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

[Catmommy]

Ahhh, Serenity, will we ever know for certain what happened to you?

 

[1776usa]

I just saw this today… Very pretty like Serenity.

 

[Oakie]

After walking about 50 yards north of the complex entrance, Serenity went out of sight of the granddaughter, whose view was blocked by trees and topography.
[...]

If you look at the aerial photograph on Google Maps, the distance would have to be about 440 feet, or 146 yards, before she would have left the witness' line of sight.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Courtesy National Center for MIssing & Exploited Children, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office Rapid City South Dakota, and Canva

Serenity's family, on her 14th birthday, hopes that this new image will help bring her home. The organizations are urging the media and the public to distribute the age progression image widely in the hopes of generating fresh leads in the ongoing investigation.

Can This South Dakota Mystery Ever Be Solved?

Maybe you're the person who can help bring this little girl home.

973kkrc.com

 

[PommyMommy]

MAY 12, 2023

New age progressed image of missing South Dakota girl released

Four years later, there are still no answers regarding Serenity’s fate, and the police investigation is still ongoing.

www.blackhillsfox.com

Four years later, there are still no answers regarding Serenity’s fate, and the police investigation is still ongoing.

She'd be 14: Authorities release new age-progressed images of Serenity Dennard

May 12 marks the 14th birthday of Serenity Dennard, whose sudden disappearance in February 2019 left in its wake a sea of questions still waiting to be answered.

rapidcityjournal.com

The search for Serenity Dennard was formally suspended in January 2021, nearly two years after she was last seen. The last physical search took place Jan. 13 of that year, according to then-Sheriff Kevin Thom. A release from the Pennington County Sheriff's Office stated, “Absent new information, the search for Serenity Dennard is being suspended. The investigation will remain open, and we encourage the public to report any new information or tips. Our collective thoughts and prayers remain with Serenity Dennard’s family.” Thom said at the time there was no evidence Serenity was abducted, and that the "highest probability" is that she was in the woods and simply unable to be located.

New image released of missing SD girl on her 14th birthday

Serenity Dennard was last seen running out of the Children’s Home Society in the Black Hills on the morning of February 3, 2019.

www.keloland.com

May 12th is Serenity’s 14th birthday.

New age-progressed image of missing South Dakota girl released

Today is Serenity’s 14th birthday, and her family hopes the new image can help bring her home.

www.dakotanewsnow.com

“We’re all watching Serenity grow up before our eyes through these images, and it’s surreal,” said Angeline Hartmann, communications director at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “At NCMEC, we know that our age progression images can be a catalyst in a missing child investigation and we’re hoping this will somehow generate fresh leads.”

“This is another investigative tool in an open and active investigation,” said Pennington County Sheriff Brian Mueller. “Although the physical search has been exhausted, we follow up on all leads as we look for answers in this painful and difficult missing person case.”

New Image of Missing South Dakota Girl Released

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Today, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office in Rapid City, South Dakota released a new age progression image of Serenity Dennard who vanished four years ago. May 12 is Serenity’s 14th birthday, and her family...

www.kbhbradio.com

The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and NCMEC are asking the public to focus on the age progression image created by forensic artists at NCMEC and share it on social media. The image was created using photos of Serenity’s family members and shows what she might look like today at age 14.

 

[Soulmagent]

If you look at the aerial photograph on Google Maps, the distance would have to be about 440 feet, or 146 yards, before she would have left the witness' line of sight.

I am going to need gps cords for this ...and probably a math nerd. Because I hate mathing .
So she went out of sight after three power line poles or phone line poles or whatever you call those things they hang wires on and plant every 50 yards. About that far out of sight ? Next they look (80 minutes) (thought i heard) Then the whole running and next walking ...that is gonna effect calculation. And after the 80 minutes a 911 call is placed?
I Went back to the first post on this thread , somehow missing that this is thread 4 ! still 3 threads behinds. So BBs. Again.

 

[Stunned]

I am going to need gps cords for this ...and probably a math nerd. Because I hate mathing .
So she went out of sight after three power line poles or phone line poles or whatever you call those things they hang wires on and plant every 50 yards. About that far out of sight ? Next they look (80 minutes) (thought i heard) Then the whole running and next walking ...that is gonna effect calculation. And after the 80 minutes a 911 call is placed?
I Went back to the first post on this thread , somehow missing that this is thread 4 ! still 3 threads behinds. So BBs. Again.

She could be seen for a football field and a half.

 

[NeverPersonal]

I am totally new to this thread. Knew of the case, but didn't get involved, until a great video by Noor Jasmine I just saw on YT.

These are ?s I'm curious about if any of you lovely people could answer.

1. Why hadn't Serenity's adopted mom seen her for 6 entire months?
2. Why didn't Serenity go to her maternal grandparents who were willing to take care of her and take her in while her parents were imprisoned? She got removed from dad's mom and that was the end of that.
3. Do we know if any workers at the home were a little too close for comfort with this young girl, or if any worker punished her inappropriately? The more I learn, the more I lean toward the theory she never ran outside, but was taken someplace else (MOO)
4. Are there cameras on the BCH property?
5. Did her adoptive father put her back into the BCH because he got a new gf/wife and wanted to dedicate time to her, or new wife/gf didn't like having a "needy" child around?
6. Would love to ask her adoptive father HOW do you reckon with yourself when it comes to adopting a child and then sending them back to the very same children's home that had traumatized them to begin with, causing their RAD diagnosis?
7. Did her adoptive parents try to get her intensive trauma therapy or anything at all or just send her right back? I'm nauseated at this case.
8. Does anyone here think she ran away because of frozen and being obsessed with it?
9. Why wouldn't the workers search for her OUTSIDE since she ran outside?! She didn't run back into the building, yet that's where they allegedly spent all their time searching. I feel infuriated when thinking about this, and it makes me wonder if there's a cover up.

Disclaimer-
All of this is based upon my own thoughts and speculation.

 

[Palisades]

I am totally new to this thread. Knew of the case, but didn't get involved, until a great video by Noor Jasmine I just saw on YT.

Reading the 4 threads here, as well as articles about the case. Many of these questions have been answered.

Below quotes from This news article.

The more I learn, the more I lean toward the theory she never ran outside, but was taken someplace else (MOO)

“Dennard was last seen by a woman dropping off a relative at the Children's Home, according to the sheriff's office at the time.”

1. Did her adoptive father put her back into the BCH because he got a new gf/wife and wanted to dedicate time to her, or new wife/gf didn't like having a "needy" child around?
2. Would love to ask her adoptive father HOW do you reckon with yourself when it comes to adopting a child and then sending them back to the very same children's home that had traumatized them to begin with, causing their RAD diagnosis?

“Chad and Kasandra Dennard, Serenity's primary parents at the time of the disappearance, previously told the Journal she had behavioral health problems stemming from the trauma of being removed from her biological parents and living with multiple foster families. They said they enrolled Serenity with the inpatient program at the Children's Home because years of outpatient therapy wasn't working well enough, and felt she was a risk to herself and others.”

1. Did her adoptive parents try to get her intensive trauma therapy or anything at all or just send her right back? I'm nauseated at this case..

 

[mickey2942]

The problem children with severe behavior and emotional disorders, is impulsive behavior, and lack of insight. I have no doubt that Serenity wanted to leave, and ran away. It was more than likely impulsive, and that day started out mild, chinook. Then, by 4pm, it was a whiteout blizzard.

Sad. The real issue is the facility, with lack of staff and poor emergency response. Shocking in a place that is supposedly a specializes in children with behavior disorders.

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

The problem children with severe behavior and emotional disorders, is impulsive behavior, and lack of insight. I have no doubt that Serenity wanted to leave, and ran away. It was more than likely impulsive, and that day started out mild, chinook. Then, by 4pm, it was a whiteout blizzard.

Sad. The real issue is the facility, with lack of staff and poor emergency response. Shocking in a place that is supposedly a specializes in children with behavior disorders.

I agree,especially with things coming out lately about facilities like this. Plus the fact that they waited so long to report her missing. That does not sit right with me at all. MOO

 

[PommyMommy]

MARCH 24, 2019

Parents: Missing South Dakota girl had history of escapes

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) — A 9-year-old girl missing from a South Dakota residential youth home for nearly two months has a history of running away, her parents said in an interview published Sunday.

apnews.com

[...]

Serenity and three other children were playing inside the gym at Children’s Home when one of the other children ran away, Bill Colson, executive director of the Children’s Home Society, has said. As a staffer ran after that child, Serenity took off. Because the remaining staffer was still supervising two other children, that person stayed and called for help rather than follow Serenity.

Serenity’s parents said their daughter would hide from staff inside Children’s Home and threaten to run away. She may have run away Feb. 3 because she started to feel too comfortable at the home, was no longer the new girl and was ready for something new, the couple said.

Kasandra Dennard, 25, said she thinks her daughter’s struggles stem from the inconstancy of being raised by many different people. She said Serenity’s birth parents loved her but they were both sent to prison.

Once Serenity was removed from her family, “she was tossed through foster homes,” about 12 to 13 homes in two years, Kasandra Dennard said.

[...]

Chad Dennard and his ex-wife adopted Serenity in October 2014, and the couple broke up in early 2015. Chad and Kasandra Dennard began raising her in May 2015.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JANUARY 29, 2023

A year after Serenity disappeared, broken hearts unable to heal

The passage of nearly a year since Serenity Dennard went missing has done little to soothe the hurt felt by those who love and miss her greatly. In fact, the...

www.sdnewswatch.org

[...]

Chad Dennard is Serenity’s legal adoptive father and KaSandra is his wife. ... The pair live in Sturgis where, until Serenity went missing in February 2019, they were raising Serenity and three other children, now ages 15 months to 11 years old.

Chad and the children visited Serenity at the children’s home the day before Serenity ran away. He remembers a fairly normal visit, with Serenity (a budding foodie) sharing detailed accounts of the meals she was served, and the children playing peacefully as a group for about 90 minutes.

“I said, ‘Well, Seren, we’ve got to go, we’ll see you next week,’” and he gave her a hug and a kiss goodbye. “She said, ‘OK. I love you, bye.’ And she ran back because they were showing ‘Maleficent’ and that was her favorite movie,” Chad recalled.

Serenity felt good about being at the children’s home and receiving inpatient treatment for conditions including reactive detachment disorder, because she felt she was getting better, Chad and KaSandra said. The pair had worked for years to help Serenity deal with trauma she suffered after being given up for adoption and spending time in a dozen foster homes.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

APRIL 8, 2023

Serenity Dennard disappearance: 2019 mystery still causing misery

One of the biggest mysteries in all of South Dakota — the unknown fate of 9-year-old Serenity Dennard — elicits one singular emotion more than any other for those who loved, cared for or searched f…

www.keloland.com

[...]

... investigators said they do not believe a stranger or neighbor abducted her or that any member of her family or the facility had a hand in her disappearance.

Their doubts about a possible abduction arise largely from the fact that a woman and girl were in a car at the Black Hills Children’s Home and saw Serenity run away, then drove up and down Rockerville Road after her a few minutes later without seeing her or anyone else.

[...]

The pain and pressure from reading near-constant criticism and conspiracy theories on social media led Gentry to try to take her own life twice.

Some online commenters tried to implicate Gentry in Serenity’s disappearance, even though she was at work as a nurse when the girl disappeared and was cleared by authorities.

[...]

She wants to encourage people to think of others who may be in great pain before posting hurtful or hateful comments.

[...]

 

[mickey2942]

I agree,especially with things coming out lately about facilities like this. Plus the fact that they waited so long to report her missing. That does not sit right with me at all. MOO

No. I hate places like this, quick bucks in Medicaid. Good grief, the place had no cell service, and apparently limited phone service? Really? A supposedly approved medical facility, approved for care of emotionally disturbed children, had no access to emergency services?!

And obviously, run on super cheap budget. Two staff members for how many children?! Children who have behavioral disorders, often need one on one direct care. But, that cuts into profits, of course. And so many of these places tout that they are "non profit", right.

In the end, this is all about money. And the people at the top who were responsible for the care of these children dropped the ball. It really is negligent homicide. INMO. But they never get charged, close up shop, and move on to set up the same scam in another area.

 

[Stunned]

No. I hate places like this, quick bucks in Medicaid. Good grief, the place had no cell service, and apparently limited phone service? Really? A supposedly approved medical facility, approved for care of emotionally disturbed children, had no access to emergency services?!

And obviously, run on super cheap budget. Two staff members for how many children?! Children who have behavioral disorders, often need one on one direct care. But, that cuts into profits, of course. And so many of these places tout that they are "non profit", right.

In the end, this is all about money. And the people at the top who were responsible for the care of these children dropped the ball. It really is negligent homicide. INMO. But they never get charged, close up shop, and move on to set up the same scam in another area.

Money, money, money! I hate these places also and wonder about the people who place children in them. IMO

 

[thefragile7393]

Money, money, money! I hate these places also and wonder about the people who place children in them. IMO

That would be the family, who thought they were doing the best thing for her with her behavioral issues.

 

[OddOneOut]

Serenity was not dressed appropriately for being outside in 14 degree weather. Wind chill conditions could have been below zero. The staff took 80 to 101 minutes to call 911(depending on which version you believe). Running in cold weather causes a person to sweat. When they stop, the sweat freezes creating a layer of ice under their clothes. Sad to say but Serenity probably collapsed and died before LE even got there.

The cruel truth is that she probably hid or fell into a depression in the ground, a creek, ditch, or ravine and was covered first by snow and later by leaves or other natural forest debris. Each fall more leaves bury her deeper.

She deserves to be found but it may take years or decades before someone stumbles over her.

Reading this thread makes me want to go look for her.

 

[SkipperKey3]

Serenity was not dressed appropriately for being outside in 14 degree weather. Wind chill conditions could have been below zero. The staff took 80 to 101 minutes to call 911(depending on which version you believe). Running in cold weather causes a person to sweat. When they stop, the sweat freezes creating a layer of ice under their clothes. Sad to say but Serenity probably collapsed and died before LE even got there.

The cruel truth is that she probably hid or fell into a depression in the ground, a creek, ditch, or ravine and was covered first by snow and later by leaves or other natural forest debris. Each fall more leaves bury her deeper.

She deserves to be found but it may take years or decades before someone stumbles over her.

Reading this thread makes me want to go look for her.

I still lean toward the probability that she hid somewhere, not wanting to be caught, and that hiding place was never found. But the only thing we know, even after all this time, is that she simply disappeared without a trace.

 

[Soulmagent]

That would be the family, who thought they were doing the best thing for her with her behavioral issues.

Some of those families ,others however are pushed into these positions by welfare workers .People who have no skills faith or common sence being told what to do by protocal because they are educated and do what they are told because they need the job and paid good money to be trained in the career . They get a check and go home.
Some familes do need help and want it ,the system sends us all to the same machine .