Missing Wisconsin Teen Serenity Sunde Found Safe

When a teenager goes missing, entire communities hold their breath until she's home. That collective sigh of relief came Monday when Serenity Marie Sunde returned safely to her family in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

The 16-year-old had been reported missing and endangered last week. Police issued a statewide alert on Friday, mobilizing law enforcement across Wisconsin to help bring her home.

Details about where Serenity was found or the circumstances of her disappearance haven't been released. What matters most is what the Village of Pewaukee Police Department confirmed Monday: she's safe, and she's back with her family.

Sunny's Take

Behind every missing person alert are parents checking their phones obsessively, siblings sleeping in their sister's room, and friends posting on every social media platform they can find. For Serenity's family, those agonizing days of waiting are over.

The quick response from law enforcement and the public's attention to the statewide alert helped bring this search to the ending every family prays for. When communities come together to watch out for vulnerable kids, it works.

Cases like Serenity's remind us why those amber alerts on our phones matter. They're not interruptions but lifelines that can help bring someone's daughter, sister, or friend back home.

Tonight, there's one less empty chair at a Pewaukee dinner table.