Cherrie Mahan now missing 21 years, Cabot, Pennsylvania

Pictures from the Charley Project: Cherrie around the time she disappeared; what she might have looked like at age 27; sketches of a van possibly involved in her disappearance.
The following article was featured two days ago (Thursday, February 23) in The News-Herald (http://www.thederrick.com/nherald.shtml):

Probe continues in 21-year-old case of missing third-grader
Wednesday marked the 21st anniversary of the
disappearance of an 8-year-old Butler County girl, and state police said the
investigation continues with the hope of bringing the case to a
conclusion.
Cherrie A. Mahan, a third-grader at Winfield
Elementary School, has been missing since she was dropped off from her school
bus at 4:10 p.m. on Feb. 22, 1985.
She had to walk only 50 feet from her bus stop
along Cornplanter Road to reach her Winfield Township home that Friday, but she
never made it, police said.
The state police criminal investigation unit in
Butler continues to pursue leads related to Mahan's disappearance.
Police are asking anyone with information to call
the unit at (724) 284-8100 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children at (800) 843-5678. Police said all calls will be held in strict
confidence.

Cherrie's Charley Project profile (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/mahan_cherrie.html):

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: February 22, 1985
from Cabot, Pennsylvania
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of
Birth: August 14, 1976
Age: 8 years old
Height and Weight: 4'2, 68
pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair, hazel eyes. Mahan has a
dog bite scar on her left arm. Her left arm was previously broken below her left
shoulder, but the injury had healed before her 1985 disappearance. Mahan has a
cowlick on the right side of her hair. Her hair was slightly longer at the time
of her disappearance than in the photographs shown above. Her ears are pierced.
Clothing Description: A white leotard, a gray coat, a blue denim skirt, blue
leg warmers, beige ankle boots without heels, and brown Cabbage Patch earmuffs.

Details of Disappearance
Mahan was last seen getting off of the bus
from her elementary school at approximately 4:05 p.m. on February 22, 1985.
Three other students got off with her at the stop. 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. When she failed to arrive
home, her father went looking for her and called police when he failed to find
her. Mahan has never been heard from again. She was carrying a blue backpack
with two straps and a cream-colored top at the time of her disappearance; the
backpack is decorated with a blue and red heart.
A bright blue or green 1976
Dodge van was seen in the area at the time of Mahan's disappearance and may be
connected to her case. The van was following the school bus Mahan had been
riding in. The van had a snow-capped mountain and skier mural painted on both
sides of the vehicle. The skier was wearing red and yellow clothing and was
skiing down the mountain. The van has never been located or identified and
investigators are still not sure if it was connected to Mahan's case. Two
sketches of the vehicle are posted below this case summary. A small blue car was
also seen near the site of Mahan's disappearance. It is unknown if the car has
anything to do with her case either.
Mahan's family had her declared legally
deceased in 1992. They donated the life insurance policy they received to the
National Center For Missing and Exploited Children, and put a car accident
settlement Mahan had received into a trust fund for her brother. Mahan's case
has never been solved. Some agencies state she disappeared from Saxonburg,
Pennsylvania.
Above Images: Sketches of van possibly
involved

Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this
case, please contact: Pennsylvania State Police 412-284-8100

You can print a poster of Cherrie here.