call the Investigative Branch of the National Park Service at (888)-653-0009 or contact local law enforcement.