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

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I sadly believe that she either passed away from the cold and will be found in the spring, or that someone happened upon her and took the opportunity to commit a crime as she probably told them she was a runaway. Have any of the workers called in/not showed up/left early that day?
Really hopeful she’s just with a member of her family who’s not sharing out of fear is losing her or other repercussions.
I will add that I think as a 9 year old with behavioral issues I think she ran on impulse and not because someone in her family told her they’d be “waiting by the cattle guard at 11am, get someone to distract the employees..”
 
Dre said:
I will add that I think as a 9 year old with behavioral issues I think she ran on impulse and not because someone in her family told her they’d be “waiting by the cattle guard at 11am, get someone to distract the employees..”
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What about someone who works inside setting it up? Even bribing the other child to pretend take off. I am sure that is far fetched. I was involved with an attempted kidnapping/pervert man as a child and he was working in a daycare so I am a little jaded.
 
How many employees would this type of facility employ? Janitors, cooks, food service? Are deliveries made for food, paper products, uniform/linen service? Others?

I am grasping at straws here trying to think of anyone who might have come into contact with her, and that she possibly could have left with or hidden in a vehicle to get a ride.

Sadly, the most likely scenario is also the simplest. She ran outside on the spur of the moment, became lost or disoriented, and froze to death. IMO and very sad to even say this.
 
IceIce9 said:
Sadly, the most likely scenario is also the simplest. She ran outside on the spur of the moment, became lost or disoriented, and froze to death. IMO and very sad to even say this.
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I agree with the running off spur of the moment, especially if she was actively running or walking by the cattle guard and not just standing. But she could not have gotten far in those woods and apparently the dogs followed no scent? I feel like she would have been found by now. That makes me think she was on the road for a brief time and picked up by someone who saw their opportunity. I mentioned earlier maybe she was even trying to hitch hike home. I think it might be a Jayme Closs situation. It certainly is the right landscape to hide someone in a remote cabin just like with JC.

What is needed to obtain a search warrant? Can they search the wood cutters car and house just to rule them out? The SO that lives nearby and needs to drive on that road to get to civilization? The workers cars and homes? Family members? Any cabins nearby? I feel stronger and stronger she was taken from that road!
 
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flashy09 said:
I agree with the running off spur of the moment, especially if she was actively running or walking by the cattle guard and not just standing. But she could not have gotten far in those woods and apparently the dogs followed no scent? I feel like she would have been found by now. That makes me think she was on the road for a brief time and picked up by someone who saw their opportunity. I mentioned earlier maybe she was even trying to hitch hike home. I think it might be a Jayme Closs situation. It certainly is the right landscape to hide someone in a remote cabin just like with JC.

What is needed to obtain a search warrant? Can they search the wood cutters car and house just to rule them out? The SO that lives nearby and needs to drive on that road to get to civilization? The workers cars and homes? Family members? Any cabins nearby? I feel stronger and stronger she was taken from that road!
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So hard to say. I just don't think she would venture into the woods and/or hills in the snow. She seems to have headed straight for the road.
And surely anybody who drove that road regularly would figure the child was from the home. That road generally would have very little if any traffic that aren't locals. So it seems unlikely that she was picked up by a local and not surfaced by now. (Unless, of course, not reporting her was deliberate.)
I'm just afraid she slipped and rolled down an embankment or ravine.
I am just hoping she is both warm and safe. But each passing hour is ominous.
 
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Could scent dogs help? Could they still possibly what direction she ran or if the scent stopped on the road. Even with more snow I think they can but I'm not sure.

I'm thinking, as well, that perhaps someone picked her up.

This is a 9 year old vulnerable child and it is so worrying.
 
At this point, I would be thrilled for a custody battle going on, anything to have this precious child found alive and safe.

How awful there has been no news, and the weather hasn't been cooperating making it unlikely that she is still alive, if she is still out there in the woods somewhere.

I haven't seen anything mentioned by LE that they caught her on camera anywhere.

This makes me wonder about the couple that said they saw her. I'd like to know what time they saw her walk by, and I am wondering why LE hasn't discussed the time that they saw her go by? Does LE not believe their story, or suspect them in any way? Although, why would they go to the home and ask if she belonged there, if they were intending to take or harm her? I wish that the staff member that they talked to had taken their names, number, license plate and approximate time that they saw her go by. I know that they have since talked to LE and given them a time period, but if they did take her after they saw her on the side of the road walking, no one will know now unless LE checks their vehicle for any evidence of her being inside. I just wonder, that's all, if they saw a chance to take a girl who was missing and maybe because the home didn't react and go out there to find Serenity where they last saw her, they might have taken her with them?
 
I am actually surprised that we don't hear about this situation more often.

When I worked at a similar place, two actually, the management pretty much wants a warm body on staff. Although, this happened on Thursday afternoon with regular day staff, who know the residents much better than night and weekend staff.

And in review, as a night/weekend staff, because I didn't know the Residents very well, I always said "No" to everything.

"Can we play outside?" "No".
Unless it was very structured, every place I worked had an enclosed play area, fenced and gated. But nothing beyond that routine unless approved by clinical and day staff. And usually new residents were on restrictions for 72 hours. I wonder how long she had been there.
 
Dear @mickey2942,

Thank you so much for your insight. You are greatly appreciated!

I'm wondering (if this is even plausible) whether some "plan" was made during a visitation by a family member. Or a plan with someone else who was affiliated with the building.

I agree with others that there is a strong possibility that this little girl was picked up.
 
zencompass said:
Dear @mickey2942,

Thank you so much for your insight. You are greatly appreciated!

I'm wondering (if this is even plausible) whether some "plan" was made during a visitation by a family member, perhaps unsupervised?
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I don't know, most of these kids are neglected and delayed, not usually too skilled at planning. I would be interested in what other Residents were there, and their ages. And normally, they don't run away, they mostly like the stability, and food.

So many unknown variables here...why she was here, her background, family ties, if she has any disabilities, clinical or behavioral issues.

Seems more impulse behaviour rather than planned.
 
Serenity appears to be emotional and certainly impulsive but very smart. I have seen no indication that her situation involves abuse or neglect.

Her parents are still married as well, so unfortunately a custodial issue is not likely. I wish it was.

When I was in residential the staff was amazing and went above and beyond. Many of us are still friends on social media. I actually kept my therapist after I graduated. I hope this is a place like mine.
 
MsFacetious said:
Black Hills FOX News
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I have to agree with this. I understand why they didn't do an Amber alert because there was no suspect or make of car and license plate, but a BOLO alert would be nice, at the very least. They should have BOLO alerts available for those who have texting for cases that don't fit into Amber and Silver Alerts. Precious time has been wasted in many cases because of no alerts, in my opinion. If the people in that town got a BOLO alert on their phone, eyes would be out searching all the roads looking for her while the search went on around the Children's Home and surrounding area.
 
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Kids don't end up in state custody unless there is a problem. I have not read much about the details of this situation, but I know this much, normal families, with normal kids, don't end up having kids in alternative settings. There is a problem somewhere.
 
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I believe that the birth of the newest member of the family may have been the catalyst for Serenity being in residential care, as it doesn’t appear that she was in residential care prior to this. However, I don’t think that she was schooled in the same school as the other children, maybe she was homeschooled.

Both of my children are special needs, though not to the extent that the public school system cannot support their needs. I can definitely see how either one of them though could downward spiral and require more than our home and school environment could support, if a baby were born.

Regardless of the reasoning for her impulsivity and apparent actions that led to her disappearance, she is a very much loved little girl who needs to be found.
 
What is really baffling me is that only the couple collecting wood saw her on that road. Does anyone have a Google map of the road she was walking down? I wonder how many homes, if any, are on that road? Especially of interest would be any SO's home. Something is just so strange how the couple was the only one to see her walking down that street by herself. No one coming into work at the Children's Home passed by her?
 
I guess the way that Dads new wife talks I thought Serenity was hers. Wow. That's quite a complicated situation. I am guessing that the baby was the catalyst. With a child with impulsive and emotional outbursts that can be dangerous with a baby around. So I wonder why Mom or Grandparents weren't an option? Or maybe that was the plan.

mickey2942 said:
Kids don't end up in state custody unless there is a problem. I have not read much about the details of this situation, but I know this much, normal families, with normal kids, don't end up having kids in alternative settings. There is a problem somewhere.
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Is this only for kids in state custody? You can't place your child there voluntarily? I was never in state custody. I was never abused or seriously neglected. I got bullied a ton, my dad worked a lot and my mom was on pills. Pretty normal family in an area with 3 drug related deaths everyday, unfortunately.
 
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