SD SD - Serenity Dennard, 9, Children’s Home Society, Pennington County, 3 Feb 2019 #4

[human]

Her desire to escape, go home, see her family or whatever, likely overrode any reasoning as far as the weather, a jacket, etc. She was a runner on impulse. That seemed to be her nature based on the family interviews early on. She was likely very frightened and cold after the adrenaline wore off. Poor kid.

exactly. That is why I do not believe she conspired with others. The other children could never keep the plan secret

 

[human]

This child could only have traveled so far in the time frame offered. No matter the direction, she could not have made it for many miles. So why haven't searchers found her? Unless she was picked up, she is within a certain distance from the home.

they could not search much for months because of weather

 

[moonriverfarm]

they could not search much for months because of weather

But they began almost immediately looking - directed by the person ho saw her at the cattle gap - from that point she could not have made it a mile. I don't understand why if they had enough people looking they did not find her THAT DAY.

 

[SkipperKey3]

This child could only have traveled so far in the time frame offered. No matter the direction, she could not have made it for many miles. So why haven't searchers found her? Unless she was picked up, she is within a certain distance from the home.

It's really hard to say how far her adrenaline could have taken her, much less which exactly which direction. The terrain is very rugged. There are also many nooks and crannies, and little places that defy detection at a casual glance. If she deliberately found a place like that when she started to get cold, it would explain why she hasn't been found out in the open. There was a case mentioned in an earlier thread about a man (I think) that went missing in the same area, and despite extensive searches, he wasn't found until several years later when a hiker found him.
Let me reiterate again - searching outside, even in the best of conditions, isn't easy at all. Most of time when you search you miss way more than you see. That is especially true in rough, overgrown, rugged country.
I agree she can't be too far. But even just a 3 mile radius is a large area when going inch by inch.

 

[SkipperKey3]

But they began almost immediately looking - directed by the person ho saw her at the cattle gap - from that point she could not have made it a mile. I don't understand why if they had enough people looking they did not find her THAT DAY.

Don't underestimate a 9-year-old on the run, especially one who has shown creative in finding places to hide.

 

[SkipperKey3]

Her desire to escape, go home, see her family or whatever, likely overrode any reasoning as far as the weather, a jacket, etc. She was a runner on impulse. That seemed to be her nature based on the family interviews early on. She was likely very frightened and cold after the adrenaline wore off. Poor kid.

I agree, from most reports she was a runner on impulse. She probably saw a chance to go and took off. More than likely she had no idea that the temperatures had been steadily dropping and would continue to drop, and that a storm was moving in.

 

[SkipperKey3]

But they began almost immediately looking - directed by the person ho saw her at the cattle gap - from that point she could not have made it a mile. I don't understand why if they had enough people looking they did not find her THAT DAY.

One other point to consider. A few staff members did try to find her immediately, but that hardly qualifies as an organized search. SAR didn't arrive for 2 and a half hours, I believe, and even then it took some time to organize and they only had a vague idea which was she started out (north). The snow started to fall, the temperatures dropped to 0 or below, and that made conditions in the area very trecherous, even for the searchers. They had limited resources and everything working against them. She was not in winter wear. So it is not inconceivable that she succombed within a fairly short period of time. By the time they got more searchers there the next day, because of the snow and the 0 degree temps, she could easily have been snow covered and in a place not easily seen. And the weather just kept getting worse.
In those conditions, it would have been amazing if they DID find her quickly.
The only way the staff would have found her right away is if she wanted to be found. There were no tracks to follow.

 

[Steelslady]

One other point to consider. A few staff members did try to find her immediately, but that hardly qualifies as an organized search. SAR didn't arrive for 2 and a half hours, I believe, and even then it took some time to organize and they only had a vague idea which was she started out (north). The snow started to fall, the temperatures dropped to 0 or below, and that made conditions in the area very trecherous, even for the searchers. They had limited resources and everything working against them. She was not in winter wear. So it is not inconceivable that she succombed within a fairly short period of time. By the time they got more searchers there the next day, because of the snow and the 0 degree temps, she could easily have been snow covered and in a place not easily seen. And the weather just kept getting worse.
In those conditions, it would have been amazing if they DID find her quickly.
The only way the staff would have found her right away is if she wanted to be found. There were no tracks to follow.

I don't disagree with anything that you are saying.

Those searchers have done an amazing job in all kinds of weather.

It's just odd to me, that they haven't found a trace of her. A piece of torn clothing, boot that fell off, something.

I just wonder if some sicko drove by, saw that she was alone, pulled over and maybe she said she wanted to go home, and they said they'd take her there. Then, she vanished without a trace.

We also don't know if anyone else was in the woods that day besides the two that was collecting wood.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

just sharing ideas and insights and possible theories, brainstorming...

I have wondered... she had a history of attempted running. Seems a very easy explanation to give were she to come up "missing".

I have no theory. I can see how she could have seen a chance and made a run for it, and I can see other nefarious scenarios as very likely possibilities as well.

I think of Serenity often, and all that she had on her plate for such a young child. It's good to see new posts and to know that she is not forgotten here.

ETA: Keep in mind that bodies are found in places that had been searched quite often. Devin Bond's remains were recently found after almost 3 years in an area that had been checked and searched thoroughly. Just to name one instance.

 

[Ragnarok]

This child could only have traveled so far in the time frame offered. No matter the direction, she could not have made it for many miles. So why haven't searchers found her? Unless she was picked up, she is within a certain distance from the home.

She was picked up IMO. If she succumbed to weather or wildlife I believe some trace of her would of been found unless she fell into a body of water. Without evidence to the contrary being picked up is the only option I can except.

 

[Catmommy]

She was picked up IMO. If she succumbed to weather or wildlife I believe some trace of her would of been found unless she fell into a body of water. Without evidence to the contrary being picked up is the only option I can except.

Traces have been found, scent traces of Serenity. If I recall correctly, when the dogs were brought in they've always led searchers away from the facility. They never circled back to the road, losing the scent. That implies she ran as far away as she could. She's out there. Somewhere.

 

[kay74]

This was on a news outlet today. So the cadaver dog found her scent a mile away. I didn't know this. This poor poor little soul. This is heartbreaking.

 

[Gardener1850]

Police Still Chasing Leads on 9-Year-Old Girl Who Disappeared into South Dakota Wilderness

 

[PommyMommy]

Police Still Chasing Leads on 9-Year-Old Girl Who Disappeared into South Dakota Wilderness

Noting:

In April, the Sheriff’s Office also revealed that K-9 units had picked up a cadaver scent within a mile of where Serenity was last seen alive, but that hasn’t stopped the search.

Before she vanished in February, Serenity had threatened to run away from the Children’s Home. She attempted to leave once before, but was stopped by a staff member.

 

[Ragnarok]

Traces have been found, scent traces of Serenity. If I recall correctly, when the dogs were brought in they've always led searchers away from the facility. They never circled back to the road, losing the scent. That implies she ran as far away as she could. She's out there. Somewhere.

Physical trace of Serenity is what I'm looking for. Given the weather and how she was dressed she would not last an hour, maybe two, before she was frost bitten. If she's there she is within an hour or two distance that a 9 YO could walk/run IMO. Hopefully time will tell.

I know temps were in the single digits over night. Does anyone know what the wind velocity was? TIA.

 

[PommyMommy]

This was on a news outlet today. So the cadaver dog found her scent a mile away. I didn't know this. This poor poor little soul. This is heartbreaking.

Yes, earlier this year, but it was "a" scent not "her" scent. It's reasonable to assume that it is likely Serenity but we don't know that. MOO​

 

[mickey2942]

Physical trace of Serenity is what I'm looking for. Given the weather and how she was dressed she would not last an hour, maybe two, before she was frost bitten. If she's there she is within an hour or two distance that a 9 YO could walk/run IMO. Hopefully time will tell.

I know temps were in the single digits over night. Does anyone know what the wind velocity was? TIA.

I don't know exactly, but I know what a prairie blizzard is like, and I actually remember that one, because the weather was so mild and nice, and then, the temperature plunged, the snow started, it was a white out blizzard. And here, didn't stop for 2 days. Just kept snowing.

The real question I have, is what has this agency done since this tragedy to ensure that this doesn't happen again? Recently a teen in a facility here "escaped", ran to the highway and was struck by a car and killed.

These kids are impulsive and are institutionalized for a reason.

 

[SkipperKey3]

She was picked up IMO. If she succumbed to weather or wildlife I believe some trace of her would of been found unless she fell into a body of water. Without evidence to the contrary being picked up is the only option I can except.

Hardly. It isn't in the least easy to search there, and very easy to overlook places she could be. And their search crews have been fairly small in number for the most part. And there have been others that have gotten lost in that area and not been found despite extensive searches. She was only a little girl.

 

[Stunned]

I cannot believe how this child basically disappeared without a trace!

 

[PommyMommy]

NOV 22, 2019
Serenity Alert System at 'Serenity Shine' event Saturday - KNBN NewsCenter1
[...]

An Amber Alert indicates that law enforcement have confirmed that an abduction has taken place. The child must be at risk or serious injury or death and police need to have descriptive information about the child, captor, and the captors vehicle.

This is where the Serenity Alert would come in. A Serenity Alert would be a text message alert that would go out to people located in the area of the disappearance.

“Had she qualified for that Amber Alert, if we had something like a Serenity Alert in place, the public would have been notified a whole lot quicker either by text, phone, email and we wouldn’t be standing here probably talking to you about the Serenity Alert at this point. But being the fact that she didn’t qualify for that it took a very long time for the public to actually figure out that she was actually missing.” Said Brian Gentry, creator of the Serenity Alert.

[...]

So Saturday the 23rd from 12 to 9 p.m. the family of Serenity Dennard is holding a “Serenity Shine” event at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center to keep the public involved in the search and to inform the public more on the Serenity Alert System.