Cherrie Mahan’s mother still searching for answers
Janice McKinney doesn’t get many updates these days about the potential whereabouts of her daughter, Cherrie Mahan, but when a rare message does come along, she can get emotional.
Recently, McKinney saw a rendering of what the adult Cherrie, who was 8 at the time of her disappearance Feb. 22, 1985, might look like today, 38 years later.
“I was at work and the woman came in with the picture of her and I just started crying because it looked just like Cherrie,” McKinney said. “When they’re growing up you never realize what they’re going to look like. I pray that it looks like her.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 22, McKinney performed her ritual commemorating the anniversary of her daughter’s disappearance at 1136 Cornplanter Road in Winfield Township. She walked up and down the street where she and Cherrie used to live, and then gathered in a circle with her close friends to pray for the best.
On that Friday in 1985, Cherrie got off the school bus near 1136 Cornplanter Road, according to the bus driver and students who were on the bus at the time. There were reports that Cherrie was taken into a van painted with a decal of a skier on a mountain.
Law enforcement refers to Cherrie’s disappearance as a kidnapping, as does her mother. Cherrie was declared legally dead in 1998 and the judge set her death date as Feb. 22, 1992, seven years after her disappearance. Yet, McKinney is still hoping someone will come forward with information about her.
“Every single day I think about Cherrie,” McKinney said. “Truthfully, I’m feeling hopeful, and I’m always going to be hopeful that somebody says something.”
The case of Cherrie’s disappearance continues to be investigated, according to Trooper Josh Black, state police public information officer for Troop D.
Black said new leads on the case are welcomed by police, but the case has become less talked about over the years.
“It’s still an open case in our criminal investigation unit. In older cases in general, the trouble is getting in touch with people; they may move. Older cases, you’re running into people passing away that we want to contact,” he said.
Black said part of the process is going back through old files and talking to old suspects, witnesses and family members.
Any information could mean a break in the case, he added.
“If someone recalls something from that day, if they overheard something or saw something on social media, you should always call to let us look into it further,” he said. “Even if you think it’s insignificant, we still want you to call. Let the investigators determine that.”
Black said tips can be shared by calling Troop D Barracks at 724-284-8100, or submitting information anonymously through Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at crimewatchpa.com/crimestoppers.
A photo of Cherrie’s face was the first to appear on the “Have you seen me?” ads produced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
McKinney said another reason she continues to observe the anniversary of her daughter’s disappearance is to keep her name around in case anyone might have some information.
“This is my mission, to make everybody aware,” McKinney said. “I think the more light that is shed on the case, the better the chances will be.”
Carol Hines, McKinney’s sister from Saxonburg, said many people from the community still support McKinney and her hope for answers.
“When she says hopeful, that’s what parents who have lost their kids should be,” Hines said. “That’s what keeps you going; you have to have hope.”
McKinney said she still thinks about the wrongness of her 8-year-old daughter being taken from the school bus stop, which is another aspect of the case that keeps her motivated.
“Cherrie didn’t deserve to be taken and that breaks my heart,” McKinney said. “People think I forget, but it’s always on my mind.”
