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

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ClementineK said:
I’ve been following this really closely and find myself constantly refreshing news results in my browser.

I really feel for her. I’ve been that kid wanting to run away to try to get home to family. I think this was the perfect storm for a tragedy but I don’t fault the staff unless something were to come out that puts it in a different light. There are more kids than staff supervising them and if one runs and another takes that opportunity they can’t leave the remaining kids to potentially run as well.

I’ve seen kids wait for the perfect time and dart off with no warning even though staff were paying attention. A friend and I once planned on running on the way to the school building, her stop, from where I was supposed to walk on to a public school, but staff picked up on the totally nonverbal exchange we had going on as we walked out the door and they blocked her from leaving. Looking back, I’m impressed. They were watching, but if it’s an impulsive split second decision while staff are distracted with another situation kids can get away.

It just so happened that Serenity had no coat because she was inside, it was just too cold, and in what looks like a great environment to be really hard to find. I imagine before too long she had to have realized it was a bad idea but maybe she was already too cold and could’ve even got turned around. It would be hard in those woods and hills to have a perspective of where you were and how to get back once you realized it was too cold.

Barring some really unlikely scenario I don’t think she’s still with us. :-(
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Hypothermia.
 
flashy09 said:
What kind of animal population is around there? Would that be a concern to her - bears, etc?
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I have no clue, but even if an animal didn't harm her in any way, it might be possible she followed one into the woods.

I wish we knew a little bit more about Serenity- hobbies, interests- did she love animals, did she like collecting rocks, did she love to swim and play in the water, did she like to hike? Trying to think like a 9 year old- was there something around that home that she was interested in exploring but wasn't allowed to- a trail, etc?
 
human said:
B


Bears hibernate and do not eat people.

Most animals are more afraid of people.
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Well, they do "attack" sometimes, happened a few times where I am from, but yes hibernating now. I didn't know if mountain lions or anything are around that might take advantage of her in a weak, cold state. Or have moved her if she did succumb to the cold.
 
flashy09 said:
Well, they do "attack" sometimes, happened a few times where I am from, but yes hibernating now. I didn't know if mountain lions or anything are around that might take advantage of her in a weak, cold state. Or have moved her if she did succumb to the cold.
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Yes, there are mountain lions in that area, and yes they will attack humans at times.
 
Best case I can come up with. Someone had mentioned people being off the grid, and it lit a spark of hope for me. If she was running and someone who was "off the grid" for one reason or another came across her, they'd probably be just as likely to want to help her as anyone else. I have no idea what kind of problems she has, but most I've known who were in similar circumstances seemed to have a hard time telling the truth at times. Maybe someone stopped to offer help and she told them she had been abused in some way at the home and wanted to get away. If they offered to take her home, she may have told them a lot of horror stories about what happened to her there (whether true or not) to get her put into the home. If they offered to take her to the police station to help her report the abuse, she could just say that she had tried before and they just brought her back which got her more punishment.

Especially if the person/people who found her was someone who lived out there because they didn't do well with society, always wanted kids, was gullible enough to believe her, etc., they may have just decided to "adopt" her as their own child. I know it has to be one of the least likely scenarios, but it's the only one I've come up with so far that has her alive, warm, probably fed, and not being abused. Until I hear otherwise, I think I'll stick with it. MOO
 
I wonder if any of the kids in this place are allowed to leave on home visits or anything. That's the only way I could see an "escape" plan could have been hatched. Basically if she gave a note to a fellow resident to give to someone else while on a home visit? (Or just send a verbal message or text once on the visit.) I don't know. Probably too far-fetched. I know these kids are all fairly young as well so maybe they wouldn't come up with something like that.
 
Very very sad.... but expected I guess...

Search for Serenity Dennard ends, transitions to recovery

The Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday night to transition its search for the missing 9-year-old from a rescue to a recovery.

In a release the Sheriff's Office says it's unlikely Dennard survived being outside since Sunday. The release says the Sheriff's Office has not ruled out the possibility Dennard found a warm, safe place or that someone picked her up. The investigation is still active. However, due to the extreme cold, if Dennard was outside, since Sunday it's unlikely she survived.
 
Yes there are mountain lions in that area, I used to live near there in Rapid City and they would come into town. Also wolves around there too.
Kids are allowed home visits depending on circumstances, I had a friend who had a son there and home visits would get longer as he was transitioning home.
I also feel it is in recovery stage. She couldn’t be out that long in the weather. People do live off the grid there so to speak.
All above MOO
 
Search for girl missing since Sunday transitions to 'recovery effort'
"If Serenity was outside, it’s unlikely she survived. We have not ruled out the possibility that she found some place warm to shelter or that someone picked her up. We still have an active investigation and will follow up on all leads," the sheriff's office said in a Tuesday afternoon news release. Rescuing Dennard has been the "top priority" of the sheriff's office.

Staff from the sheriff's office will remain at the Children's Home on South Rockerville Road but recovery efforts will be reduced until crews with specialty dogs arrive from eastern South Dakota and Colorado, the release says. The arrival date of the dogs has not been confirmed.
 
PommyMommy said:
Search for girl missing since Sunday transitions to 'recovery effort'
"If Serenity was outside, it’s unlikely she survived. We have not ruled out the possibility that she found some place warm to shelter or that someone picked her up. We still have an active investigation and will follow up on all leads," the sheriff's office said in a Tuesday afternoon news release. Rescuing Dennard has been the "top priority" of the sheriff's office.

Staff from the sheriff's office will remain at the Children's Home on South Rockerville Road but recovery efforts will be reduced until crews with specialty dogs arrive from eastern South Dakota and Colorado, the release says. The arrival date of the dogs has not been confirmed.
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So they didn't already have dogs on the scene? Apparently not.
 
The Gaslight restaurant offers hot meals to search and rescue members looking for 9-year-old girl
More than 200 search and rescue team members hiked the Rockerville area on Tuesday. With the cold weather and the rough terrain, people struggled to move around.

"There were times we were hanging on to bushes and tree limbs and such cause it was slick. The snow was a problem because we couldn't tell if there was ice under. Some places had frozen rocks where the rocks had actually frozen over so when you hit it you would slide," Box Elder Volunteer Firefighter Ernie Nelson said.

Though the owner and workers at the Gaslight restaurant are happy to welcome and serve the search and rescue team members they actually wish to see an empty restaurant, hoping it means that Serenity Dennard has been found.

"It's heartbreaking to even think about her even being out in this cold. And it's heartbreaking that all these people are out in this bitter cold. We just pray for all of them. We're hoping for the best," said Tracy Spaans, the daughter of The Gaslight owner.

"The searchers are risking their own lives and you know we just appreciate them," The Gaslight owner Cathy Little Bull said.

It was a scramble to prepare and cook the meals, but just one way the community is stepping in to help the searchers.
 
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