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

[PommyMommy]

https://www.argusleader.com/story/n...outh-dakota-hold-serenity-dennard/2845510002/
Authorities have put on hold the search for a 9-year-old girl who ran away from a residential youth home amid frigid weather more than a week ago in South Dakota.

Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom told reporters Monday that authorities are regrouping and trying to decide "how and when" they continue recovery efforts for Serenity Dennard.

The Rapid City Journal reports the sheriff said the investigation remains open until the girl is found.

 

[tigertales]

It is possible that she could have been moved by a predatory or scavenging animal if she had succumbed to the elements. There are mountain lions native to the black hills as well as coyotes. MOO

Mountain Lion | South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks

 

[Deleted member 238350]

Black Hills Children's Home Society receives a small portion from $55 million donation
Black Hills Children's Home Society receives a small portion from $55 million donation

 

[Deleted member 238350]

Or taken by one. It happens.

It is possible that she could have been moved by a predatory or scavenging animal if she had succumbed to the elements. There are mountain lions native to the black hills as well as coyotes. MOO

Mountain Lion | South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks

 

[Deleted member 238350]

Deleted. Duplicate.

 

[Yellow Rose]

Oh that would instigate a double dose of tears for sure!

 

[K9Enzo]

This is terrible to read about.

Kids can be absolutely fearless when they take off, and they can just GO. Then when they slow down and really start looking at their surroundings, it all looks the same.

Many will eventually get scared and hide from searchers. They feel like they might be in trouble, as an example.

This poor little one. She must have been troubled about something....

 

[ilovechili]

Children's Home Society is well regarded. There are two separate locations and multiple services provided. BHCHS will receive a small amount of that gift. I will try to post the news article I recently read.

I have not entirely caught up on this thread but yes, I understand the "umbrella"covers many locations and types of services/homes, etc. and not just this facility.

 

[Lmustang89]

My opinion only.

If she was taken, it was by someone from within (and they may have had help by having someone pick her up on the road). He/She would have directed Serenity where to go/when to go etc. I hope everyone's whereabouts, computers, dna (in case of a previous felony not disclosed) are search/investigated.

Wishing you a safe return Serenity

 

[SkipperKey3]

This is terrible to read about.

Kids can be absolutely fearless when they take off, and they can just GO. Then when they slow down and really start looking at their surroundings, it all looks the same.

Many will eventually get scared and hide from searchers. They feel like they might be in trouble, as an example.

This poor little one. She must have been troubled about something....

I said much the same thing - she ran, and when they did start looking for her and calling her name, she either ran further away or hid, or more likely both. This would explain why she disappeared so shortly after being seen walking up the road. Unfortunately the temperatures were in the teens and falling.

I doubt we will hear anything more today, barring a completely unforeseen development, because I think there is no search being conducted.

 

[K9Enzo]

I may have overlooked this - is there any surveillance footage actually showing her outside the building? Is it a fact she left on her own?

***edit: disregard. It appears she was seen alone outside the building by a witness(s).

 

[Nell1212]

This happens, it truly does, and as hard as workers try to run after, sometimes those children are faster than lightning.

I am sitting on my hands right now before I judge ANY worker or place ANY blame on those workers. We're not talking about children at a school where most children don't take off on their teachers. As one who did this work in the past, mainly with adults- unless you have done this kind of work before and for a good period of time, you have no clue how hard it can be some days working with runners. Even with a small ratio of worker to children, you still have the other children's safety to consider, too! Many of these workers are beautiful, caring, compassionate and loving souls.

I couldn't agree more! I work with special needs children and have had quite a few runners in my day. Even when on high-alert (recess, outings, field trips) they will seize any opportunity to bolt into crowds, woods, even traffic. Leaving a group to chase down one is easier said than done as they can (and will) follow in suit and scatter like marbles.

 

[Yellow Rose]

They've never talked about surveillance footage of any kind in MSM on this case. We have no way of knowing without an insider if they even used cameras on the exteriors of the buildings.

 

[Deleted member 238350]

I couldn't agree more! I work with special needs children and have had quite a few runners in my day. Even when on high-alert (recess, outings, field trips) they will seize any opportunity to bolt into crowds, woods, even traffic. Leaving a group to chase down one is easier said than done as they can (and will) follow in suit and scatter like marbles.

And they will work in concert. One kid will start a diversion, so another kid can run. People who have not worked with these kids just do not realize how challenging they are. Staff are not super heroes, faster than a speeding bullet, with eyes on all sides of their heads...although most try to be.

 

[human]

They found some footprints but they didn't match:
Day 9: Search for missing girl temporarily halted - KNBN NewsCenter1

She had a long-sleeve shirt but no coat. The weather that day:

Reporter near the search area the first night:

There is enough snow there for footprints.

Look at that area. Ugh. I was thinking it was flat and the plains like North Dakota. She could not get far. She is small and her body could not take the cold, maybe.

As a child I would go skating. Fun was having boys push you into a snowbank. I would walk home 1/2 mile in the dark, soaking wet and not be bothered. Back in the 50’s, we did not have the waterproof warm stuff of today.

So maybe kids can last longer than an adult? No hat, no mittens but boots. How far could she get?

I don’t think at the initial search there looks to be enough snow to cover her so she cannot be seen.

 

[Mauig’ma]

I know it’s been brutally cold but I wonder if she’s further outside the search zone. I’m sure her body is out there it’s just finding it. Snow hasn’t helped matters. Moo.

 

[SkipperKey3]

There is enough snow there for footprints.

Look at that area. Ugh. I was thinking it was flat and the plains like North Dakota. She could not get far. She is small and her body could not take the cold, maybe.

As a child I would go skating. Fun was having boys push you into a snowbank. I would walk home 1/2 mile in the dark, soaking wet and not be bothered. Back in the 50’s, we did not have the waterproof warm stuff of today.

So maybe kids can last longer than an adult? No hat, no mittens but boots. How far could she get?

I don’t think at the initial search there looks to be enough snow to cover her so she cannot be seen.

There is enough snow there NOW for footprints. The two days before she ran it was sunny with temps in the upper 50s and lower 60s. They said there was no snow on the ground when she ran. The temps dropped the night before and continued to drop throughout the day on the day she ran, so it was in the teens. But it didn't start snowing until later in the day, after she ran. The ground may have been soft the day before, but that day, when she ran, the temps had dropped so much that the ground was most likely hard, thus no muddy footprints either. And even if she had left footprints, it would have quickly been covered up with the snow arrived. It was an unfortunate convergence of bad conditions, where her running would not leave clearly visible signs.

I think she could have lasted somewhat longer, if she had kept moving. But she had no protection against the extreme cold. And by nightfall the temps were around 0, and it wouldn't get any higher for four days.

And "how far could she get" is the question everybody wants answered. I initially though that she could get as far as 3 or 4 miles, but I have backed off of that because of how extreme the cold was.

 

[Deleted member 238350]

There is enough snow there NOW for footprints. The two days before she ran it was sunny with temps in the upper 50s and lower 60s. They said there was no snow on the ground when she ran. The temps dropped the night before and continued to drop throughout the day on the day she ran, so it was in the teens. But it didn't start snowing until later in the day, after she ran. The ground may have been soft the day before, but that day, when she ran, the temps had dropped so much that the ground was most likely hard, thus no muddy footprints either. And even if she had left footprints, it would have quickly been covered up with the snow arrived. It was an unfortunate convergence of bad conditions, where her running would not leave clearly visible signs.

I think she could have lasted somewhat longer, if she had kept moving. But she had no protection against the extreme cold. And by nightfall the temps were around 0, and it wouldn't get any higher for four days.

And "how far could she get" is the question everybody wants answered. I initially though that she could get as far as 3 or 4 miles, but I have backed off of that because of how extreme the cold was.

If she got off the road, she would have been slowed down and may have gone in a zigzag or circular manner. Dogs did appear to alert at one location not that far from the facility in early searches, but nothing found.

 

[Mauig’ma]

There is enough snow there NOW for footprints. The two days before she ran it was sunny with temps in the upper 50s and lower 60s. They said there was no snow on the ground when she ran. The temps dropped the night before and continued to drop throughout the day on the day she ran, so it was in the teens. But it didn't start snowing until later in the day, after she ran. The ground may have been soft the day before, but that day, when she ran, the temps had dropped so much that the ground was most likely hard, thus no muddy footprints either. And even if she had left footprints, it would have quickly been covered up with the snow arrived. It was an unfortunate convergence of bad conditions, where her running would not leave clearly visible signs.

I think she could have lasted somewhat longer, if she had kept moving. But she had no protection against the extreme cold. And by nightfall the temps were around 0, and it wouldn't get any higher for four days.

And "how far could she get" is the question everybody wants answered. I initially though that she could get as far as 3 or 4 miles, but I have backed off of that because of how extreme the cold was.

I’m with you. I think it’s possible she could run 3-4 miles. Imo. I have a feeling she’s just right outside the search area. Moo. I’m so frustrated how long it’s taken already. I can’t imagine how awful everyone must feel by now. Prayers for all of them.

 

[SkipperKey3]

I know it’s been brutally cold but I wonder if she’s further outside the search zone. I’m sure her body is out there it’s just finding it. Snow hasn’t helped matters. Moo.

They have actually searched some outside the search zone, but the larger you make the search zone, the greater the ground to cover. For example, they initially said the search zone was 1 mile, which is actually 3.14 square miles. By simply extending that to 2.5 miles, which they later did, this meant the area jumps to 19.63 square miles. That's a lot of ground to try to cover. They narrowed it down some because parts of the terrain to the south are not navigable, but still, in the snow, in rough terrain, in extreme cold, that is a daunting task.
And btw, if you think she could have covered 5 miles (which she easily could under ideal conditions, but these weren't ideal conditions), that ups the search area to roughly 78.54 square miles.
They did say that they searched (I think mostly along the main roads and side roads) clear up to route US 16 and down to state route 40, but found no trace of her.