Appalachian Unsolved: Trenny Gibson, Lost in the Smokies - WBIR-TV

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11-24-2017, 18:30
WhiteBlaze

Appalachian Unsolved: Trenny Gibson, Lost in the Smokies - WBIR-TV

<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE7ygWIffGsNK4w8VDPw bUcF9DIMA&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei =ap0YWrDLNYGEqwLS9InoDQ&url=http://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/appalachian-unsolved-trenny-gibson-lost-in-the-smokies/51-494178428"><img src="//t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkCpuDGt0Q2NwT6WInylW5dSQUt8aVz akf4eI5trlgHBzFtSQ4_XF-RazjM_hJOQAKCzZ6_MHZ" alt="" border="1" width="80" height="80"> WBIR-TV</a></td><td valign="top" class="j"> <div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE7ygWIffGsNK4w8VDPw bUcF9DIMA&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei =ap0YWrDLNYGEqwLS9InoDQ&url=http://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/appalachian-unsolved-trenny-gibson-lost-in-the-smokies/51-494178428">Appalachian Unsolved: Trenny Gibson, Lost in the Smokies</a> WBIR-TV Reports indicate Trenny was with a couple friends who stopped to rest along the trail. She went on. And then she disappeared completely. "They were worried about her," said Dwight McCarter, a lifelong East Tennessean and retired ranger in the national ... <a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dIFP-w1S_E0CZ7M&authuser=0&ned=us"></a></div></td></tr></table>

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11-27-2017, 20:39
Tundracamper

I'm certain the statement "past incident in which a young man had tried to break into their home. Hope Gibson shot him, and the young man later threatened to harm Trenny, the family reported" had nothing to do with her disappearance. I wouldn't be suspicious at all.
11-28-2017, 15:07
HooKooDooKu

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tundracamper

I'm certain the statement "past incident in which a young man had tried to break into their home. Hope Gibson shot him, and the young man later threatened to harm Trenny, the family reported" had nothing to do with her disappearance. I wouldn't be suspicious at all.

Based on the evidence given in the news story, I can't see how the "past incident" could have any connection... unless it was a reason the girl intentionally ran away.

Unfortunately, the report isn't very accurate and even contradictory in reporting details. You have to read the news article, listen to the video, and understand the area to begin to figure out just what the sequence of events seems to be.

1. So apparently the kids get off the school bus at the Clingman's Dome Parking lot.
2. As part of a group, Trenny hikes down to Andrews Bald.
3. Trenny starts hiking back towards the parking lot with the group, but along the way, she goes on head of them.
4. Now alone, Trenny follows the Clingmans Dome Bypass trail to the AT rather than turning at the intersection that leads to the parking lot.
5. Once on the AT, Trenny follows the AT toward Clingmans Dome and continues beyond the Dome.
(It is NOT unusually that no body saw the girl at the observation tower, because the AT by-passes the tower. Sure the trail is only 30 yards from the final 100 yards of the Clingmans Dome paved trail, but even today their is a canopy of trees in the area... and I've seen pictures from the 70's of what the area looked like, and it was a dense forest back then).
6. Trenny continues along the AT until it virtually reconnects with Clingmans Dome Access Road at Collins Gap. There is a parking lot at the gap, and Trenny gets into a vehicle and is never seen again.

Since the hike along the AT wasn't a planned part of the school field trip, there's no way that someone was intentionally waiting for Trenny at Collins Gap to kidnap her.

Of course its POSSIBLE that a crime of opportunity was committed. But it seems much more plausible that Trenny planned to meet someone at Collins Gap, that disappearing in GSMNP was just a cover to run away from home... the "past incident" possibly contributing to a reason she might have wanted to run away.
11-28-2017, 19:06
Tundracamper

Quote:

Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu

. But it seems much more plausible that Trenny planned to meet someone at Collins Gap, that disappearing in GSMNP was just a cover to run away from home... the "past incident" possibly contributing to a reason she might have wanted to run away.

Which means there is a degree of likelihood the events may in fact be related, contrary to the article.
11-28-2017, 20:02
gpburdelljr

No matter how much we speculate, we will probably never know what happened.
11-29-2017, 01:00
HooKooDooKu

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpburdelljr

No matter how much we speculate, we will probably never know what happened.

Isn't that sort of a given?

The evidence only leads to the conclusion that Trenny got into a vehicle at Collins Gap.
There simply isn't any evidence to determine if she got in that vehicle willingly.
11-29-2017, 09:55
blue indian

So many spooky stories about the park. It makes GSMNP that much more interesting.

I agree, it does sound like she may have gotten into a car at Collins Gap. I wonder if there was a motive for her to run away...?