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

[PommyMommy]

Heartbreaking that the search has been halted, although I understand. I would not want to be the one deciding the next steps. My prayers are continuing for Serenity, the sheriff's dept, children's home, and all who love this little girl.

They searched over the weekend and the search was halted on Monday due to the weather. Nineteen people searched yesterday when the weather improved.

Early this morning, it was reported that search plans will be decided on a day by day basis depending on the weather and information that investigators uncover. (See post #878)

 

[1&2&3]

I don’t mean for this question to make Serenity sound dumb! How good was her sense of direction?

Did she know she needed to go a certain way to get to the main road where stores and people were?

How far does any family she is close to live? Does she have regular visitors at the home? Was there a parental dispute regarding her placement in the home? Have the parents and their family and friends been vetted that Serenity is not with them?

Each unknown answer just brings up another question. Where is Serenity?

 

[PommyMommy]

I don’t mean for this question to make Serenity sound dumb! How good was her sense of direction?

Did she know she needed to go a certain way to get to the main road where stores and people were?

How far does any family she is close to live? Does she have regular visitors at the home? Was there a parental dispute regarding her placement in the home? Have the parents and their family and friends been vetted that Serenity is not with them?

Each unknown answer just brings up another question. Where is Serenity?

They've searched some hiking trails that Serenity, as well as staff and other residents, is believed to have known. The Chief Deputy said she is familiar with South Rockerville Road going towards Highway 16 as she has traveled that road.

She is from Sturgis and police say she may have been trying to return to her family. Sturgis is approximately 45 miles from the Children's home. Whether or not that is the closest family residence, I don't know.

I wish we had the answers to all of your questions!

MOO

 

[Caylee Advocate]

I hold onto that hope as well. PCSO also has not ruled it out:

Serenity Dennard Now Missing For Four Days

Thank you. Hope is good, and I will hold onto it until this young one is found.. hopefully alive and well.

 

[Steleheart]

I ache for this girl to be found. One way or another.

 

[Mandie K]

This is so heartbreaking.

 

[LovesPeace2]

This is sad hopefully she will be found alive and well .

 

[pinamia]

I just stumpled on this and my gut tells me someone in the center or who had help from someone in center kidnapped Serenity. I hope they didn't harm her. A child so young is absolutely defenseless. I pray she's alive. Miracle for Serenity.

 

[ilovepierre]

I’m still checking this thread everyday to see if Serenity has been found!
Praying!

 

[LovesPeace2]

I wish they would release more about her,how long she's been in the system, she may of had something set up , kids in homes bond and help each other they become your family ,we just don't know .I know 9 seems young but today's 9 was my 16 so there's always hope

 

[Catmommy]

First, I'm deeply afraid that she ran and hid and succumbed to the elements. I hope not but that is the most logical conclusion and it truly breaks a piece of my heart. On the other hand, how do we know for absolute certain that she ever truly left the facility? The difference between the time she was noted as "running off"/missing and the 911 call was substantial for so young a child. And that was not only enough time to "clean up" but also directed the search away from the facility. Then again, I do have a vivid imagination.

 

[ilovepierre]

First, I'm deeply afraid that she ran and hid and succumbed to the elements. I hope not but that is the most logical conclusion and it truly breaks a piece of my heart. On the other hand, how do we know for absolute certain that she ever truly left the facility? The difference between the time she was noted as "running off"/missing and the 911 call was substantial for so young a child. And that was not only enough time to "clean up" but also directed the search away from the facility. Then again, I do have a vivid imagination.

Another parent dropping off/picking up their child saw Serenity leave the facility. They said they saw her by a cattle gaurd near the entrance.
IMO, Serenity did actually leave CHS.

 

[Caylee Advocate]

"Two staffers were watching the children. One teacher was preoccupied with two children while the other teacher was chasing after another child in the gym, according to Colson. The staffers could not catch up to Dennard as she ran across Rockerville Road and into the hills."



Investigators seek couple that might have seen missing girl

 

[Caylee Advocate]

Interesting article with a few new crumbs to think about.



Search for missing girl continues | Hill City Prevailer News

 

[PommyMommy]

Interesting article with a few new crumbs to think about.

Search for missing girl continues | Hill City Prevailer News

From the article:

Authorities have conducted 115 interviews, served two search warrants and are working on a third and have canvassed 10 businesses for video with seven of those reviewed as of Monday.

The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) has conducted computer forensics and authorities are following up on 23 leads received.

Investigators said they have not ruled out any possibility, including if Dennard is still outside or if someone picked her up.

Thom said they cannot discuss whether or not they have searched Dennard’s family’s home in the chance they picked her up, however, authorities have said that it is unlikely that her family picked her up.

“We are all focused on brining (Dennard) home,” said Bill Colson, executive director of Children’s Home Society. “We all want her to come home. That is true of the children, that is true of the staff that works there, that is true of these amazing community members, (Stadel), the sheriff’s department, the fire department, everyone on this long list, that is true of all of us.”

When the search resumes, they will bring the search dogs back in to help locate Dennard, Stadel said.

Karl Jegeris, Rapid City Police Department Chief, said over the several decades he has worked for the Rapid City Police Department, the department has had the opportunity to work with the Children’s Home Society.

They operate and work on some “very challenging” cases, he said, but the passion observed from staff members over the years is “admirable.”

“We are very fortunate as a community to have this resource for families that might need this,” Jegeris said. “We are talking about psychological issues with children that can get very complicated with behavior and such, so I will say Black Hills Children’s Foundation has been a great partner for the Rapid City Police Department and Pennington County Sheriff’s Department. They assist us with our child advocacy center, when a major crime happens involving a young child, they are working behind the scenes to help us with our investigative process so that we handle them in the best way possible without adding any further trauma for the children involved.”

 

[LaborDayRN]

From the article:

Authorities have conducted 115 interviews, served two search warrants and are working on a third and have canvassed 10 businesses for video with seven of those reviewed as of Monday.

The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) has conducted computer forensics and authorities are following up on 23 leads received.

Investigators said they have not ruled out any possibility, including if Dennard is still outside or if someone picked her up.

Thom said they cannot discuss whether or not they have searched Dennard’s family’s home in the chance they picked her up, however, authorities have said that it is unlikely that her family picked her up.

“We are all focused on brining (Dennard) home,” said Bill Colson, executive director of Children’s Home Society. “We all want her to come home. That is true of the children, that is true of the staff that works there, that is true of these amazing community members, (Stadel), the sheriff’s department, the fire department, everyone on this long list, that is true of all of us.”

When the search resumes, they will bring the search dogs back in to help locate Dennard, Stadel said.

Karl Jegeris, Rapid City Police Department Chief, said over the several decades he has worked for the Rapid City Police Department, the department has had the opportunity to work with the Children’s Home Society.

They operate and work on some “very challenging” cases, he said, but the passion observed from staff members over the years is “admirable.”

“We are very fortunate as a community to have this resource for families that might need this,” Jegeris said. “We are talking about psychological issues with children that can get very complicated with behavior and such, so I will say Black Hills Children’s Foundation has been a great partner for the Rapid City Police Department and Pennington County Sheriff’s Department. They assist us with our child advocacy center, when a major crime happens involving a young child, they are working behind the scenes to help us with our investigative process so that we handle them in the best way possible without adding any further trauma for the children involved.”

It sounds like LE is leaving no stone unturned! That's reassuring.

 

[girlhasnoname]

Just checking and hoping for SD. Glad to see the articles and LE digging in.

ETA: I know I've read some posts by people with experience/knowledge of these types of facilities. Would the parents have to agree that SD be there, and if not, could they have tried to 'get her back'? I ask bc to me 9 yo seems like such a young one still, I don't know if she would have been able to stick to a plan, or how they could have even formulated one? I don't have a young daughter to compare.

 

[MsFacetious]

Just checking and hoping for SD. Glad to see the articles and LE digging in.

ETA: I know I've read some posts by people with experience/knowledge of these types of facilities. Would the parents have to agree that SD be there, and if not, could they have tried to 'get her back'? I ask bc to me 9 yo seems like such a young one still, I don't know if she would have been able to stick to a plan, or how they could have even formulated one? I don't have a young daughter to compare.

There are times when a child will be placed there against a parent's wishes. However, they are generally removed from the parent's care first.

In Serenity's case is does not appear that was the situation, though obviously we don't know for sure. Her family is devastated. I don't personally think they know anymore than we do.

As far as planning at this age, Serenity is very smart. However, I don't know how well she would plan things. She would definitely have had to enlisted someone else's help. Sadly I don't believe there was a plan here. I think she just took off and was unable to return.

 

[SassynOz]

Missing girl's relative pushes for 'Serenity Alert'

Living in Bellevue, Nebraska, just south of the Cornhusker State's largest city, Kayla Sacca knew that kids go missing all the time. But it wasn't until her cousin Serenity Dennard went missing in South Dakota last week that the issue really hit home.

"It's been hard for all of us," Sacca said. Although she has not had contact with Serenity's immediate family for a few years, Sacca said she and her family still love 9-year-old Serenity and are worried about her.

[...]

When Sacca heard what happened, she felt that valuable hours had been lost in the time between the little girl's disappearance and when Serenity's story was first picked up by the media. That's when she began conceptualizing the idea of a missing kids alert system she has dubbed a "Serenity Alert."

"Nobody even knew to look," Sacca said.

She began a Change.org petition for the system, appealing to governmental higher-ups in South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa to adopt it. She envisions it being in the form of an app or other method that people could download nationwide. As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition had garnered more than 1,000 signatures.

[...]

The investigation into Serenity's disappearance is still ongoing, and authorities say anyone who has seen her should call the Pennington County Sheriff's Office at 605-394-6115 instead of attempting to rescue or recover the girl themselves.

I love this idea. My child was with 4 adults a 6 children at her fenced in school ground . They were headed in and noticed she was missing. I’ll never know how / whys the truth that is. But they searched INSIDE first for her. duh. Didn’t alert authority’s etc. found her much later when they finally looked outside after another child reporting seeing a child from another classroom window running towards the busy street. After they put out a alert within the building. My kid was found in a 12 foot drainage ditch with 4 ft of water. How she’s alive today I’ll never know. But this stuff happens to often

 

[SkipperKey3]

"Two staffers were watching the children. One teacher was preoccupied with two children while the other teacher was chasing after another child in the gym, according to Colson. The staffers could not catch up to Dennard as she ran across Rockerville Road and into the hills."



Investigators seek couple that might have seen missing girl

That's a slightly different take on the events. I had thought only a person who was there dropping off a child actually saw Serenity outside. And they had reported that she was last seen heading north on S Rockerville Rd. But this indicates a staff member was the last to see Serenity, and actually saw her cross the road and head up into the hills, running.
Unfortunately, that extremely lessens the possibility that she was picked up, since she didn't stick to the road. I would think that their initial comment that she was trying to get to family in Sturgis isn't really likely, either, as she knew the road to the north and would have gone that way, rather than simply up into the hills.
So what happened once she was in the hills? Did she keep running for awhile? Did she initially think it was fun being outside, but soon got disoriented and cold? At that point, she could have wandered anywhere. Sadly.