Arad was captured by a Shiite group and handed over to Hezbollah while on a mission over Lebanon. Missing person fliers were distributed which described Cherrie as 4 feet 2 inches tall and 68 pounds with brown hair and hazel-eyes. In 1987 the government did receive proof that Arad was alive, but negotiation talks eventually failed in 1988. She shared with us that Cherrie was the result of rape when Janice was 16. Emphasizing her belief that an anonymous tip from the public could finally give herself and her family the closure they crave, McKinney stated to the media: "I just wish someone would come forth and tell me what happened. She cited him as cruel, domineering, and verbally abusive. forthcoming weeks, firefighters and helicopters assisted in the daunting search I just love learning new things, interesting facts, mind-boggling lists and obscure knowledge every day! disappearance. Although he often walked to the end of the driveway to meet Mahan, Janice told him to let her walk alone because the weather was particularly nice that day. There has not been one confirmed sighting of the boy since getting back on the bus. She fell asleep first on the balcony before waking up around 5:30 am to have a cigarette. Click Here For Cherie Mahan's Last Known Address 2046 Stanford Ave, Flint, MI 48503-4011 501 E Ridgeway Ave, Flint, MI 48505-5246 1117 Pettibone Ave, Flint, MI 48507-4812 3507 Clovertree Ln Apt 5, Flint, MI 48532-4726 Po Box 736, Baldwin, MI 49304-0736 1633 Jane Ave, Flint, MI 48506-3372 4400 Kings Ln # 4104, Burton, MI . From 2005: Girl's disappearance remains a mystery 20 years later. Van Der Sloot was arrested twice and the brothers in the car with him three times under suspicion of involvement. Her car remained in the driveway and there was no activity on her credit cards or phone after that night. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle Cary Shaffer While there have been rumors and focus on Cherries family and acquaintances, DeLuca doesnt want to rule anyone out. Cherrie Mahan's Mother Still Searching 35 Years After Disappearance Watch on Cherrie Mahan's mother is still searching, KDKA's John Shumway reports. The only physical evidence suggesting anything unusual happened was a set of tire tracks in the snow where Burk said the other van was parked. The last time that Louise and Charmian were seen they were getting into a white car with an older man. This figure has since greatly increased. third grade. Eyes: Hazel. She was walking to get on the school bus and was only fifty feet from her house when she seems to have simply disappeared. In 1994, they learned the man had abducted and killed one child and attempted to abduct another. These detectives officially determined his death a kidnapping and murder. been abducted. Pennsylvania, with their 8-year-old daughter,Cherrie Mahan. The Disappearance of Cherrie Mahan By Emily G. Thompson. You would think a child would be safe to walk such a short distance I hope the parents dont blame themselves. Using investigative research combined with primary audio, Morbidology takes an in-depth look at true crime cases from all across the world. Although the FBI eventually joined the search, they were also unsuccessful. That van was very distinctive I wouldnt be surprised if it was destroyed shortly afterwards. Her left arm was previously broken below her left shoulder, but the injury had healed before her 1985 disappearance. Both pilots were forced to eject and although his other pilot escaped Arad was captured by the Lebanese Amal. Cherrie's ears are pierced. Cherrie Mahan disappeared in 1985 after hopping off her school bus. "I just wish someone would come forth and tell me what happened," Janice McKinney said through tears. You kiss [them upon] the face, you put them in the ground, and you say goodbye that's something I never had. He was surprised to find that money had been transferred to help the boys out but Jones never made it to Mount Isa. Cairns was last seen getting on the bus to go back to his school. Cameron Norris | Cold Cases. In the day before the minor car accident where she was last seen Murray was acting emotionally and erratically. But she does not believe he was involved in her disappearance? 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. On her trail, several items were found, including her broken walkman, headphones, and phone. She was last seen wearing a gray coat, blue denim skirt, blue leg warmers, and beige boots. The neighborhood was described as a safe place where children spent a lot of time playing outside, and residents rarely locked their doors. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. I just pray all the time that they would find it in their heart to just tell somebody, she said. This was the last time that she was seen. We dont give up hope, Kofluk said. They have talked to the woman and she doesn't think she's Cherrie, but DNA tests are in progress. [8], Cherrie Ann Mahan[n 1] was born in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, on August 14, 1976. She still remains missing. To this day the baby remains missing. side following the bus from Winfield Elementary School to Cherries bus stop. However, he was eventually ruled out as he had a confirmed alibi on the day Mahan vanished. Both men were last seen handcuffed driving away in the back of Calkins squad car. Chuck Hadad AC360 Producer. MicroComputers, a Pittsburgh company, donated a acknowledged her or attempted to have any kind of relationship wit It's been a quarter of a century and the cops are nowhere closer to solving the case than they were the day she disappeared. Cherrie Mahan is still missing a total of 30 years after the initial disappearance. We almost hit Leroy. prisoners in the area, hoping that one of them would have some information The state police in butler are waiting for your call. 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. . Police investigated the disappearance for a year before it was deemed a cold case. At the time of her disappearance, she was 4'2" tall and. A distinctive van had been following the school bus and it was theorized whoever was in this van, abducted Cherrie. The story of her disappearance was also reported on CNN in January 2011 because of possible new evidence, but this evidence was never released. 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. Mahan's biological father remains a "person of interest" in the child's abduction. But the young man never arrived. she kept the door unlocked every night in the hopes that it was a She's still missing. Both of these men disappeared under similar circumstances in 2003 and 2004. In 2012 police released that over a cup full of Aylas blood was adjacent to her fathers bed. State police in Butler continue their search for Cherrie Mahan, who was last seen at age 8 on Feb. 22, 1985, when she exited her school bus on Cornplanter Road, Winfield Township, Butler County. Louise had told this woman about how she was excited to go to her new boyfriends farm. Home Mysteries The Disappearance of Cherrie Mahan. She hasn't been seen since, and was the first child ever featured on the now-famous "Have You Seen Me?" advertising circulars produced by a company called Advo Inc. Lieutenant Ron Arad was never found, and a special forces agent even died while trying to rescue the pilot. NONFAMILY ABDUCTED CHILD CHERRIE ANN MAHAN AGE PROGRESSION DOB : Aug-14-1976 Date Missing : Feb-22-1985 Age : 26 years Height : 4' 2" - 127 cm Weight . Pittsburgh Post-Gazettereports Janice McKinney addressed the court, saying, "This is not over. https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/02/18/mother-police-still-searching-for-butler-county-girl-cherrie-mahan/, https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video/4452856-cherrie-mahans-mother-still-searching-35-years-after-disappearance/. In 1994, they learned the man had abducted and killed one child and attempted to abduct another. The individual named in this letter was a woman who had been adopted as a child and was unsure of her precise origins, although DNA testing[33] later confirmed this woman was not Mahan. But unfortunately, many of these crimes still go unsolved. That afternoon like usual Cherrie was seen climbing off the According to Chilling Crime, Mahan, along with three other children, exited the bus at approximately 4:10 p.m. Debbie Burk was parked in her van at the bus stop, waiting for her two children and another child who she had agreed to drive home. I worked 40 years in a nursing home. Cherrie was last seen getting off the school bus 150 yards from her home in Saxonburg, PA, on February 22, 1985. According toActive Missing People, authorities also ruled out kidnapping for ransom, as the family never received any ransom demands. "I think about her all the time, I pray for her every night, I pray for her every morning," Janice says. DeLuca said state police take tips from the sisters and run them down as they do with all the tips they receive. Someone has to know something.. People didnt talk about it then. It is unknown if the car has anything to do with her case either. Sources:charleyproject.organdinternationalcruisevictims.org. [25][26], Mahan's stepfather, LeRoy McKinney, overheard the school bus slowing to a halt near his home. This is not over. By all accounts, McKinney cared deeply for Mahan and treated her as if she were his own daughter. However, none of the charges stuck. (CNN) - Cherrie Mahan was 8 years old when she disappeared from her bus stop one day after school in 1985. State police welcomed two investigators from Team Adam of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to the Butler station last week. If you have any information on this case, please contact CUE Center for Missing Persons at (910) 343-1131 or call the CUE Center 24-hour tip line at . There is so little out there and its scattered everywhere. [36] However, investigators did state this "potentially crucial" information indicates Mahan is unlikely to still be alive. 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. It wasnt until 2006 that the government openly claimed that they thought he was dead and had no idea where his remains could be. Law enforcement and Butler's psychic sisters are frustrated by a 38-year search for a suspect in the abduction of Cherrie Mahan from a rural bus stop in Winfield Township. Most of these leads have been potential sightings of Mahan or the two vehicles observed in the vicinity of her abduction, although the child has never been found, and neither vehicle was ever located. However, their early efforts were hampered by a thick fog, which covered the region. A pedophile still is a possibility, McKinney said. Jean Vincent said in talking and holding readings with Cherries family and others since she went missing, she thinks the young girl was taken by a local pedophile from a family with a history of pedophilia. Calicos mother requested that she bring mace on her rides but the young woman shrugged her off. for Cherries safe return.3 Local businesses pledged another $10,000 for information She was approximately 100 to 150 yards along a dirt driveway from her family's residence on Cornplanter Road in Cabot, Pennsylvania at the time she disappeared. Cherie Mahan Addresses. A neighbor reported Lisa missing on May 1, 2007. The letter, signed by someone calling themselves Pastor Justice, ended: "I pray you find some peace after you find her body.". He was a potato farmer in Gippsland. In the morning her, her cigarettes, and her lighter were gone. The young man graduated from high school in Washington in 2005 and planned to move back to Hollywood the next year to continue acting. But Cherrie didn't make it home that day, and 35 years later, Cherrie's family and friends are still waiting for answers.Character limits won't let us list all of our sources here, but you can find them . []. 1 of 2. Authorities also sent letters to people who were incarcerated to ask whether they had heard anything about the missing girl from other inmates. Watch nightly at 10 ET. A thorough search of Butler County was bolstered by an estimated 250 local volunteers, although these searches failed to locate the child. She just disappeared, he said.2. [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. A Winfield Elementary School bus dropped off Cherrie and some other students about 500 feet from her driveway along Cornplanter Road 38 years ago. kept saying, My little girls gone. Now, in 2019, her mother told Target 11 Investigator Rick. Long says they may not even realize it. Immediately after his disappearance 100 police officers and bloodhounds searched his SoHo neighborhood high and low for him. The Dutch-owned island of Aruba might not have had the police force that Holloways parents were looking for. Law enforcement and Butlers psychic sisters are frustrated by a 38-year search for a suspect in the abduction of Cherrie Mahan from a rural bus stop in Winfield Township. There are middle-aged people, teenaged people, and even babies and toddlers that have, and continue to be, missing. "They . 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. Mahan's first name is phonetically pronounced "Cherry". These are 15 of the most chilling examples of missing person cases that you're surely not going to forget anytime soon. [29], Appeals as to sightings of the distinctive bluish-green Dodge van produced eyewitnesses who informed investigators they had seen a vehicle matching this description in New Kensington, traveling in the direction of Mount Pleasant. "I don't know if they were mad," LeRoy McKinney explained. frustrating. Find The Missing/YouTube. Her case info. Twenty-nine years ago, high school senior Chris Birckbichler watched media accounts of 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan's disappearance from Cabot, Winfield Township. In addition, Kofluk said, he and Maurer are starting at square one with the old police report, evidence and crime scene information.. 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. He duly noted the bare facts: Cherrie Mahan was born Aug. 14, 1976. The three young men, including Joran Van Der Sloot, claimed that they dropped the young woman off at her hotel and have no idea what happened to her after that. She was only eight-years-old when she disappeared. Lisa was also attending counseling at the shelter for battered women. 2023 Cox Media Group. This is a follow up to the Cherrie Mahan post a few days ago, I mentioned in it there was a new big news story about her I saw in passing on our local TV. Louise was the youngest of three children. But not knowing where she is, whether shes dead or alive, its like a never-ending story. The sisters from Butler County have been psychic sleuthing for decades and continue to be featured in national television programs, including one helping police crack the 2006 murder of Blairsville dentist Dr. John Yelenic. 'It's A Torment': Cherrie Mahan's Mother Still Searching 35 Years After She Disappeared From Butler Co. February 18, 2020 / 11:00 PM / CBS Pittsburgh WINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - On a sunny. When the school bus arrived, the two told each other they loved each other before Mahan boarded the bus. Law enforcement and Butler's psychic sisters are frustrated by a 38-year search for a suspect in the abduction of Cherrie Mahan from a rural bus stop in Winfield Township. PA PA - Cherrie Mahan, 8, Cabot, 22 Feb 1985. There are limitations in following up on the decades-old abduction. Cherrie's family had her declared legally deceased in 1992. Cherrie was officially declared dead in November 1998. She believes people connected to Cherrie's father were involved in her disappearance. personal computer for volunteers to keep track of addresses. Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 01:24, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, "Millions of Cards in Pursuit of Missing Children", "Cherrie Mahan Case Still Open 30 Yyears After She Disappeared", "Cherrie's Death Official, Mother's Memory Eternal", "Girl Missing Since 1985 Declared Dead by Judge", "Tip Could be 'Crucial' Lead in Cherrie Mahan Case", "New Clue Reported in Disappearance of First 'Have You Seen Me?' "[38], Cherrie Mahan's family and friends hold an annual remembrance dinner at a restaurant in East Butler on a date close to each anniversary of her disappearance. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. She was unhappy with the relationship that she was cultivating with her fiance. His silver Toyota Corrolla was found four days later at an intersection in town. I can't imagine if that was my child. The investigation was highly criticized, but the Aruban police and hundreds of volunteers scoured the nation for her. Louise made friends with another mother in the neighborhood a bit of time before she disappeared. Trying to find information about this case is frustrating at best. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. They have held this secret all these years and its eating away. The family of Tony Jones has been through a lot trying to solve this mystery and it seems that the police mishandled evidence making their anguish all the more painful. They frequently left messages for each other with family to keep in touch. Shaffer had gone out for a nice steak dinner with his father earlier in the evening before going out to party with his friend Clint that night. The van was following the school bus Cherrie had been riding in. wrapped up in a blanket sleeping in her car that was parked in the driveway, The weirdest part about her disappearance is the reported sightings of her around the Caribbean, so at least we can hope she is still alive. Although Mahan was legally declared dead in 1998, police and family still hold out hope. The skier was wearing red and yellow clothing and was skiing down the mountain. I hope someone comes through with some good firsthand knowledge, Trooper Max DeLuca said. CHERRIE ANN MAHAN Birth: 8/14/1976 - Death: Unknown (Legally ~ 1998) Ethnicity: Caucasian - Sex: Female Height: 4'2" - Weight: 58 lbs Hair Color: Brown - Eye Color: Hazel Other: She has a cowlick on the right side of her hair and has both ears pierced She has scars on her left arm from the dog bite This van had a picture of a skier on the side and was a teal/blue color, but understandably this isn't enough to track down the missing girl. The police did not believe the rape allegation and Cherrie's biological father was never charged. Eventually, suspect Bruno Richard Hauptmann was . [41][42], Addressing the media following the conclusion of these legal proceedings, Janice McKinney stated: "When people die, you have a body. At the time, many believed that Philip had been kidnapped by a bad man who lured him into the back of his vehicle using candy. Three other students got off with her at the stop. Tony would hitchhike and his brother would ride his bicycle. When it comes to mysterious disappearances age is but a number. Law enforcement officials ruled out Mahan's family and friends as suspects via extensive questioning and lie detector tests. last we know of her is she got off the bus. Before leaving campus on February 9, 2004, she emailed her professors and her work supervisor that she was taking a week off because of a death in the family. WINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - Almost 35 years later, Cherrie Mahan's mother still lives in Butler County, and she wants to know what happened to her daughter. Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. A bright blue or green 1976 Dodge van was seen in the area at the time of Cherrie's disappearance and may be connected to her case. These alibi drop off points were just four miles from each other. CABOT, Pa. Thirty-four years ago, on Feb. 22, 1985, 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan got off the school bus in Cabot but never made it home. abducted, she refused to let herself consider the fact that she could be deceased. On Feb. 22, 1985 she got off her bus along Cornplanter Road in the town of Cabot. Janice had moved to Mars with Leroy and the couple now had a 5-year-old son, Robert. Now, in 2019, her mother told Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle she hopes an anonymous tip will help police crack this cold case. This woman is one of many who disappeared while taking a cruise to a foreign land. Pursuit of stolen car ends in arrest after suspect runs onto Interstate 5 in Bankers Hill. They played for a while. Its a kidnapping. It sucks the life out of me.. [11] Janice later married a Vietnam veteran named LeRoy McKinney, who willingly accepted Mahan as his stepdaughter. They also run a website that shows the faces and stats of many missing persons in the country. This mother and daughter went missing in 1980 from St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia. Either they are afraid, or I dont know.. The longer it goes If the good Lord feels shell be better off with him, Mahan accompanied her mother to the bus stop located approximately fifty feet from the base of the uphill driveway to their home. Law enforcement and Butler's psychic sisters are frustrated by a 38-year search for a suspect in the abduction of Cherrie Mahan from a rural bus stop in Winfield Township. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Cherrie Mahan got off her school bus on February 22, 1985, and hasn't been seen since. After five to 10 minutes,Chilling Crimes reports LeRoy walked to the bus stop and could not find any trace of Mahan. [27], Investigators quickly discounted any possibility Mahan had been kidnapped for a ransom;[28][n 4] concluding the child most likely knew her abductor or abductors, although all family members were quickly eliminated as suspects. Authorities believe Cherrie was abducted, but no suspect has ever been identified in her case. Shortly before her disappearance, Mahan had received a broken arm after being hit by a car. After checking with her friends, the Mckinneys realized something was terribly wrong and contacted authorities to report the girl as a missing person. What happened to Cherrie Mahan? According to Chilling Crimes, law enforcement officials briefly suspected a Massachusetts man of Mahan's abduction. Some agencies state she disappeared from Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. The young, doe-eyed girl with an impish grin became the first person featured on the famous Have you seen me? circulars produced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. [6], Mahan's disappearance is one of the most infamous unsolved missing child cases in the United States. Calico left for her daily bike ride at 9:30 AM in New Mexico on September 20, 1988. The last time she was seen she was lying in bed at 9 pm. Cherrie Mahan. Though he has never been charged in the case both Aylas mother and police believe that hes been less than forthcoming about the details of that night. Its every mothers dream to have a child graduate, go on to college and get married. based on something somebody claimed to have seen around the time of Cherries premonition.4, The case gradually went cold. Cherrie has a dog bite scar on her left arm. 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. When she failed to arrive home, her stepfather went looking for her and called police when he failed to find her. We are always looking, and that person is never forgotten. Now, nearly 26 years after she vanished, the lead investigator says there could be a break in the . This young woman was celebrating her high school graduation with friends in Aruba in 2005. Per Jamie: this article says the police are looking into a theory that Cherrie Mahan, an eight-year-old girl who was abducted from her bus stop in 1985, may be alive and living in Michigan. Law enforcement and Butler's psychic sisters are frustrated by a 38-year search for a suspect in the abduction of Cherrie Mahan from a rural bus stop in Winfield Township. [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. In 1985, eight-year-old Cherrie Mahan exited the school bus near her house. I feel we have a good chance of solving this, the women said. Two months after she vanished, the family raised $39,000 for any information about Mahan's whereabouts. In 1985, an eight-year-old girl named Cherrie Mahan seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. Here are the 15 Most Shocking Disappearances That'll Never Be Solved. After KDKA's report of a new revelation from Cherrie's mother, KDKA's John Shumway reports police received dozens of new tips. Whatever happened to her occurred during the walk to her house, police said. Show all. Although authorities have not released the actual contents of the letter, they confirmed it included specific names and locations, which were thoroughly investigated. According to Morbidology, authorities also launched a national campaign to print her photos and a description of the van on grocery products. ", Download the WPXI News App for the latest investigations from Target 11, Last summer, McKinney received a handwritten letter detailing who killed her daughter, why they did itand where her body could be found. Morbidology reports Cherrie Mahan's family and law enforcement agencies throughout the nation went to great lengths to make sure every media outlet and newspaper in the United States would distribute information about Mahan and the mysterious van. Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. She told John Shumway no one believed her claim of rape, and to this day she feels Cherrie's biological father knows something about who took Cherrie.