Cherrie Mahan disappeared in 1985 after hopping off her school bus. On the night of March 31, 2006, medical student Brian Shaffer decided to party to celebrate the first day of spring break. In 2012 police released that over a cup full of Aylas blood was adjacent to her fathers bed. ", Pennsylvania State Police Officer Robert McGraw, referencing the ongoing investigation into Cherrie Mahan's disappearance. She was abducted after getting off her school bus and has never been seen or heard from since. By all accounts, McKinney cared deeply for Mahan and treated her as if she were his own daughter. [12], Pennsylvania State Police continue to receive tips and updates relating to Mahan's disappearance. Cherrie has never been heard from again. Home Mysteries The Disappearance of Cherrie Mahan. They combed through the farmland and fields They split up just before the disappearance as Tony was headed home. She was walking to get on the school bus and was only fifty feet from her house when she seems to have simply disappeared. Updated 10 times since October 12, 2004. Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. The story shocked the entire country because it caused parents to fear for the safety of their children even in the middle of the day. The mans body was never found. Cherrie Mahan was last seen on February 22nd 1985 in Cabot, Pennsylvania. The couple lived in Winfield Township, Butler County, Fliers were also placed in telephone and utility bills to raise nationwide awareness about her disappearance. A Seattle store worker turned the tables on an armed suspect during an attempted robbery on Monday, shooting and killing the would-be thief in an exchange of gunfire, authorities . After finding a bit of success Pichlers family begged him to come home to Washington in 2003, when he was sixteen years old. When Janine had a dream that she found Cherrie A distinctive van had been following the school bus and it was theorized whoever was in this van, abducted Cherrie. Girl", "Cherrie Mahan Missing: Penn. In 1966, 18-year-old Cheri Jo Bates was attacked after she left Riverside City College Library, California. BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. Thirty-eight years have passed since 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan stepped off her school bus in Cabot, Butler County, but never arrived home. Eight-year-old Mahan was living in rural Pennsylvania when she disappeared after getting off a school bus not far from her home on Feb. 22, 1985. Janice McKinney feels like she has nothing to lose in her search to find out what happened to her daughter. However, Mahan's horrifying disappearance changed everything. "I'll never forget, but I have forgiven.". Authorities also sent letters to people who were incarcerated to ask whether they had heard anything about the missing girl from other inmates. I worked 40 years in a nursing home. [33][n 6] Lacking any conclusive evidence to the contrary, investigators have not discounted the possibility Mahan may still be alive. Someone has to know something.. Burk saw Cherrie walking past a bluish-green Dodge van and then turn the corner to walk the last 150 . off Cornplanter Road where the family lived. 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. Team Adam investigators are Shawn Kofluk, a retired state police corporal, and Tom Maurer, a retired sheriff from Wayne County, Ohio. Child Find Case #: 11703. Im still hoping for the day she comes home and I can marry her off, she said.5, In November of 1998, Cherrie was declared legally dead. Cherrie Mahan was the first individual to whom this initiative was used in efforts to locate a missing child. From 2005: Girl's disappearance remains a mystery 20 years later. Three other students got off with her at the stop. For what motive, we dont know. She got off the bus with three other children. Now, Birckbichler is an Again the links to this new info are here: Here's the article- https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/02/18/mother-police-still-searching-for-butler-county-girl-cherrie-mahan/, And the TV news segment video- https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video/4452856-cherrie-mahans-mother-still-searching-35-years-after-disappearance/. Louise was the youngest of three children. Although authorities have not released the actual contents of the letter, they confirmed it included specific names and locations, which were thoroughly investigated. First published on February 19, 2020 / 7:48 PM. Cherrie's family had her declared legally deceased in 1992. These alibi drop off points were just four miles from each other. Her McKinney said Cherries father still lives in Butler County and was local to where she grew up in Clinton Township. According to police, the young girl was dropped off at a school bus stop located about 100 yards from her family's hilltop home in Cabot. Cherrie Ann Mahan. Pennsylvania, with their 8-year-old daughter,Cherrie Mahan. Here are the 15 Most Shocking Disappearances That'll Never Be Solved. On February 22, 1985, Cherrie Mahan got off of her school bus only blocks from her home. Her car remained in the driveway and there was no activity on her credit cards or phone after that night. They also run a website that shows the faces and stats of many missing persons in the country. There were also two other people in the home at the time of Aylas disappearance, her fathers girlfriend and his sister. The young man graduated from high school in Washington in 2005 and planned to move back to Hollywood the next year to continue acting. There was an intensified nationwide campaign to find missing children and photographs of Cherrie were featured on spaghetti boxes and tucked inside telephone and utility bills. List Enthusiast. Using investigative research combined with primary audio, Morbidology takes an in-depth look at true crime cases from all across the world. last we know of her is she got off the bus. [33] Three months earlier, she had donated the $50,000 reward sum for information leading to the safe return of her daughter to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Now, 35 years later, Janice McKinney just wants to know. In the morning her, her cigarettes, and her lighter were gone. However, none of their efforts led to any new or useful information. In 2014, Target 11 traveled to Michigan to investigate a tip that Cherrie was alive and living under another name. Although Mahan was legally declared dead in 1998, police and family still hold out hope. In 2011 the case was reopened but Holloway was eventually declared dead. [9] 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. On August 10, one-year-old Shane Walker disappeared from the same park. A Butler County judge approved a petition from Janice McKinney to do so in November that year. Police are looking for more than someone gives me the creeps tips, DeLuca said. She believes people connected to Cherrie's father were involved in her disappearance. Its very This open-ended mourning can wreak havoc on the mental health of family and loved ones. Active Missing People reports that the description matches the van Debbie Burk saw parked on the corner Cherrie Mahan would have passed on her way home. He told police that they lived together amicably but on the same day as her disappearance Lisa filed a court order to have him removed from their home. Today marks 38 years since 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan disappeared in Butler County. Trying to find information about this case is frustrating at best. Cherrie was known to be a cheerful little girl. 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. The case was never solved but it was picked back up by the Manhattan District Attorneys office in 2010. But they are trying. Jedesky retired in 2011, and another trooper was assigned to continue investigating Mahan's case. Show all. This image provided by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shows a copy scan of the original mailer flier of then 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan when she vanished 25 years ago Monday, Feb. 22, 1985 from a bus stop near her western Pennsylvania home. Eyes: Hazel. of the road. He was reported missing and his father searched for him high and low. This young woman was celebrating her high school graduation with friends in Aruba in 2005. When ten minutes had elapsed and Mahan had not arrived, her mother and stepfather began to worry. #CherrieMahan Cherrie's father maintains his innocence in her case. When her father went in to check on her the next morning she had completely vanished. According to Morbidology, authorities also launched a national campaign to print her photos and a description of the van on grocery products. Calico left for her daily bike ride at 9:30 AM in New Mexico on September 20, 1988. On 22 February, 1985, 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan hopped off her school bus in Winfield Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania. Cherrie was last seen getting off the bus from her elementary school on February 22, 1985, around 4:05 p.m. Three other students joined her at the bus stop. However, he was eventually ruled out as he had a confirmed alibi on the day Mahan vanished. to Cherrie or her disappearance. State police welcomed two investigators from Team Adam of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to the Butler station last week. 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.It was February 22, 1985, when a school bus dropped Mahan off at her stop on Cornplanter Road in Winfield Township. []. On 22 February, 1985, 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan hopped off her school bus in Winfield Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania. MicroComputers, a Pittsburgh company, donated a By April, neighbours and family had raised $39,000 as a reward These psychic detective mediums volunteer their services to families of victims and police. Death and dying is something I know about, she said. If nothing else, she'll always be in our hearts. The [8], Cherrie Ann Mahan[n 1] was born in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, on August 14, 1976. The Vincent sisters dont think Cherrie is alive but they hold out hope for the family. Within weeks, up to 250 people and several helicopters were scanning the region for Mahan or the van that was seen on the corner. 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. Cherrie's case has never been solved. The terrain around her home was extensively searched with the assistance of bloodhounds and helicopters, and investigators conducted house to house inquiries. "Someone knows what happened to her for sure. Height: 4'2. mother, Janice. Tipsters can remain anonymous. A pedophile still is a possibility, McKinney said. Here are the exact passages from the article: "Janice believes there is a connection between her rape, Cherries birth, and eight years later her disappearance I do, I believe that but I cant prove anything, she says. Although she did not witness anything unusual, Chilling Crimes reports Burk said she did notice another van parked at the corner Mahan would have to pass. She was only eight-years-old when she disappeared. It wasnt until 2006 that the government openly claimed that they thought he was dead and had no idea where his remains could be. They have held this secret all these years and its eating away. There is only one similar story of a child being murdered in Ireland, that of Robert Holohan in January 2005. Cherries disappearance became national news. You would think a child would be safe to walk such a short distance I hope the parents dont blame themselves. There is so little out there and its scattered everywhere. acknowledged her or attempted to have any kind of relationship wit She was unhappy with the relationship that she was cultivating with her fiance. Though Craig was a person of interest in the matter he has never been arrested for the disappearance of Lisa Stebic. been abducted. Cherrie was officially declared dead in November 1998. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Investigative Agency: Pennsylvania State Police, Troop D, Butler Station at (724) 284-8100 or Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Missing Persons Unit at (717) 783-5524. [12] In late 1984, the family relocated to Cornplanter Road in Butler County. Her mother is adamant that these items were dropped as Calico tried to mark her path. Janice McKinney says authorities did not believe her rape allegation and Cherries biological father was never charged. The family eventually moved to the quiet suburb of Winfield Township, Pennsylvania, where LeRoy was employed as a postal worker. According toActive Missing People, authorities also ruled out kidnapping for ransom, as the family never received any ransom demands. Mahan's biological father remains a "person of interest" in the child's abduction. third grade. Although it was suggested that her biological father might have been involved, authorities were never able to tie him to the assumed abduction. She fell asleep first on the balcony before waking up around 5:30 am to have a cigarette. But they are trying harder and upping their efforts to find answers around the anniversary of the 8-year-old's disappearance Feb. 22, 1985. Cherrie Mahan would be 42 years old today. [30] 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. In 1994, a Massachusetts man was questioned by police after he was. Letters and posters were sent to every television station and Efforts to locate Mahan, alive or deceased, are ongoing. But unfortunately, many of these crimes still go unsolved. Cherrie Mahan, born August 14, 1976, was an eight-year-old child from Butler County, Pennsylvania when she was abducted on Friday, February 22, 1985 around 4o'clock pm, just moments after stepping off the school bus, which was approximately 100 yards from her home along a road in rural Winfield Township. Then in 2015, cadaver dogs descended on a Winfield property Her case info. They also said another tip led them to search an Armstrong junkyard and an old mine shaft in Butler County within the last year. Although Mahan was legally [] every week day. Craig had filed for divorce months before she disappeared but the couple continued living together. Hopefully, over time, it has started to eat away at them or someone they confided in, DeLuca said. If nothing else, shell always be in our hearts, said her mother. Oil City, PA 1 day ago. Although the circumstances were difficult, Janice formed a close bond with her daughter, and the publication described their relationship as "extremely close." Cherrie, circa 1985; Age-progression to age 44 (circa 2020); Sketches of van possibly involved. In 1994, they learned the man had abducted and killed one child and attempted to abduct another. However, the little girl seemingly vanished into thin air and was never seen again. Brown hair, hazel eyes. If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Pennsylvania State Police 412-284-8100. They played for a while. This was the last time that she was seen. In 1985, an eight-year-old girl named Cherrie Mahan seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. That afternoon like usual Cherrie was seen climbing off the WINFIELD TOWNSHIP A new appeal is being made as a grim anniversary occurs today for a family in a township along the Butler-Armstrong county line. It is unknown if the car has anything to do with her case either. Cherrie Mahan only had to walk around the corner and go up her 150-foot driveway to make it home where her parents were waiting for her.