I don't fault the couple. They were in the parking lot, which sits well off the road. They saw Serenity up on the road, went in immediately to report she was up there, found out she wasn't supposed to be up there, then went in up to retrieve her. But by they she had disappeared.
BBM
The intention of my post was not to place blame on the couple. Rather, in tragic cases involving children, like this one, I like to take the opportunity to make a few points based on my personal and professional experience that I think are educational and may cause people to think and act differently, IOW, with the most immediate and effective action. My hope is that the next time people see a child or other vulnerable person in a situation that "doesn't seem right" that their actions are the most proactive possible, because, exactly as you stated, "but by then she had disappeared."
I think almost anyone who has worked professionally with children has learned what incredibly dangerous, impulsive, illogical and completely unexpected things they can do. This includes all children, not just those with psychological or behavioral problems. For example, I've seen playfully intended "horsing around" turn dangerous in the blink of an eye. As many parents know, a child can slip out of sight in a split second of distraction. A determined child, even some toddlers, can run much faster than you ever imagined. In other words, when safety is involved, there isn't a second to lose; there is no room for a moment's hesitation. However, not all adults know this. People who have not worked professionally with children, or are not parents, or parents whose children are meek and obedient, can be shocked by what some children are capable of.
My own adult child recently told me that her earliest memory is of "drowning in a hot tub." At 2-1/2, she was being led from a hotel swimming pool area when she suddenly yanked her hand free and bolted back toward the pool. On the way, she slipped on the wet floor and fell headfirst into the hot tub. It all happened in a second. Thankfully, we were able immediately to pull her out--coughing, gasping and bawling, but otherwise unharmed. Even though she was a very strong-willed child, I never anticipated she could be so strong and fast. It was certainly a learning experience for me.
Personally, I'm always looking to learn things from the facts of the cases I follow, as well as from the comments and anecdotes shared by fellow Websleuthers. Over the years, I have learned many useful and interesting things.
IMO, what we can learn from Serenity's case is not to underestimate what a determined child is capable of, and, consequently, to take the most immediate and effective action possible when a child is in a situation that "doesn't seem right." Obviously, the adult couple had to have known, especially if they were dropping off a child themselves, that Serenity
"wasn't supposed to be up there." I really can't believe that it was necessary for them to go back into the home's office in order to "find out" that a little girl, alone near the highway next to the home, on a winter day without even a jacket, was from the home and "wasn't supposed to be up there." I would think the "unsafeness" and urgency of the situation would be apparent.
My point is that even if you think:
A) "It'll only take a few minutes to summon a staff member who'll then be able to get her;"
B) "she won't go far;"
C) "She'll likely return on her own;" or
D) "I'm not 'authorized' to intervene with a child that's not mine;
none of us can be sure of A, B, or C, as was proven in Serenity's case. In an unsafe situation, a child's wellbeing supersedes D. Even in the event that a misguided staff member were to criticize me for "interference" in returning the child, I would know that I had done the right thing, and that is what matters.
MOO.
