ACTIVE SEARCH SD - Serenity Dennard, 9, Children’s Home Society, Pennington County, 3 Feb 2019

[human]

If a person is paying the fees , the child can go to the school.

If the govt is paying, other treatment plans must have been tried first. Children are to be placed in the least restrictive environment that meets their needs. Residential treatment is the most restrictive placement.

 

[human]

Info about the least restrictive environment

Least restrictive environment - Wikipedia

 

[human]

Some info on hypothermia. What was the temp when she ran out?

CHART: Here's How Long You Can Stay Outside In Extreme Cold Temperatures Before Getting Frostbite

 

[Confusion]

Some info on hypothermia. What was the temp when she ran out?

CHART: Here's How Long You Can Stay Outside In Extreme Cold Temperatures Before Getting Frostbite

It was about 15 degrees when she left, but the temperature was dropping continually.

 

[human]

It was about 15 degrees when she left, but the temperature was dropping continually.

So how long before hypothermia? She had indoor clothes on. She was not dressed for the cold, was she?

I give her fifteen minutes out there.

Was there a lot of snow? No footprints to follow?

 

[rsd1200]

So how long before hypothermia? She had indoor clothes on. She was not dressed for the cold, was she?

I give her fifteen minutes out there.

Was there a lot of snow? No footprints to follow?

They transitioned to a recovery mission by day three, if I understood the news correctly. Hypothermia can occur at temps above freezing. I just don't see this ending well, but ya never know, I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Confusion]

They transitioned to a recovery mission by day three, if I understood the news correctly. Hypothermia can occur at temps above freezing. I just don't see this ending well, but ya never know, I hope I'm wrong.

It was below freezing when she left. I'd guess that frostbite could have occurred within 30-40 minutes. It's why I feel that being picked up by someone is about the only way she could have made it through even the first night. I hope she proves me wrong and has found a safer way.

 

[Yellow Rose]

So according to that article she could only have been alive for fifteen minutes to thirty minutes maximum? Then why hasn’t she been recovered yet? Dogs would have found her by now correct?

 

[stephlovescheese]

If a person is paying the fees , the child can go to the school.

If the govt is paying, other treatment plans must have been tried first. Children are to be placed in the least restrictive environment that meets their needs. Residential treatment is the most restrictive placement.

Well said @human . I agree, generally less restrictive plans i.e. outpatient counseling, in-home based treatment, foster care, are implemented before out-of-home placement. While we can only speculate as to diagnoses and history, there’s usually a solid reason for placement outside of the home. My heart breaks for this kid. My guess is this was an impulsive decision for an already-troubled nine year old and she just couldn’t survive in the elements. I do hold out hope she caught a ride somewhere safe, but i just don’t know. IMO.

 

[Stunned]

RAD children ar

Trust me, RAD makes ODD look like a walk in the park...

yes it does, then come across a child with both!

 

[SkipperKey3]

So how long before hypothermia? She had indoor clothes on. She was not dressed for the cold, was she?

I give her fifteen minutes out there.

Was there a lot of snow? No footprints to follow?

No, she had no coat on. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt.
I think she could have lasted a little longer if she was moving briskly, but it was cold.
It had been warm for a couple of days and the snow was pretty much all gone, from what I have been able to ascertain. It didn't start snowing until several hours after she left. So there would have been no footprints to follow.

 

[SkipperKey3]

So according to that article she could only have been alive for fifteen minutes to thirty minutes maximum? Then why hasn’t she been recovered yet? Dogs would have found her by now correct?

And that is what is baffling. I think that is why they initially limited the search radius to just 1 mile. But so far they haven't turned up anything.

 

[SkipperKey3]

Well said @human . I agree, generally less restrictive plans i.e. outpatient counseling, in-home based treatment, foster care, are implemented before out-of-home placement. While we can only speculate as to diagnoses and history, there’s usually a solid reason for placement outside of the home. My heart breaks for this kid. My guess is this was an impulsive decision for an already-troubled nine year old and she just couldn’t survive in the elements. I do hold out hope she caught a ride somewhere safe, but i just don’t know. IMO.

Initially I had hoped that realizing how cold it was, she decided to hide inside one of the buildings and eluded detection. But that seems unlikely now for several reasons. The person who saw her watched her walking north up the road, and didn't see her turn toward the buildings - although she still could have, theoretically. But if she was hiding in one of the buildings, she would have been found by now, unless she found a hole or vent somewhere and worked her way in to hide, only to be unable to get back out. That's not a good scenario, either.
I can invent only one positive scenario, but it is pretty far fetched. If she was walking along the road and somebody picked her up, took her home to get her warm, and Serenity refused to say who she was or where she came from. But certainly if that happened, the person would have figured she had to have come from that Home/school. Furthermore, chances are that they would know by now that there is a massive search operation out for a missing child.

 

[girlhasnoname]

Dear Serenity,
How bittersweet your name when your little mind seemed so unsettled. I'm sad that this has happened to you, but if you have in fact passed on to the other side, I know you're at peace, safe and warm. Please help lead searchers to your location so your family and loved ones can lay you to rest properly.

 

[TwoDogNight]

Wow, I do not even know what to say about this. What a staggering amount. This is a private nonprofit but with apparently no security system, a very small portion of that amount would be well used to put towards such a system. It clearly is not a state or county home. I would actually like to read about some of their success stories through the years... With such a donation, it must be a place thought very worthy of it.

Children's Home Society is well regarded. There are two separate locations and multiple services provided. BHCHS will receive a small amount of that gift. I will try to post the news article I recently read.

 

[JenniD]

I have just become aware of this missing little girl so without taking the time to read all the threads can someone update me as to where her parents are and why was she in this children’s home. To date I have seen nothing regarding her parents except that she was from the Sturgis. Area
TIA

 

[PommyMommy]

So how long before hypothermia? She had indoor clothes on. She was not dressed for the cold, was she?

I give her fifteen minutes out there.

Was there a lot of snow? No footprints to follow?

They found some footprints but they didn't match:
Day 9: Search for missing girl temporarily halted - KNBN NewsCenter1

She had a long-sleeve shirt but no coat. The weather that day:

Oh man, she doesn't have a coat or gloves. Look at these photos...
View attachment 167337 View attachment 167336
Image source: Pennington County Search and Rescue searching for missing child in Rockerville - KNBN NewsCenter1

The low tonight is 3° with a bit of snow.
Weather in Rockerville - AccuWeather Forecast for SD 57702

They need to find her fast.

Reporter near the search area the first night:

Yes, they've been using dogs, but they couldn't bring in aerial crews due to the snow and wind. There was a video update last night. If I can find it, I'll add it to this post.

ETA:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1152532674914827

 

[PommyMommy]

So according to that article she could only have been alive for fifteen minutes to thirty minutes maximum? Then why hasn’t she been recovered yet? Dogs would have found her by now correct?

The scent dogs were hampered by the weather. At least one, but possibly more, were injured during the initial searches.
MOO

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I have just become aware of this missing little girl so without taking the time to read all the threads can someone update me as to where her parents are and why was she in this children’s home. To date I have seen nothing regarding her parents except that she was from the Sturgis. Area
TIA

We don't know her medical history, which should be private anyway. We can hopefully assume that LE and searchers know however much about her story that they need to in order to safely strategize and conduct the search.

 

[PommyMommy]

I have just become aware of this missing little girl so without taking the time to read all the threads can someone update me as to where her parents are and why was she in this children’s home. To date I have seen nothing regarding her parents except that she was from the Sturgis. Area
TIA

Her parents have not spoken publicly and the Children's home cannot comment on how/why Serenity was placed there.

UPDATE: Sheriff's Office looking for couple who last saw missing girl
The Children's Home Society is a private nonprofit that provides residential treatment and programs for children with emotional or behavioral needs, and victims of domestic violence, abuse and neglect, or other trauma. Colson said due to privacy concerns, he can't say how Dennard arrived at the facility or of which program she is part.