Senator Lynne DiSanto’s grandstanding on the February disappearance of a nine-year-old child got her some airtime with Nancy Grace. In the interview, DiSanto misrepresents the weather situation of the day the child went missing and the terrain, falsely claims the facility from which the child went missing had no plan or protocol for dealing with a runaway, and suggests that the Pringle polygamist camp may have kidnapped the child.
I would say that simply appearing on a program purporting to discuss “the day’s most shocking crimes” is inappropriate, since there is no evidence that any crime took place in this missing-child case. And Grace’s portrayal of DiSanto as “a leader in the search” misrepresents who’s actually leading the search.
Hill City Prevailer reporter Leslie Silverman says DiSanto’s and Grace’s sensationalization of this missing-child case is deceitful and insulting to the people doing the real work of searching for the missing child:
Please know that I am in no way making light of this situation. I have friends who are on the search and rescue teams that are looking… and I know how hard they have worked. I have been to the children’s home and I am certain the staff there is caring and competent. Yes, I think mistakes were made during this time fram. Yes, I believe that keeping [the] case at the forefront of the public eye in the hopes that she will be found ASAP is crucial.
I do not believe sensationalizing this case is the way to do that. It makes all the people who have worked so hard to locate her, so hard to care for her, look like buffoons. And this incident shouldn’t be about anything other than finding [her] [Leslie Silverman, “Nancy Disgrace and Disgraceful Senator,” Hill City Prevailer, 2019.06.12.]
DiSanto should respect the families and the law enforcement professionals involved and let them conduct their search without turning it into and over-hyped and falsehood-riddled media circus. Shouting falsehoods and self-aggrandizement doesn’t bring anyone home.
I read this article, “The Invisible Victims”. I wish being missing would be considered evidence. The perception about the child may play a larger role than people looking for her would admit. “https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/a27560457/native-american-women-missing/?utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=socialflowFBMAR&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2VKFA6iwbYffQRaRGjagby0qlZTa-5z4fSV_hEfuOgk3rXR9NnSkdGYZA
Corey,
Thanks for bringing this to light. In my 50+ years on this earth I have never seen a politician stoop so low as to use the disappearance of a child to boost their public profile (seems very Al Sharpton-like).
According to Black Hills Fox News – as of May 9th, “DiSanto raised $2,000 through local fundraisers like raffles and auctions. DiSanto also created a GoFundMe page to raise $30,000 for possible funeral costs.” Also, “Several dollars will also go to online advertisements on DiSanto’s social media pages.” These social media pages (Facebook) just happen to be her DiSanto for Senate page, helping to drum up more followers and potential future voters. Nothing like profiteering from someone else’s tragedy.
I’m sure Pennington County Sheriff Thom (Republican) wants to reign in this lackluster and self-serving “effort”, especially when Dennard’s family has specifically asked DiSanto to stop. Stating: “The situation is terrible enough without her (DiSanto’s) cruel and un-professional statements.” But alas, it would become a political firestorm of sorts.
Bottom line, the Hill City Prevailer got it right. The Pennington County Search and Rescue Team along with the Pennington County Sheriff’s office and many others have been conducting the most extensive search ever done. Let’s give them the credit and support they need, not a politically motivated, inaccurate and downright disrespectful diatribe of garbage that does nothing to help the efforts. I just hope that the voters of District 35 will see this as a shining example of their Senator’s true colors.
I think distanko is gonna be taking a run at a higher office, like governor or to the right of our rubber stamper Dust bunny. Hey, has anyone asked any of our three amigos if they have bothered to read to Mueller Report? My guess is no on both sides.
Is the evidence that Serenity froze to death any stronger than the evidence that she was abducted?
Some journalists have created the impression that her death is a simple fact, almost as if they don’t want people to be on the lookout for her, but it sure seems to be taking a long time to find the body.
“Kurt Evans” gives Men from Mars opinion on the death of this little girl. There was a plane load of folks that went down someplace in the Indian Ocean. Plane and all cannot be found after years of searching. Quick, someone tell distanko and “Kurt Evans” that there is a grift that will work on that one as well.
Kurt, before you practice up on you sleuthing skills, maybe you should practice up on you debate prep.
Kurt,
Everyday there are reports of missing and/or abducted children, the numbers are staggering. No one has any idea if some like Serenity are dead or alive.
In Rapid City yesterday the Pennington County Sheriffs office intervened on a child kidnap case and arrested the kidnapper who happened to be the father.
The baby survived a 100 per mile chase and crash.
The absolute worst thing that can happen is for a bunch of people gossiping about what happened to Serenity. The police and investigators know a lot more then they are saying.
Kudos to Silverman for calling out Stormy DiSanto and her grandstanding on this very sad situation.
And the info from the scene is pretty clear: the child ran away. She was not abducted from the Children’s Home.
May we not forget that the second to last previous search resulted in cadaver dogs detecting human remains. They may or may not be those of Serenity. They have not been recovered because the dogs were unable to pinpoint the source of the scent. The dogs can detect odors from huge distances but the wind doesn’t allow for narrowing the search area. It’s a long, detailed, difficult process that is meticulously planned and laid out on the landscape that is rugged, rocky and difficult to negotiate. Orienteering and extensive outdoor skills are essential to conduct a successful search and DiSanto has neither. And let us also not forget that the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office has followed up on hundreds of leads, served numerous search warrants, and conducted hundreds of interviews during this investigation and come up with no substantive evidence that this little girl was abducted or spirited away to a new life someplace. Evan’s ought to understand something about searches and investigations before letting his fingers fly over the keys and DiSanto holds herself out to be something she’s not…….. An honest, genuine, responsible and respectable representative of the public.
I’d asked:
Cory writes:
That may be true, Cory, but I’m wondering how you claim to know.
Roger Cornelius writes:
From my perspective that’s not good.
“JW” writes:
How could a judge legally issue search warrants if Serenity just ran away and froze to death?
My comments have been careful and deliberate.
“Bahlake” writes:
If you’re referring to last year’s candidate forums, I thought I did a pretty good job.
Kurt,
Your “perspective” doesn’t really matter much.
LEO’s and the courts are notorious in withholding information in potential criminal cases, especially when that information is about minors.
I’d written:
Roger Cornelius writes:
Yes, unfortunately I’ve had an abundance of personal experience with such “potential” criminal cases, and from my perspective law enforcement’s penchant for concealing and often contradicting the truth isn’t good.
Kurt, how do I know? From the evidence given by the people on the scene:
The child was not plucked from the Children’s Home by some individual. The child ran away from the facility.
It continues to baffle me why so many on this thread are arguing about the elements of the search, who is doing what, etc., etc. when they all have missed the point of the original post. Here you have a sitting state senator who is using the disappearance of a little girl to further her (state senator’s) political career while accepting money in order to do so! A sad state of affairs when we, the public, allow corruption and evil-doing to become the norm while we armchair quarterback those who are working hard to find this little girl. Shameful.
Nailed it Black Hills Bob, grifting is now an acceptable practice of the SDGOP. They all now approve of it as they refuse to refute. We citizens pay the police to cover all possibles, that is why investigations sometimes take so long. In this tragic high profile case, the police are quite able to perform searches everywhere they think the investigation can take them. While they make mistakes, as all professionals do, I think that they are doing the best they can and they have even reached out to more professionals in the field of cadaver search. Finding someone under deep ice and deep snow in the forest, is an almost impossible task.
Distanko is the face of the republican party, just another grifter looking for a handout for preying on people’s emotions. I didn’t think anyone would stoop so low as to make money on a little girl’s death, but distanko has lowered herself into that swamp.
Thanks Jerry. I’m not sure, however, if I agree with you on DiSanto being the “face” of the party. I do think though that she continues to play on the party faithful’s lack of digging deeper into what she and other candidates/elected officials are truly made of. In western South Dakota, and in other pockets of the state, it doesn’t matter who or what you are, if you have an “R” next to your name people will vote for you – no questions asked. (Granted, I had an uncle who was just the opposite back in the day. He would vote for anyone who had a “D” next to their name!) It’s time for the Republican party to call people like her and others out. It doesn’t have to be publicly but it has to be done. South Dakota needs honest, respectful people serving in all elected capacities, especially in the legislature. We can’t continue to elect those who take advantage of unfortunate situations or who serve only themselves and not their constituents. I hope District 35 voters are watching closely and that someone – either Democrat or Republican or both – steps up and takes a stand against this self-centered, egotistical, and self-serving state senator.
I appreciate Black Hills Bob’s focus on the real situation that should concern us. A state senator is sensationalizing a sad story to boost her image (and raise money). That’s more than tacky.
This is so accurate. Disanto raised all this money she promised to give to law enforcement for the searches. Once she got the money she retracted that statement and deleted it. Now she all of a sudden has a fancy new website.
Stephanie, what’s the link to DiSanto’s new website?
Cory writes:
For support Cory quotes the Rapid City Journal:
So your assertions are based on the statements of the same group home executive who falsely claimed that staff had called 911 right away. How does he supposedly know any of this?
Also from the Rapid City Journal:
“jerry” writes:
Do you mean with or without warrants?
Are the ice and snow still deep in mid June?
Hungry coyotes, fox, skunks, raccoons, badgers, bob cats, mountain lions, crows, eagles, etc.. When you’re dead, nature has ways of disposing of your mortal remains to cleanse the forest.
Are you really as daft as you make yourself out to be? I think you’re loosing it “Kurt Evans”. Please stay out of the parks as the squirrels will get you.
In a couple of hours it will be the start of summer and I’m certain that there are still pockets in parts of the hills that have ice and snow coverings.
You know, places up there that rarely if ever see the sunshine.
Maybe she will be found, maybe not. Maybe it may take years as this forest is pretty dense.
“RAPID CITY, S.D. – Bones found by loggers on Monday in a heavily wooded area south of Keystone are among few clues that remain to the identity of what was once a living person.
The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office cleared the scene about a mile off Iron Mountain Road and now is searching for answers to some hard questions.” Rapid City Journal 3.23.2011
From same article:
“Michael Berry of Rockerville left a note for his brother-in-law that he was going hiking but never returned. Berry was last seen June 8, 2006, while asking Keystone residents about the best way to hike to the Holy Terror Mine area, according to Journal archives. He was 61 years old at the time.”
I’d asked:
“jerry” had written:
I’d asked:
“jerry” writes:
Okay, so is the evidence that Serenity Dennard ran away and froze to death any stronger than the evidence that she was abducted?
Yes “Kurt Evans”, we call that winter. Okay, so the evidence is in that disantos is making some cash from this whole tragedy of the missing little girl. How much do you think disantos is making on this whole deal? Not that you would know unless you’re in on the grift, but how much do you think? Asking for a friend.
jerry
Kurt keeps asking an unknown question about what happened to Serenity.
We don’t know if Serenity was abducted o if she was a runaway, all indications from the sheriff’s office is that she ran away and thus far there is little reason to doubt them.
Perhaps this is a good time to raise the question as to was Serenity abducted and if so, what is the evidence.
The question raised by this thread is what DiSanto’s is doing with the funds raised.
Exactly Roger, “Kurt Evans” where’s the money? How much? Have you counted it?
“jerry” asks me:
I don’t think Senator DiSanto is making any money on this.
Kurt,
Unfortunately, you are wrong. Here’s the newsclip from Black Hills Fox from May 9th. https://www.blackhillsfox.com/content/news/509719561.html
As you’ll see, at least $2,000 was raised at that time, with a goal of $30,000 for a Go Fund Me page. One can assume that the amount has risen since May 9th.
I’d written:
“Black Hills Bob” replies:
There’s a difference between raising money and making money.
“Kurt Evans” What’s your payoff? A political endorsement perhaps?? What’s the difference between making money and raising money when you control the situation? You really are kind of silly.
“jerry” asks me:
I’m not expecting any payoff.
In this context, making money would normally mean profiting personally, and raising money would normally just mean collecting it.
“Kurt Evans” not expecting a payoff and getting a payoff are the same as making money and raising money when you control the situation.
I have no doubt that Kurt speaks nothing but what he considers to be the truth. Kurt does not tailor his messages, let alone promote lies, to pander to any political figure.
Cory writes:
Usually (ha ha). Belated thanks for the compliment, Cory.