Missing Persons Awareness Day: Annual Event in Pittsburgh

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 3 minutes read

An annual event held in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood raises awareness of missing people in the area. Friday's event recognized the hundreds of missing people in Allegheny County and across the state. According to recent figures, 503 children and adults are missing in Pennsylvania. The event was intended to prevent another person from being added to this list. Project Lifesaver is free technology for Allegheny County residents. It's for those who care for people who might wander or need to keep children close. Project Lifesaver is the size of a wristwatch and emits a tracking signal. The program issues bracelets to identify the location of dementia patients or vagrants. > Learn more about the Lifesaver project IDs and fingerprints have also been made available. Janice McKinney, Cherrie Mahan's mother, spoke at Missing Persons Awareness Day. >> Learn more about the National Child ID program. “It will be 40 years in February since Cherrie was kidnapped. Next August she will be 48 years old. And, you know, I'm a little emotional because I'm living vicariously through all my friends, you know, my friends, their kids are getting married, I'm so excited because I get to go to a wedding, something I've never had the opportunity to do,” McKinney said. Cherrie was only 8 years old. 1985, when she got off her school bus in Butler County and never returned home. Mahan is one of hundreds of people still missing who the event honors by showing ways to protect or find their family members. McKinney said although the past four decades have been difficult, she never gave up. This comes even after a woman called state police and posted claiming to be Cherrie. “When I first saw the message, it shook me. But my spider mom said to me, 'I don't know if you'd take this for real,' but whatever happens, I “Always have a glimmer of hope,” McKinney said. McKinney said police were able to obtain the woman's fingerprints and prove she was not Cherrie. She says she will always hope and is working to make sure no one else goes through what she went through.

PITTSBURG —

An annual event held in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood aims to raise awareness about missing people in the area.

The event Friday recognized the hundreds of people missing in Allegheny County and across the state. According to recent figures, 503 children and adults are missing in Pennsylvania.

The event was intended to prevent another person from being added to this list. Project Lifesaver is free technology for Allegheny County residents. It's for those who care for people who might wander or need to keep their children close.

Project Lifesaver is the size of a wristwatch and emits a tracking signal. The program issues bracelets to identify the location of dementia patients or vagrants.

> Learn more about the Lifesaver project

Identification documents and fingerprints were also made available.

Janice McKinney, Cherrie Mahan's mother, spoke at Missing Persons Awareness Day.

>> Learn more about the National Child ID program.

“It will be 40 years in February since Cherrie was kidnapped. In August, she will be 48 years old. And, you know, I'm a little emotional because I live vicariously through all my friends, you know, my friends, their “I'm married, I'm so excited because I get to go to a wedding, something I've never had the opportunity to do,” McKinney said.

Cherrie was just 8 years old in 1985 when she got off her school bus in Butler County and never returned home. Mahan is one of hundreds of people still missing who the event honors by showing ways to protect or find their family members.

McKinney said although the past four decades have been difficult, she never gave up. This comes even after a woman called state police and posted claiming to be Cherrie.

“When I first saw the message, it shook me. But my spider mom said to me, 'I don't know if you'd take this for real,' but whatever happens, I “Always have a glimmer of hope,” McKinney said.

McKinney said police were able to obtain the woman's fingerprints and prove she was not Cherrie. She says she will always have hope and is working to make sure no one else goes through what she went through.