A woman claiming to be Cherrie Mahan, an 8-year-old Pennsylvania girl missing since 1985, has been found to likely not be the missing child based on DNA and fingerprint analysis. The woman made the claim in a Facebook group dedicated to Cherrie, but after police investigated, they could not find a match to the missing girl’s fingerprints. Cherrie disappeared after getting off a school bus near her home in Cabot.
Cherrie’s mother, Janice McKinney, has expressed skepticism about the woman’s claims, stating that she believes the post was fraudulent. Three other women have also previously claimed to be Cherrie, causing distress for McKinney as she continues to search for answers about her daughter’s disappearance.
The woman who made the claim has not contacted authorities since posting on Facebook and left a voicemail for the police. However, when officers attempted to reach out to her, they could not locate her.
The woman claiming to be Cherrie was banned from the Facebook group and her posts deleted due to allegations of harassment and bullying. Cherrie’s mother remains hopeful that one day she will find out what happened to her daughter and urges anyone with information to come forward.
Anyone with information about Cherrie’s case is urged to contact the Pennsylvania State Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers. Janice McKinney continues to seek closure after 39 years of uncertainty about her daughter’s disappearance.
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