On October 8, 1976, sixteen-year-old Bearden High School sophomore Trenny Lynn Gibson joined about 40 classmates on a horticulture field trip to Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Trenny was last seen at about 3:00 p.m. on the Forney Ridge Trail, a section noted for steep drop-offs and dense undergrowth. Photographs of the weather that day and reports say she was not dressed for a long hike and had borrowed a heavy brown plaid jacket from classmate Robert Simpson.

Classmates report Trenny walked ahead of the group and, after a rest stop, chose to continue alone. An extensive search followed: hundreds of volunteers, law enforcement and park staff, plus tracking dogs.

No clothing, personal effects or remains have ever been found in the park. Trenny’s purse and money were left at home, a detail many point to when questioning a voluntary disappearance. Over the years items linked to Trenny — a comb, a sapphire ring and a pendant — surfaced in possession of classmates, and several people attracted suspicion, but the circumstances remain unresolved. Does anyone who was on that trip or who knew Trenny have details that could clarify what happened that afternoon?