ACTIVE SEARCH SD - Serenity Dennard, 9, Children’s Home Society, Pennington County, 3 Feb 2019 #2

[IceIce9]

SBM

I appreciate your personal knowledge of the area and weather. Respectfully, one can experience hypothermia in cool temps above 40 degrees F ( indoors or outdoors) and children specifically are more susceptible. There are additional factors that put her at risk such as lack of proper attire and the fact that she may have been sweating if she was running.

IMO, she was at high risk of hypothermia the minute she stepped foot in the elements.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/hypothermia-can-happen-indoors-surprising-facts/

Hypothermia | Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library

Especially since she was not dressed for the weather, with no coat, gloves or hat.

 

[Savmom]

It seems like such an open area that at least one person could have kept "eyes" on her even if they didn't reach her something just seems off! you have high risk kids that are prone to running ?, and if they have autistic kids (I have one myself a 12 year old) who could wander off easily ? being in the middle of nowhere ? just standing back looking , I would never send my child somewhere that if she wandered off the terrain, bobcats , bears, or the elements would kill her if she bolted ....okay I have to be honest , a treatment facility has to be prepared for runners period. there is something off I just don't know what

I agree

Even if you read & re-read all the media articles & posts from LE, watch the videos, and listen to info from the admin at the home, it is obvious someone is hiding something.

The question is who is hiding what, and for whom? My gut says there is so much more to this than meets the eye.

Where are you Serenity?

 

[jewelsmac]

This might sound rather shallow and I am in no way suggesting this is what happened as I probably have just as few clues as anyone on here, but I would almost pray that this was a familial kidnapping.

Sound strange and off the wall? Well nothing is making any sense at this point so rather than me dwelling on the thought that sweet Serenity is lying in those woods somewhere all alone and frozen to death... I will give another scenario.

What IF someone in the bio family knew a worker at the facility and it was an arranged "escape?" MOO and JMO

Hope for Serenity

I was secretly, or not so secretly, hoping for the same thing. Anything that would equal her still being alive.

 

[Confusion]

I've made some sense out of the times given, but they still don't make complete sense to me. My interpretation of what they've said is that she ran of the gym at 10:45 (out of the building), and the staff worker called for help immediately. It was said that they searched the facilities first, which sounded like they meant indoors and out. They said they first became aware that she was missing at 11:00, which is when the visitor was said to have arrived and told the she was by the cattle guard. I'm guessing that they meant that they first became aware that she was running rather than hiding at 11:00.

The problems I have with that are that, if she was seen leaving the building at 10:45, they had to know she was outside since the doors are locked from the outside. Because of that, they should have been searching for her outside, and I would have expected them to have seen her heading for the cattle guard/road if they were out there looking for her. If they knew she had been by the cattle guard and heading up the road, and they couldn't see any sign of her when they got there, one of them should have called 911 immediately, not over an hour later.

If the visitor/s saw her by the cattle guard, drove to the building, waited for someone to come to the door, explained what they'd seen and then left to go look for her, she could have gotten a fair distance by the time the visitors started looking for her; she could have gotten even farther by the time staff members got on their coats, made a plan for looking for her, etc., and got down there. It's possible that someone said that they assumed she had crossed the road and run into the hills because she disappeared so quickly, but they may not have actually said they saw her do it. I don't know that any mistakes made could be considered negligent, but I really don't see how she could have gotten away so easily if there weren't mistakes made.

Like everybody else, I keep hoping that she was picked up and kept alive and healthy, but that seems to sound a little less likely with every hour that passes. MOO

 

[misgrn]

I worked in facilities like this in South Dakota. Runners are common in all types of facilities, even locked ones, it is just more difficult. These centers can only do so much because there are all sorts of regulations and laws that limit what is permitted and isn't. Where I worked, once a resident was off center property, staff could no longer chase or follow and police were called. We also were not allowed to place our hands on a resident to prevent them from running. I totally get since no one saw her leave the gym building, they would take at least a few minutes to search the property. That would be limited though because on weekends most of these centers do not have a lot of extra staff that aren't part of ratio. Plus, the location of the facility would mean most staff being called in were 20-30+ minutes out. The delay in calling 911 is a big issue to me. It goes against all of my training and experience. Especially, knowing what Serenity was wearing and the incoming weather.

Colson stated in articles there ratio is 1:6 but they try to keep a lower ratio than that. Maybe that explains the lower ratio,or maybe it was a newer staff so they still had that staff shadowing an experienced staff, maybe one or more of those kids in the gym had behaviors that required a lower staff ratio. It is hard to say and they probably won't reveal that info.

I know HIPAA and other regulations limit what can be revealed. Although specific diagnoses are not revealed, we know they treat children with behavioral and mental issues. My center treated similar issues and transitioned from a group home to a psychiatric residential treatment center. We did not have residents under 10. We had clients that suffered abuse and neglect. Some had mental health issues, behavioral issues, and addiction issues. We did have some residents on the spectrum but all our clients were verbal. I know both of Childrens Home Society locations have similar clients but they may treat more severe issues too.

CHS (parent organization of Black Hills Children's Home) has a great reputation all over this area. Not that it means something bad didn't happen. We have been told they are investigating the home. There are other agencies that will be doing investigations into this as well as the home doing an internal investigation.

A note about the 55 million. We don't know how much BHCH will receive of that money but the press release says a small amount. Denny Sanford earmarked where he wanted most of the money to go so no they won't be funneling elsewhere unless they want to risk voiding the donation. When the non-profit organization I worked for got donations that were to specific things, we were not allowed to use it for other things or programs. Sanford donates a lot of money and has given to CHS in the past. Here is more info about that donation..

T. Denny Sanford Donates $55 million to Children's Home Society | Children's Home Society of South Dakota

Children's Inn is a local domestic violence shelter that currently helps women and children. They have needed more space for years so it is no surprise that was a priority.

Staffing is an issue in facilities to. It is hard work both mentally and physically at times. Pay at non-profits isn't the best. Burnout happens so retention is an issue. Most people are in that field for the right reasons but as we all know, bad ones sometimes work in places like this.

When this first was reported, I felt she ran and they would find her in the woods. Since then we have seen the information change. I know that is common as investigator learn more. There is so many rumors and such surrounding this too. It makes it hard to know. I get weather hampered a lot initially but locals say there is no more signs of a search. If she is in the woods, she deserves to be found so why isn't anyone looking. The weather has been decent enough that trained personnel could be out looking. Locals say the weather wasn't as bad as reported or the terrain isn't that bad so that makes me wonder too. I know they aren't trained officials either. I know why the home and LE are not giving us a lot of information. I know LE says that they are still investigating too. I hope they know so much more and have an idea as to what happened.

It breaks my heart that Serenity is still missing. I know chances for a good outcome are low but I keep hoping.

 

[sodakblackbird]

I took a drive in the area today, talked to friends who live nearby and one who worked there 15 years ago. Everybody said something just ain't right

 

[HayLouise]

Pennington County SO‏ @PennCoSheriff

BH Community Bank & Desiree donated to @PennCoSAR. They have been hard at work this month along with many others searching for the missing child, Serenity Dennard. She couldn’t think of a better way to recognize the group and thank them for all their hard work!

Pennington County SO on Twitter

 

[ilovepierre]

If it is like a lot of school gymnasiums, most doors lead to other inside hallways, but one door (or two perhaps) may lead directly outside. The real question is - where did the specific door Serenity used lead to? And I don't think we have been told that, although they would definitely know.

I thought I read in an earlier article that the specific door Serenity ran out of lead into a hallway first and then the hallway connected it to the outside.

IMO

 

[SkipperKey3]

I thought I read in an earlier article that the specific door Serenity ran out of lead into a hallway first and then the hallway connected it to the outside.

IMO

To me that better explains why they didn't know she was outside until the people in the car reported it - although they certainly should have considered it as a possibility.

 

[sloane7777]

I took a drive in the area today, talked to friends who live nearby and one who worked there 15 years ago. Everybody said something just ain't right

Agreed !!!! this makes NO SENSE !

 

[Julia966]

I took a drive in the area today, talked to friends who live nearby and one who worked there 15 years ago. Everybody said something just ain't right

That's interesting. Can you elaborate?

 

[ilovechili]

I worked in facilities like this in South Dakota. Runners are common in all types of facilities, even locked ones, it is just more difficult. These centers can only do so much because there are all sorts of regulations and laws that limit what is permitted and isn't. Where I worked, once a resident was off center property, staff could no longer chase or follow and police were called. We also were not allowed to place our hands on a resident to prevent them from running. I totally get since no one saw her leave the gym building, they would take at least a few minutes to search the property. That would be limited though because on weekends most of these centers do not have a lot of extra staff that aren't part of ratio. Plus, the location of the facility would mean most staff being called in were 20-30+ minutes out. The delay in calling 911 is a big issue to me. It goes against all of my training and experience. Especially, knowing what Serenity was wearing and the incoming weather.

Colson stated in articles there ratio is 1:6 but they try to keep a lower ratio than that. Maybe that explains the lower ratio,or maybe it was a newer staff so they still had that staff shadowing an experienced staff, maybe one or more of those kids in the gym had behaviors that required a lower staff ratio. It is hard to say and they probably won't reveal that info.

I know HIPAA and other regulations limit what can be revealed. Although specific diagnoses are not revealed, we know they treat children with behavioral and mental issues. My center treated similar issues and transitioned from a group home to a psychiatric residential treatment center. We did not have residents under 10. We had clients that suffered abuse and neglect. Some had mental health issues, behavioral issues, and addiction issues. We did have some residents on the spectrum but all our clients were verbal. I know both of Childrens Home Society locations have similar clients but they may treat more severe issues too.

CHS (parent organization of Black Hills Children's Home) has a great reputation all over this area. Not that it means something bad didn't happen. We have been told they are investigating the home. There are other agencies that will be doing investigations into this as well as the home doing an internal investigation.

A note about the 55 million. We don't know how much BHCH will receive of that money but the press release says a small amount. Denny Sanford earmarked where he wanted most of the money to go so no they won't be funneling elsewhere unless they want to risk voiding the donation. When the non-profit organization I worked for got donations that were to specific things, we were not allowed to use it for other things or programs. Sanford donates a lot of money and has given to CHS in the past. Here is more info about that donation..

T. Denny Sanford Donates $55 million to Children's Home Society | Children's Home Society of South Dakota

Children's Inn is a local domestic violence shelter that currently helps women and children. They have needed more space for years so it is no surprise that was a priority.

Staffing is an issue in facilities to. It is hard work both mentally and physically at times. Pay at non-profits isn't the best. Burnout happens so retention is an issue. Most people are in that field for the right reasons but as we all know, bad ones sometimes work in places like this.

When this first was reported, I felt she ran and they would find her in the woods. Since then we have seen the information change. I know that is common as investigator learn more. There is so many rumors and such surrounding this too. It makes it hard to know. I get weather hampered a lot initially but locals say there is no more signs of a search. If she is in the woods, she deserves to be found so why isn't anyone looking. The weather has been decent enough that trained personnel could be out looking. Locals say the weather wasn't as bad as reported or the terrain isn't that bad so that makes me wonder too. I know they aren't trained officials either. I know why the home and LE are not giving us a lot of information. I know LE says that they are still investigating too. I hope they know so much more and have an idea as to what happened.

It breaks my heart that Serenity is still missing. I know chances for a good outcome are low but I keep hoping.

Exceptional post and very fair to the home, LE and all and yet raises all of the questions that should be raised, many of which most of us question. Things do just not add up here and it could be due to a number of reasons. I hope we can keep this thread alive because whatever did happen needs to be addressed and she needs to be found. I still have hope although the scenarios where she could be alive are limited.

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 27, 2019
Search continues for missing 9-year-old South Dakota girl
Serenity June Dennard was last seen at 11:20 a.m...

I thought it was 11:00 a.m?

 

[ilovechili]

FEB 27, 2019
Search continues for missing 9-year-old South Dakota girl
Serenity June Dennard was last seen at 11:20 a.m...

I thought it was 11:00 a.m?

I think I have seen 3 different times in this case on last sighting. At least three. And on the time first noticed missing as well.

 

[Jim_M]

FEB 27, 2019
Search continues for missing 9-year-old South Dakota girl
Serenity June Dennard was last seen at 11:20 a.m...

I thought it was 11:00 a.m?

I think I have seen 3 different times in this case on last sighting. At least three. And on the time first noticed missing as well.

SD ran away from the gym at 10:45am. I believe that was corroborated. Did it take her 15 minutes to get near the cattle guard? Or 35 minutes to get there? Either timing is highly suspect at this point in the investigation. Back to sitting on hands IMO.

 

[PommyMommy]

SD ran away from the gym at 10:45am. I believe that was corroborated. Did it take her 15 minutes to get near the cattle guard? Or 35 minutes to get there? Either timing is highly suspect at this point in the investigation. Back to sitting on hands IMO.

Only if she was hiding somewhere first or went in another direction and reversed course. Don't let your hands get numb, we need 'ya!
MOO

 

[SkipperKey3]

Only if she was hiding somewhere first or went in another direction and reversed course. Don't let your hands get numb, we need 'ya!
MOO

Agreed. She could have been wandering around in the building first, poking into things, exhibiting childlike curiosity. Then she could have eventually found a door that lead outside and took it. It might not even have been in the front of the building. Eventually she made her way to the road by the cattle guard. If she wasn't explicitly running when at the road, there is no reason to assume she took a straight line there from the gym.

 

[human]

I think since she was wearing indoor clothing, people would assume that she stayed indoors and if she went outside, she would come back in.

It makes no sense that LE was not called for so long. But by the time they were called, she would be deceased if she was outside.

 

[PayrollNerd]

The part that bothers me the most....what if she tried to re-enter the building, and couldn’t get back in? If she exited from a door that could only be opened from the inside (no exterior doorknob) and had no doorbell/buzzer, did she give up and wander off out of curiosity, impulse, etc.? Maybe she realized she’d been seen and thought she would get into trouble so she took off in fear? By the time the adults were attempting to track her, she was likely cold & huddled down, or gone. Send us a sign Serenity - your family needs you!

 

[Jim_M]

Agreed. She could have been wandering around in the building first, poking into things, exhibiting childlike curiosity. Then she could have eventually found a door that lead outside and took it. It might not even have been in the front of the building. Eventually she made her way to the road by the cattle guard. If she wasn't explicitly running when at the road, there is no reason to assume she took a straight line there from the gym.

The part that bothers me the most....what if she tried to re-enter the building, and couldn’t get back in? If she exited from a door that could only be opened from the inside (no exterior doorknob) and had no doorbell/buzzer, did she give up and wander off out of curiosity, impulse, etc.? Maybe she realized she’d been seen and thought she would get into trouble so she took off in fear? By the time the adults were attempting to track her, she was likely cold & huddled down, or gone. Send us a sign Serenity - your family needs you!

All plausible scenarios.

And we have no idea on where her mind was. Did she just want to get outside? When had she last been outside previously? Did she want to go home, but no one would agree on that the previous day? Adults were making the decisions. Was she quiet about their decision, but unhappy inside? Did she figure out that if they would not allow her home, she would just go herself?

Maybe she found a hibernating bear? Hey, Casey hung out with a bear!

I realize my hope is likely not a reality. It saddens me to think that, let alone write it out. Oh Serenity, you had your whole life in front of you. And still, I hope. That somehow the impossible took place. That we have not run out of miracles in this little girl's run for the hills.

All IMHO unless quotes with links supplied