Woman claims to be Pennsylvania girl who disappeared in 1985

By IE Staff

First published: 10:40 a.m. PDT, June 5, 2024

A woman has come forward claiming to be Cherrie Mahan, who disappeared from a Pennsylvania bus stop in 1985 when she was eight years old, according to reports.

Cherrie disappeared from the bus stop near her home in Winfield Township, Butler County, in 1985. Now, 39 years later, a woman has come forward claiming to be Cherrie. She posted in a Facebook group called “Memoirs of Cherrie Mahan” last month: USA today reported. His comment was then passed on to the police.

“I have spoken to the police, they are investigating, this is very hard for me, so please know that I see everything,” Cherrie's mother, Janice McKinney, wrote in the group.

The woman has since been banned from the Facebook group and her posts deleted, a group administrator wrote.

She is the fourth woman over the years to impersonate Cherrie, according to the New York Post.

“I really believe she thought in her mind that she was Cherrie. It didn't sound anything like Cherrie,” McKinney told the Eagle Butler.

Claiming that every false statement related to her daughter hurts her, McKinney said, “If you wanted your 15 minutes of fame, you've already wasted it.” People are mean, they're cruel, but it really drives me crazy. It's been 40 years since Cherrie disappeared.”

Pennsylvania State Police did not respond to Inside Edition Digital's request for comment. Agency spokeswoman Bertha Cazy told the Butler Eagle that they were investigating the woman's claim that she was Cherrie, but “they have not made contact with her based on information from contact information she provided.

The department is also working with a foreign agency to try to find the woman.

Cherrie was last seen getting off the bus at the stop at the bottom of her driveway just after 4 p.m. on February 22, 1985.

Normally, her mother would have been at the bus stop to meet Cherrie, but on this day, the little girl was going to walk the 200 feet home alone. “I should have been there when Cherrie got off the school bus, and I wasn’t,” McKinney told CNN in 2011. “Four o'clock, the bus came and we heard her. And she just never came into the aisle.”

Although there was snow on the ground the day Cherrie disappeared, there were no footprints leading to her house, which investigators say indicates she was recovered quickly. Children on the Cherrie school bus described a unique-looking van parked behind the bus stop at the time, and authorities believe that could be a clue.

“A bright blue 1976 Dodge pickup truck with a mural of a mountain and a skier may be involved in her disappearance,” the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Robert McGraw told CNN in 2011 that he believed Cherrie was kidnapped by someone she knew.

“I believe Cherrie was kidnapped by someone she knows very well,” McGraw said. “And I believe this person had the ability to lure Cherrie to his vehicle without her thinking about it before she disappeared.”

Cherrie was last seen wearing a gray coat, blue denim skirt, blue leggings and beige boots. Anyone with information about Cherrie's case can call police at 724-284-8100, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 724-284-8100. missingchildren.orgor Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or p3tips.com.

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