Although the home society has engaged new protocols to heighten runway prevention and training for employees at the Black Hills home, those same methods have not been fully implemented at the society’s residential treatment home in Sioux Falls. But the on-call supervisor who advised employees on the scene to search longer on their own before calling 911 remains employed, as does the director of the home, who refused an interview request from News Watch. Two people with direct physical oversight of Serenity at the time of her disappearance were fired after she ran away, according to Children’s Home Society Executive Director Michelle Lavallee. The children’s home, run by the non-profit Children’s Home Society, was cited by state and federal regulators after Serenity’s disappearance for waiting 80 minutes to call 911, for having radios that were on different channels and for lacking planning and training in runaway prevention. 3 escape, according to Serenity’s adoptive father and his wife, who are her primary caretakers. But for reasons unexplained, the strict runaway-prevention effort was ended a day or two before her fateful Feb. Serenity tried to run away one week before her final escape and was placed on a protocol of “arm’s length only” monitoring. Runaway prevention was part of the reason for her placement and part of her treatment plan at Black Hills Children’s Home. Serenity was known to run away frequently from her family home in Sturgis. The reporting has led to several discoveries, including: Yet until Serenity or any evidence is found, her disappearance will remain a mystery that has captivated, saddened and in some cases angered people in South Dakota and beyond.Īs the one-year anniversary of Serenity’s disappearance approaches, South Dakota News Watch interviewed several people close to Serenity or her case. Pennington County authorities have not ruled anything out, but their working theory is that Serenity ran into the woods, got lost and froze to death or died of hypothermia. Over the past year, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office has led an aggressive, two-pronged attempt to find Serenity - an investigative track that has sought to rule out foul play and search nationwide for Serenity and the search track that has engaged 1,200 trained personnel from more than 65 agencies using scent and cadaver dogs, aircraft and thermal devices to look for Serenity’s body or any evidence. The investigation will remain open and we encourage the public to report any new information or tips. Our collective thoughts and prayers remain with Serenity Dennard’s family,” the sheriff’s office said in the release. “Absent new information, the search has been suspended. Six search warrants were executed,” the news release said. The Black Hills Children’s Home and all area homes and outbuildings were searched numerous times.
As part of the investigation, 538 people were interviewed and/or contacted. “Investigators looked into 275 leads in South Dakota and throughout the nation with the help of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. 28, 2021 that it was suspending the formal search for Serenity but that the investigation into her disappearance would continue.Īccording to a news release from Sheriff Kevin Thom, the extensive search included more than 1,500 personnel from 66 agencies who logged more than 6,000 cumulative miles during 220 separate search attempts. The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office announced on Jan.
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