When an 8-year-old girl disappeared from a bus stop in Pennsylvania 35 years ago, most people wondered if they would ever see her again. Now, there is a woman who is claiming to be her.
It started in February 1985 when Cherrie Mahan was dropped off by the school bus but she disappeared and no one had heard from her since. Now, an unidentified woman is claiming to be that girl.
The woman came on to the ‘Memories of Cherrie Mahan’ Facebook group in May 2024 and made a post. That post has now been flagged and sent to the state police who are investigating.
Around the time that Cherrie disappeared, a 1976 blue Dodge van with a mural of the skier on the mountain was seen nearby. The case, which is currently still active, had it marked as a possible clue.
Cherrie’s mother, Janice McKinney, is skeptical about the claims that this woman is her daughter. She said: “I truly believe she thought in her mind that she was Cherrie. It did not look anything like Cherrie at all.”
There has been a $5000 reward offered for any information leading to her or to the arrest of someone involved in her disappearance. This woman is the fourth who has come forward to claim to be the missing girl.
Unfortunately, Janice has grown accustomed to these types of claims, as they usually crop up around the anniversary of her daughter’s birthday or disappearance.
“This just hit me different,” she continued. “I didn’t even see it. Someone called me and told me about it.”
“If you wanted your 15 minutes of fame, you’ve already blown it,” she said. “People are mean, they are cruel, but this affects me really crazy. It’s gonna be 40 years since Cherrie’s been missing.”
The police are still trying to identify and contact the woman. Her post has been removed from the Facebook group.
The family would just like some closure. We hope they are eventually able to find what they are looking for.