Can This South Dakota Mystery Ever Be Solved?

It is still an active missing person case, still an unanswered question, and prayer.

What happened to 9-year-old Serenity Dennard?

Today, on May 12, 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Pennington County Sheriff's Office in Rapid City, South Dakota, unveiled a new age progression image of Serenity Dennard, who vanished four years ago.

Courtesy National Center for MIssing & Exploited Children, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office Rapid City South Dakota, and Canva

Serenity's family, on her 14th birthday, hopes that this new image will help bring her home. The organizations are urging the media and the public to distribute the age progression image widely in the hopes of generating fresh leads in the ongoing investigation.

Serenity Dennard was last seen on February 3, 2019, at 11:30 a.m. MDT, when she was observed running out of the Rockerville Children's Home Society facility.

Following her disappearance, an extensive search effort was launched involving multiple law enforcement agencies, community members, and search dogs. However, four years later, there are still no definitive answers regarding Serenity's whereabouts, and the investigation remains active.

The age progression image was created by forensic artists at NCMEC using photographs of Serenity's family members. It provides an approximation of what she may look like today at the age of 14.

Angeline Hartmann, the Communications Director at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, expressed her feelings about watching Serenity grow up through these images. She emphasized the significance of age progression images in missing child investigations and expressed the organization's hope that this new image will serve as a catalyst for fresh leads.

Pennington County Sheriff Brian Mueller highlighted the age progression image as another valuable tool in the ongoing investigation. While the physical search has been exhaustive, law enforcement officials remain committed to following up on all leads as they tirelessly seek answers in this difficult and heartbreaking missing person case.

Serenity Dennard is described as having blue eyes and dark blonde hair. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is urged to contact the Pennington County Sheriff's Office at 605-394-6115 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Flashback 1992: Inside Sioux Falls Old Washington High School

The modern marvel that is YouTube never ceases to amaze me. Sure, there's plenty of garbage there, but you can also find some gems.

Like this video from 1992. It's a sort of video time capsule of the old Washington High School in Sioux Falls. If you came to The Queen City in the last couple of decades, you may only know the building downtown as the Washington Pavilion, a center of Sioux Falls arts and culture.

Before it was the Pavilion, the corner of Main Avenue and 11th Street in Sioux Falls was home to many of the city's schools for most of the 20th century.

Built on the site of the former Central School, WHS's first class of 328 students started in 1908. It was the only high school in Sioux Falls until Lincoln High was completed in 1965.

The class of 1992 was the last class of Sioux Falls to graduate from the old Washington High. That fall the new WHS, constructed on N. Sycamore Ave on the east side of the city, took over the name and educational mission.

Check out the shots below for a flashback to 1992.