She Ran Away From A South Dakota Children’s Home On Super Bowl Sunday In 2019, And Her Disappearance Remains One Of The Biggest Unsolved Mysteries In The Area
On Super Bowl Sunday in 2019, Serenity Dennard ran away from a South Dakota children’s home and vanished. To this day, her case remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the area.
At the time, 9-year-old Serenity was part of the inpatient program at the Black Hills Children’s Home, located at 24100 South Rockerville Road in Rapid City.
The facility provided therapy and schooling to kids who struggled with trauma, abuse, and mental and behavioral issues.
According to her primary parents, Serenity was reportedly dealing with behavioral problems due to the trauma that came along with being removed from her biological parents, as well as living with over 12 different foster families. Her stay at the home started in July 2018.
Serenity had actually run away from the children’s home once, one week prior to her disappearance. This led her to be placed under special monitoring, which concluded just before she vanished on February 3, 2019.
That day, Serenity ran away into the cold at about 10:45 a.m. A witness had been dropping a relative off at home and reportedly saw Serenity at 11:00 a.m. when she was heading north on South Rockerville Road.
The witness informed staff members inside the home and attempted to follow her. However, the witness lost Serenity because of the tree cover and terrain. This marked the last confirmed sighting of the 9-year-old.
Staff stated that Serenity left via the gym at the same time another child had run off within the home. The staff member who’d been watching the kids in the gym reportedly called for help as opposed to following Serenity outside and leaving the other children unattended.
Then, at 12:26 p.m., the police were contacted, and Serenity was reported missing.
Facebook – picture above is Serenity
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
Around 12:45 p.m., a deputy showed up on the scene, and within a half hour, four more deputies had arrived. Pennington County Search and Rescue was also called for additional assistance at 1:28 p.m.
This sparked what is likely the largest search effort ever conducted in South Dakota.
The children’s home was in a large, wooded area, and snowfall followed in the days after Serenity vanished. This heightened law enforcement’s concern as they searched for any sign of her.
According to Pennington County Captain Dustin Morrison, there have been 220 searches in the area with 66 agencies. Searchers scoured more than 5,000 miles; meanwhile, authorities interviewed over 500 people and followed up on over 357 leads, some of which were from foreign countries.
In January 2021, police announced that they were suspending the search for Serenity. However, her case remains open, and leads continue to come in.
“We do get leads, weekly or monthly. Some leads come in, or some possible sightings come in, and we do everything we can to jump on those right away to see if it’s legit or not,” Captain Morrison said.
There is reportedly no evidence suggesting Serenity was abducted. Nonetheless, the exact circumstances of her disappearance are unknown, and Captain Morrison hopes to find answers and provide closure.
“It weighs on people to this day. You put your heart and soul into trying to get the answers. And it’s all about, you know, we come to work every day. Let’s do the right thing. Let’s provide the answers to the family in this unfortunate situation,” he stated.
“And it still weighs on you. It’s on your mind on a daily basis or a weekly basis that we still haven’t been able to provide that closure, and we hope to do so in the future.”
Earlier this year, Serenity’s mother, Darcie Gentry, shared some of her daughter’s favorite things. Serenity enjoyed swimming and going on road trips and adored the movie ‘Frozen.’ She was also described as a “social butterfly.”
“It has been a mama’s worst nightmare to have Serenity gone. I would travel to the ends of the earth to pick her up and to see her again,” Darcie said.
Prior to Serenity’s fifteenth birthday back in May, Darcie also shared a wish.
“I just hope that on your birthday, I get to hug and kiss you in person. I keep listening for your voice every day. I pray for you every day, and hopefully, you will see this and know that Mom loves you and wants you to come home,” she expressed.
At the time she vanished, Serenity was four foot seven, weighed 96 pounds, and had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing dark blue stone-washed jeans, a long-sleeve grey shirt with flowers, a purple tank top, and black snow boots.
Serenity would be 15-years-old today.
If you have any information regarding her case, you are urged to contact the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office at (605) 394-6115.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings