A large crowd of people and several media outlets attended the event “40 Years, One Mission, Bring Cherrie Home” held at the Saxonburg VFW on Sunday Feb. 22 to reignite efforts to find answers in the disappearance of Cherrie Mahan. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle

Saturday marked 40 years since Cherrie Mahan disappeared after getting off her school bus near her Winfield Township home.

The 8-year-old girl seemingly disappeared without a trace, prompting her mother, Janice McKinney, to hold annual vigils that keep her daughter’s memory alive and encourage the public to speak up.

The community has responded, over and over again with tips, said Cpl. Max DeLuca, who had been the lead investigator on the case for about seven years. He said he’s found it frustrating sometimes to have information that just isn’t substantial enough to bring the case to a close.

A side-by-side shows the image of Cherrie Mahan at 8, the age she was at the time of her disappearance, and a rendering of what she might look like today, shared by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Submitted

But that shouldn’t discourage the public. In fact, we think that his experience points to just how important one piece of information could be.

If you’ve seen something, now is the time to say something. It’s been 40 years since Mahan’s disappearance, an event that has prompted those in Butler County to “raise their children differently” for generations.

Butler County deserves answers.

McKinney’s annual vigils have previously been held along Cornplanter Road where Cherrie disappeared, but Saturday’s was held at the Saxonburg Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

Within one hour of the event, DeLuca had five new tips — a mix of verifiable data and random alleged sightings.

His experience — and the lack of an answer yet — points to the fact that there’s information that police are missing yet.

We’d bet, based on the impact of Cherrie’s case, that McKinney’s annual vigils are accompanied by dozens of other conversations every February in Butler County homes and workplaces. We’d bet those people having conversations in their cozy homes didn’t all converge in Saxonburg this weekend.

Don’t let your annual conversation about Cherrie end at the dining room table or the office this February. Take the extra step and contact state police with the information that you know.

Tips about Cherrie’s case can be submitted to the Butler state police barracks by calling 724-284-8100, through the website for National Missing and Exploited Children at missingkids.org, through Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477), or on the website, p3tips.com.

— TL