MISSING: Cherrie Mahan
In February 1985, a little girl disappears just steps from home, leaving her mother with a lifetime of unanswered questions. For decades, whispers of a mysterious van, chilling letters, and long-buried secrets have fueled speculation. Now, nearly forty years later, new revelations could crack open the case once thought unsolvable. Could this be the moment the truth finally comes to light?
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Cherrie’s photo age-progressed to 44 years old.
Private Investigator Steve Ridge.
Courtesy: Steve Ridge
The letter sent to Janice in 2018.
Courtesy: Janice Mckinney
Timeline:
Cherrie Mahan is last seen after getting off her school bus at 4:10 p.m.
State police reclassify Cherrie’s case from missing person to kidnapping.
Cherrie is legally declared dead.
Cornplanter Road
Where Cherrie Mahan is last seen after getting off her school bus.
Additional Info:
William “Buddy” Montgomery’s Letter
Click HERE to view William “Buddy” Montgomery’s most recent letter.
Provide Info About Cherrie’s Disappearance
If you or someone you know has any information about Cherrie’s disappearance or can corroborate things in this episode, please email [email protected].
Victims of Child Sexual Abuse
If you are a victim of child sexual abuse or any kind of sexual abuse, you can contact RAINN’s national sexual assault hotline by calling 800-656-HOPE (4673), by texting HOPE to 64673, or by online chatting at hotline.RAINN.org. Their services are free, confidential, and available 24/7.
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Episode Source Material
- Original reporting by Rachel Ryan.
- The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA): Butler County girl, 8, missing, by Mike Hasch. Published February 23, 1985. Accessed June 18, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/146605200
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): Girl, 8, missing in Butler County. Published February 23, 1985. Accessed June 18, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/89570091
- The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA): Anguish of waiting by Jean Bryant. Published February 24, 1985. Accessed June 18, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/146606136
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): Missing child, by David Rapp. Published February 25, 1985. Accessed June 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/89570131/
- The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA): Van sketched in hunt for girl. Published March 1, 1985. Accessed June 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/146572350
- The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA): Clues few in search for Cherrie, by Robert Johnson. Published March 3, 1985. Accessed June 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/146574991
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): FBI probing possibility girl was kidnapped, by Jan Ackerman. Published March 6, 1985. Accessed June 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/89769635
- The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA): Missing girl linked to other cases. Published March 6, 1985. Accessed June 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/146597502
- The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA): Missing girl kidnapped, police believe, by UPI. Published March 7, 1985. Accessed June 24, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/146602535
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): Inns to aid child search. Published April 25, 1985. Accessed June 24, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/89776250
- The Evening News (Harrisburg, PA): Butler woman’s van is focus of attention in calls to police, by Associated Press. Published June 11, 1985. Accessed July 8, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1091344479
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): One-year hunt fails to find Cherrie, by Andrew Sheehan. Published February 17, 1986. Accessed June 24, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/94566956
- The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA): Cherrie Mahan leads pursued, by Mike Hasch. Published February 21, 1990. Accessed June 24, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/141480195
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): Mahan may be declared dead, by Jim McKinnon. Published October 2, 1998. Accessed June 24, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/90675870
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): Cherrie’s death official, mother’s memory eternal, by Dennis B. Roddy. Published November 6, 1998. Accessed June 24, 2025 via Internet Archive. https://web.archive.org/web/20220930001333/http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19981104close2.asp
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): Search for Cherrie Mahan, missing 8 years, goes on, by Mike Rosenwald. Published May 24, 2000. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.newspapers.com/image/90234983
- WPXI (Pittsburgh, PA): 25 Years Later, Search Continues For Missing Girl. Published February 22, 2010. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.wpxi.com/news/25-years-later-search-continues-for-missing-girl/289126700/
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): Mahan investigator says break possible, by Moriah Balingit. Published January 13, 2011. Accessed June 24, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/96407519
- The Mercury News (San Jose, CA): New clue reported in disappearance of first ‘Have You Seen Me?’ child, by Associated Press. Published January 14, 2011. Updated August 13, 2016. Accessed June 24, 2025 via Internet Archive. https://web.archive.org/web/20170504014748/http://www.mercurynews.com/2011/01/14/new-clue-reported-in-disappearance-of-first-have-you-seen-me-child/
- CNN: Tip could be ‘crucial’ lead in Cherrie Mahan case, by Chuck Hadad. Published January 20, 2011. Accessed June 24, 2025 via Internet Archive. https://web.archive.org/web/20110122061419/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/19/cherrie.mahan.cold.case/index.html
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA): Cherrie Mahan case still open 30 years after she disappeared, by Lexi Belculfine. Published February 22, 2015. Accessed June 24, 2025 via removepaywall.com. https://www.post-gazette.com/local/2015/02/22/Cherrie-Mahan-case-still-open-30-years-after-she-disappeared/stories/201502220103
- Trib Live (Pittsburgh, PA): Family, friends still seek answers 30 years after Winfield child vanished, by Braden Ashe. Published February 23, 2015. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://archive.triblive.com/news/family-friends-still-seek-answers-30-years-after-winfield-child-vanished/
- NBC: Pennsylvania child Cherrie Mahan still missing after getting off school bus in 1985, by Bianca Hillier. Published February 15, 2019. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/pennsylvania-child-cherrie-mahan-still-missing-after-getting-school-bus-n971971
- CBS/KDKA (Pittsburgh, PA): ‘It’s A Torment’: Cherrie Mahan’s Mother Still Searching 35 Years After She Disappeared From Butler Co. Published February 18, 2020. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/mother-police-still-searching-for-butler-county-girl-cherrie-mahan/
- Trib Live (Pittsburgh, PA): Cherrie Mahan’s mysterious disappearance haunts her mother 35 years later, by Kevin Smith. Published February 22, 2020. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/cherrie-mahans-mysterious-disappearance-haunts-her-mother-35-years-later/
- Trib Live (Pittsburgh, PA): Police and psychics step up efforts to find who took Cherrie Mahan 38 years ago, by Mary Ann Thomas. Published February 22, 2023. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/police-and-psychics-step-up-efforts-to-find-who-took-cherrie-mahan-38-years-ago/
- People: All About Case of Cherrie Mahan, Missing Since 1985, and Theories that Have Surrounded Disappearance, by Emily Palmer. Published June 7, 2024. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://people.com/all-about-missing-persons-case-cherrie-mahan-missing-since-1985-and-theories-that-have-surrounded-disappearance-8660204
- NCMEC: The Milk Carton Kids, by Emma Henderson Vaughan. Published July 3, 2024. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2024/milk-carton-kids
- Trib Live (Pittsburgh, PA): After 40 years of searching and praying, Cherrie Mahan’s mother asks for closure, by Tawnya Panizzi. Published February 22, 2025. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/after-40-years-of-searching-and-praying-cherrie-mahans-mother-asks-for-closure/
- CBS/KDKA (Pittsburgh, PA): Mother of Cherrie Mahan hopes new tip will lead to a conclusion of the case, by Ricky Sayer. Published March 27, 2025. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/new-tip-in-cherrie-mahan-case/
- Butler Eagle (Butler, PA): New tips prompt new tools to investigate Cherrie Mahan’s disappearance, by Matthew Glover and Zach Zimmerman. Published April 01, 2025. Updated April 02, 2025. Accessed June 24, 2025 via removepaywall.com. https://www.butlereagle.com/20250401/new-tips-prompt-new-tools-to-investigate-cherrie-mahans-disappearance/
- Trib Live (Pittsburgh, PA): Private investigator to offer $100K reward in Cherrie Mahan case, by Jack Troy. Published May 3, 2025. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://community.triblive.com/news/3788822
- Trib Live (Pittsburgh, PA): Blue backpack flagged by private eye as key to solving Cherrie Mahan’s disappearance, by Jack Troy. Published May 6, 2025. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/blue-backpack-flagged-by-private-eye-as-key-to-solving-cherrie-mahans-disappearance/
- Butler Eagle (Saxonburg, PA): Community grapples with 40th anniversary of girl’s disappearance by Matthew Glover. Published February 23, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025 via https://www.butlereagle.com/20250223/community-grapples-with-40th-anniversary-of-girls-disappearance/
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