McKinney said Cherrie's father still lives in Butler County and was local to where she grew up in Clinton Township. Mahan's abduction is strongly believed not to have been committed by a family member. alongside around 250 volunteers. Now 35 years later, Pennsylvania State Trooper Jim Long says the phone still rings at the Butler Barracks about Cherrie. Other witnesses stated they had seen a blue car following this van, and that the van was repainted black one or two weeks after Mahan's disappearance. Missing person fliers were distributed which described Cherrie as 4 feet 2 inches tall and 68 pounds with brown hair and hazel-eyes. It was described as having a snow capped mountain and skier mural painted on both of its sides. You kiss the face, you put them in the ground, and you say goodbye that's something I never had. She gave it to the police and Trp. ", Janice's reaction: "There are very mean people out there that try to get into the story I guess.". Not him personally but the people that he knows yes., Police are aware of McKinneys suspicions and have told her the man is adamant in his denials. A search of their driveway did not locate the child or any of her footprints upon the snow on the ground leading to her house, although they did discover a set of tire impressions in the driveway soil approximately fifty yards from their home. personal computer for volunteers to keep track of addresses. By April, neighbours and family had raised $39,000 as a reward National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Cherrie was then observed walking past a blue/green van that was parked near the bus stop, before turning the corner to walk up the driveway to her home. Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. Just read another article about it this morning that said that. In 1994,police questioned a Massachusetts man who was accused of abducting and killing a child and of attempting to abduct another child. Cherrie was known to be a cheerful little girl. Over the They donated the life insurance policy to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and put a car accident settlement they had given to Cherri to her brother for a trust fund. . The young married couple moved to Winfield Township and Leroy worked as a postal worker.They chose the area as itwas a quiet area and they thought it was the perfect place for Cherrie to grow up as there were many children who played outdoors and everyone felt so safe that they left their doors unlocked. The fliers also contained a description of the van following the school bus. Missing Since 02/22/1985 Missing From Cabot, Pennsylvania Classification . The individual named in this letter was a woman who had been adopted as a child and was unsure of her precise origins, although DNA testing later confirmed this woman was not Mahan. TIMELINE: Events Surrounding The Disappearance Of Cherrie Mahan. Her house was just fifty yards from the school stop and Debbie Burk, the mother of one of Cherrie's friends, saw Cherrie get off the bus and walk past her van. Efforts to locate Mahan, alive or deceased, are ongoing. Although investigators declined to release specific details as to this line of inquiry beyond stating the information sourced from an individual known to the child who had provided information with the potential to lead police to "a known specific actor or actors", a spokesman stated the information received had been "more specific" than any information investigators had received in many years. Someday I'm gonna know.". Its a kidnapping. She was last seen getting off the school bus about 100 yards from home. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children featured Mahan as the first missing child to be depicted upon postcards distributed nationwide alongside a headline reading, "Have You Seen Me?" He said that there had been no leads for years but said that they were still treating the case as a stranger abduction. 1 His family have no solid clues and no sightings to pin their hopes on, and no idea if they will ever see. She believes people connected to Cherrie's father were . Police were notified within an hour of Cherrie getting off the bus. But a couple of years after Cherrie disappeared, Janice shook herself out of here spiral of self-destruction and learned what she hopes others will take to heart, the power of forgiveness. Cherrie Mahan And Then They Were Gone In 1985, a bright, spunky 8-year-old girl got off the bus in Butler County, Pennsylvania. ", Trp. Cherrie was known to be a cheerful little girl. Powered by Shopify, Leroy worked as a postal worker.They chose the area as it, Witnesses claimed that there was also a blue car following the van that day. Long says, "There's been a lot of vans that we looked at. He later recollected he had intended to walk down the 150-yard driveway to meet his stepdaughter before his wife said: "No, it's a nice day. "That's what gave me peace in my life," she says. The After KDKA's report of a new revelation from Cherrie's mother, KDKA's John Shumway reports police received dozens of new tips. In late 1984, the family relocated to Cornplanter Road in Butler County. She believes people connected to Cherrie's father were involved in her disappearance. daily newspaper in the nation. Cherrie Ann Mahan NamUS Enter your email to receive notifications of new posts. Janice McKinney says authorities did not believe her rape allegation and Cherrie's biological father was never charged. The Disappeared Blog is a true crime blog dedicated to covering the stories of the missing and to their loved ones. Cherries biological father has never been charged in connection with her disappearance and maintains his innocence. Mahan was wearing a gray coat, a blue denim skirt, a white leotard, blue leg warmers, beige boots, and Cabbage Patch earmuffs. Likewise, the police say until they have evidence to the contrary, they have to assume there is still a chance Cherrie is alive. Despite the many tips authorities have received over the years, investigators have no new leads in her disappearance. It is up to the rest of us to take an even harder look at who is minding our children. . The only thing Trp. He maintains his innocence in his daughters disappearance. she kept the door unlocked every night in the hopes that it was a Is she alive, is she not alive, is she okay, is she not okay, is she with somebody are they taking care of her, are they not taking care of her? Dorothy Harriet Camille Arnold was a wealthy socialite and heiress. The police have said that unless the case veers in a different direction for some reason, Cherrie . Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. Then in 2015, cadaver dogs descended on a Winfield property That was the last time she was seen. Lacking any conclusive evidence to the contrary, investigators have not discounted the possibility Mahan may still be alive. The van had a snow-capped mountain and skier mural painted on both sides of the vehicle. "There was nobody that was a stranger to her," her mom says, "Like if you said her name she thought you knew her. Cherries abduction remains unsolved. . Learn how your comment data is processed. For what motive, we dont know. Her mother, Janice Mahan, was just 16 at the time she gave birth to her daughter, which she later confessed had been a result of her being raped at age 15. Most of these leads have been potential sightings of Mahan or the two vehicles observed in the vicinity of her abduction, although the child has never been found, and neither vehicle was ever located. Let her walk." PITTSBURGH,None Cherrie Mahan vanished from a Butler County neighborhood 26 years ago. The man, who wasn't identified . A local songwriter even wrote a song for Cherrie and several RSS: document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); document.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); As a mother of 3 I cant even imagine this. Children on the bus that day told police they saw a conversion van with a skier painted on the side. The question still remains: Who killed him? About 10 minutes after the school bus stopped outside their home and she still hadnt returned, her stepfather went out to look for her. Unfortunately, a thick fog fell across Winfield Township and the Cherrie Mahan's Mother Still Searching 35 Years After Disappearance Watch on Cherrie Mahan's mother is still searching, KDKA's John Shumway reports. Nonetheless, Janice doted on her daughter, who grew into a friendly, talkative child, later stating: "We were always together. In January 2011, Pennsylvania police received a new tip they deemed as "potentially crucial to the investigation in the future". Cherrie Mahan, age 8 (Photo provided by PA State Police) . Description above from the Wikipedia article Disappearance of Cherrie Mahan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. Missing in Pennsylvania: Unsolved Cases from the Keystone State, Killers in the Classroom: Case Studies of School Rampage Shooters. The Disappearance of Fredrick Valentich The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. ", by Chilling Crimes Pennsylvania State Police continue to receive tips and updates relating to Mahan's disappearance. Other children on the bus and a neighbour told police that they The cards were mailed to thousands of households around the country. She shared with us that Cherrie was the result of rape when Janice was 16. The woman in question denies that she is Mahan, but investigators said they have a lot of questions and interviews to do before making any determinations. The van has never been located or identified and investigators are still not sure if it was connected to Cherrie's case. State police said they are now tracking a possible sighting of the girl that happened months after she vanished. If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Missing Childrens Terms and Classifications. She was approximately 100 to 150 yards along a dirt driveway from her family's residence on Cornplanter Road in Cabot, Pennsylvania at the time she disappeared. Email Newsletter: And even harder, she says she had to find a way to forgive her own mother's guilt. At this event, stories and memories of Cherrie are shared. The van was following the school bus Cherrie had been riding in. based on something somebody claimed to have seen around the time of Cherries After finding her, he asked many times about what she could remember from the possible sighting. Theres been The mother was allegedly raped and conceived Cherrie. third grade. We almost hit Leroy. Upon being reported missing police searched the area around Cherries home for days, with the assistance of helicopters, bloodhounds, and 250 volunteers. Theonly other piece of evidence police had was tire marks that had been left in the snow at the bottom of the hill.Nobody saw Cherrie get into a van or car and nobody saw anybody taking Cherrie. Addressing the media following the conclusion of these legal proceedings, Janice McKinney stated: "When people die, you have a body. Long says, "Unfortunately that letter as a whole hasn't been very fruitful at this point. The vehicle has never been located or identified and its unclear if it was the vehicle used to abduct Mahan. Target 11's Rick Earle has uncovered a new lead in the case that has investigators working on new interviews and a DNA test in Michigan. "Without forgiveness, I was eating myself alive," she says. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "I truly believe that there is someone out there that knows exactly what happened," she says. Cherrie Mahan was born on August 14, 1985, to 16-year-old mother Janice Mahan. Her left arm had previously been broken below her left shoulder, but had healed by the time of her disappearance. Cherrie's mom doubts the van was even involved. about Cherrie. She was wearing Cabbage Notify me of follow-up comments by email. [] Morbidology reports Cherrie Mahans family and law enforcement agencies throughout the nation went to great lengths to make sure every media outlet and newspaper in the United States would distribute information about Mahan and the mysterious van. Shes disappeared. He was numb. On the morning of February 22, 1985, Cherries mother Janice accompanied her to the bus stop, approximately 50 yards away from their home. She was carrying a blue backpack with two straps and a cream colored top. She was declared legally dead in November 1998. However, none of their efforts led to any new or useful information. Cherrie Ann Mahan (August 14, 1976 disappeared February 22, 1985; declared legally dead November 5, 1998) was an eight-year-old American girl who disappeared on February 22, 1985, after disembarking a school bus approximately fifty feet from the base of the driveway to her home in rural Winfield Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania. / CBS Pittsburgh. been abducted. There was a van parked behind Debbie's van that Cherriehad to walk past. There are predators everywhere. "If they have information and they've been holding it for all these years, that they see what this woman has been living with her entire adult life and come forward and give that information to us.". Mahan accompanied her mother to the bus stop located approximately fifty feet from the base of the uphill driveway to their home. Cherrie stood 42 and weighed 68 pounds when she disappeared. Cherrie got off the bus that day in her grey coat, denim skirt, white leotard, blue leggings, and Cabbage Patch ear muffs. . Four of the attendees of this annual dinner are close friends of Mahan, who have each publicly stated the disappearance of their friend has had a profound impact on their lives, and that becoming mothers themselves has increased their empathy for Janice McKinney's sense of loss. When the school bus arrived, the two told each other they loved each other before Mahan boarded the bus. WINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - On a sunny Feb. 22, 1985, 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan got off her school bus on Cornplanter Road and headed to her driveway and her home. Somebody would have known who was driving a van with that design on both sides at the time. Copyright Disappeared Blog; All Rights Reserved /. Cherrie Mahan's trust fund was given to her younger brother, Robert, who was born four years after Mahan's disappearance. Her case info. The location of Cherrie Mahan, and the circumstances regarding her disappearance remains unknown. You would think a child would be safe to walk such a short distance I hope the parents dont blame themselves. The mother was allegedly raped and conceived Cherrie. "What a person might think may be insignificant, that may be the piece that we're looking for," he says. "Because I wasn't there that day. Cherrie's biological father has never been charged in connection with her disappearance and maintains his innocence. Investigators said they have received calls and emails about sightings periodically, but the main thing they want now is evidence. On the 6th of April, 1986, Anthonette Cayedito, 9, disappeared from her home in New Mexico after an unidentified man knocked at the door. Two of the children were Debbie's children and she gave a lift to another child who lived near her house. Some agencies state she disappeared from Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. If you have any information on the circumstances surrounding Cherrie's disappearance, please call the Pennsylvania State Police Missing Persons unit at 724-284-8100. rural community. There were some leads in the years that followed. But she does not believe he was involved in her disappearance? kept saying, My little girls gone. Cherrie was excited, as her mother was planning on taking her on a play date when she returned home from school. Up until that day, I was there every day to pick her up after school. A Friday. McKinney said the father knew a biker gang she felt was dangerous, but she doesn't know if they were violent. Location: Winfield Township, Pennsylvania Police said they are now doing DNA testing to rule out any possibility that the woman living in Michigan is not Cherrie Mahan. Get The Latest News Sent To Your Email! This line of inquiry failed to generate any significant leads. The van was parked on a corner and Cherriehad to turn at that corner and then walk up a hill to her house. Appeals as to sightings of the distinctive bluish-green Dodge van produced eyewitnesses who informed investigators they had seen a vehicle matching this description in New Kensington, traveling in the direction of Mount Pleasant. This is not over. But she does not believe he was involved in her disappearance? Mahan's local community raised $39,000 as a reward for Mahan's safe return, with a local business also pledging an additional $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of her abductor or abductors. They believed that Cherrie was abducted. To understand the depth of this mother's despair you need to know this: "I got raped and had Cherrie when I was 16 years old and she was 'IT' for me. transferred to her brother.6 This is not over. ", Sign up to get the latest true crime stories, new product releases and more, Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more . She believes that incident and the disappearance are related, and that "friends" of her alleged rapist (Cherrie's unnamed biological father) were responsible for Cherrie's disappearance. At the time of her disappearance, Mahan was eight years old. He was ruled out as a suspect when police confirmed he was in New York the day of Cherrie's disappearance. Cherries mother Janice later revealed that Cherrie was conceived through rape, and later went on to believe people involved with Cherries father may be responsible for her disappearance. Previous Stories: June 13, 2011: New Trooper Assigned To 25-Year-Old Missing Girl Case Almost 35 years later, Cherrie Mahan's mother still lives in Butler County, and she wants to know what happened to her daughter. Cherrie was last seen getting off of the bus from her elementary school at approximately 4:05 p.m. on February 22, 1985. There were further and multiple sightings of avan. The day Cherrie disappeared, Janice had the day off from work. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. Fisher, Bonnie S.; Lab, Steven P. (2010). Janice said: We heard the bus come and after five or tens minutes and Leroy said maybe she fell down, do you want me to go check? Word of the potential abduction spread quickly throughout the headquarters and a local grocer donated food for those assisting in the search. Did somebody knock her on the head and drag her into a car, did somebody say 'hey your mom said we're to pick you up and get in the car?' hell take her, she said. Nineteen years have gone by since anyone saw a young Irish man named Trevor Deely. Debbie Burk, a mother who lived near Cherrie's family, told the Associated Press in 1985 that she always sat . If nothing else, she'll always be in our hearts.". Her birth father had never Cherrie Mahan, eight years old. Janice McKinney says authorities did not believe her rape allegation and Cherries biological father was never charged. Those tips have prompted them to renew their call for anyone else with even small bits of info who were in the Cabot, Butler County, PA area that February 22, 1985 or who know information about the case to come forward with their information: Contact the State Police Butler barracks at 724-284-8100 with any info. Status: Still Missing; declared legally dead in 1998. Janice McKinney is holding out hope that after 35 years someone will have an attack of conscience and come forward with the tip police need. She would drive Robert to and from school, and even walks him into the building. Cherrie's father maintains his innocence in her case. The Mysterious Disappearance of Cherrie Mahan Grunge, Filed Under: Still Missing Tagged With: 1985, Pennsylvania, Still Missing. Cherrie Mahan's family and friends hold an annual remembrance dinner at a restaurant in East Butler on a date close to each anniversary of her disappearance. Cherrie Mahan's family and members of law enforcement gathered at the Saxonburg Memorial Church 30 years after her unsolved disappearance. for Cherries safe return.3 Local businesses pledged another $10,000 for information He interviewed a women, named Clover, who claims she was abducted as a child, and she looks a lot like this girl. CABOT, Pa. Feb. 22 marked 36 years to the day that an 8-year-old Butler County girl was abducted after getting off her school bus on Cornplanter Road in Cabot. In 1995, the case was taken over by state Trooper Frank Jendesky. Cherrie lived with her mother and stepfather, Leroy McKinney, in Winfield Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. February 04, 2022, "The criminal justice system will take a hard look at what happened to Matthew Eappen. Target 11's Rick Earle has uncovered a new lead in the case that has . This is a follow up to the Cherrie Mahan post a few days ago, I mentioned in it there was a new big news story about her I saw in passing on our local TV. At the time of her disappearance, Cherrie attended Winfield Elementary School, where she was regarded as a popular, bright and happy child. Bloodhounds were unable to pick up Cherries trail past the point where the blue van had stopped. In November of 2015 cadaver dogs were sent to search a property in Winfield based on a tip theyd received, but no sign of Cherrie was found. Cherrie Ann Mahan (disappeared February 22, 1985; declared legally dead November 5, 1998) was an eight-year-old American girl who disappeared on February 22, 1985 after disembarking a school bus approximately fifty feet from the base of the driveway to her home in rural Winfield Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania. Her name is Cherrie Mahan, and she went missing here in Cabot, Pennsylvania in 1985. Subscribe to WTAE . Missing Date: Fri, Feb 22 1985. Cherrie Mahans Disappearance Haunts Her Mother 35 Years Later Trib Live PITTSBURGH,None Cherrie Mahan vanished from a Butler County neighborhood 26 years ago. Cherrie, circa 1985; Age-progression to age 44 (circa 2020); Sketches of van possibly involved. So did somebody know her? radio stations picked it up and played it on air hoping to generate some tips In the early years, she turned to drugs to dull the pain and sold everything she had, "just to get another high because that pain was killing me, it was just killing me.". Janice and her husband Leroy were in their home at the top of the hill waiting for Cherrie to get home so they could take her to a play date with friends. Like the possible sightings of women who could have been Cherrie in Michigan and New Jersey, both were ruled out. According to Chilling Crime, Mahan, along with three other children, exited the bus at approximately 4:10 p.m. Debbie Burk was parked in her van at the bus stop, waiting for her two children and another child who she had agreed to drive home. It was like the Earth opened up and she fell in, said her If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Cherrie Mahan please contact the Pennsylvania State Police Missing Persons Unity at (412) 284-8100. 1 Comment, "My family and myself are good, decent and very honest people. Your email address will not be published. Her mother believes Cherrie's biological father or someone he knows had something to do with Cherrie's disappearance. The big news is Cherrie's mother says she believes she knows who took her. "Not him personally but the people that he knows yes. She was last seen wearing a gray coat, blue denim skirt, blue leg warmers, and . 4. It was the 22ndof February, 1985, when Janice ", by Chilling Crimes Emphasizing her belief that an anonymous tip from the public could finally give herself and her family the closure they crave, McKinney stated to the media: "I just wish someone would come forth and tell me what happened. An unidentified small blue car was also observed near the bus stop that day, but it is unknown if it had anything to do with her case. Her June 14, 2011 at 5:20 pm EDT. Some missing information: her mother, Janice, had Cherrie at 16 after being raped. When no leads developed, a national direct mailing company, ADVO, put Cherrie's imageon postcards with the question "Have you seen me?" "That would be a blessing to me if they would call me and just say it's over," she says. for Missing and Exploited Children.7. "It's amazing after all these years we still get a lot of inquiries a lot of information, a lot of tips, sometimes we'll get a couple a week, other times it may go months and we don't hear anything," he says. In 2020, McKinney revealed her conviction that although she does not believe Cherrie's biological father was involved in her abduction, she believes individuals known to him were. The couple lived in Winfield Township, Butler County, Janice had moved to Mars with Leroy and the couple now had a 5-year-old son, Robert. She just disappeared, he said.2. They combed through the farmland and fields Updated 10 times since October 12, 2004. Cherrie was last seen wearing a white leotard, a gray coat, a blue denim skirt, white stockings, blue leg warmers, beige ankle boots, and brown Cabbage Patch earmuffs. Nobody went anywhere alone and I used to think my parents used it as a scare tactic, never realized it was true! Authorities believe Cherrie was kidnapped, though no person if interest has ever been named in her case.
