PA PA - Cherrie Mahan, 8, Cabot, 22 Feb 1985

[pinballwizard1919]

Thank you to all who have contributed so far. I just came across this case. Can't believe I have never heard about it before.

I live less than 30 miles away and took a drive down Cornplanter Rd the other day. Very eerie. I am of the belief (like most others) that this heinous act was by someone that knew Cherrie. The thing that struck me most about the street when I drove down it was how secluded the street was and how big the lots were that the people lived on (at least 20-30 acres for some lots). Also, how close Cherrie's driveway was to the bus stop and how long her driveway was. After the bus driver dropped Cherrie off, he/she said that they did not see anyone come up behind when leaving Cornplanter road. I can't remember where I read that, but I think it was one of the papers. So if she did get picked up by the skiier van or the blue car, they likely would have had to turn around after following the bus to the bus stop.

Kidnapping Scenarios:

1. A neighbor that was waiting for an opportunity. Someone who preyed on Cherri for a period of time and waited for the one day that her mom/stepdad did not meet her at the bus stop. Someone who knew her even just a little bit. Could have drove quickly to their house or even walked if it was close enough. Taken Cherrie in their house while the search party was going on in the neighborhood. I'd be looking at the closest neighbors and working my way out. Cherrie could be buried on one of these large lots of land on Cornplanter nearby.

2. Someone that Cherri thought she could trust picked her up and offered to take her up her long driveway. Drove off. (Like a family member, church member, or even someone who worked at her school)

3. Child predator(s) in the area that was preying on Cherrie. Could have pulled up beside her and grabbed her real quick. I feel like this would be less likely b/c of the noise of a van door slamming shut or a car door. Or Cherrie yelling.

4. Biological dad realized that Cherrie was a spitting image of himself and was concerned. Since he's not a person of interest in the case, I'd imagine he had a solid alibi. Which means he would have had someone else do it.

5. Random: I think the chances of this are really small but still possible.

Would love to hear people's thoughts. Just wish there would be a breakthrough in the case for Janice and the Mahan family. Hoping this gets resolved soon! My PMs are open as well if anyone wants to discuss further. I'll be checking back in soon.

 

[burning_turtle]

Since you are from the area (I am about an hour away) - do you hear any talk of who her biological father is? I am just curious - and wondering - Does this man have a criminal past?

I'm also from the area. Interestingly enough, I woke up this morning thinking about Cherrie and well, now here I am.

To answer your questions: yes & from what I've been told over the years, yes (I have no way to verify but knowing what I do of supposed bio-dad, I believe it).

 

[pinballwizard1919]

It's been awhile since there has been any chatter on here. Just wondering if anyone has any new info to share? Would be great to start up a discussion again. I know it's been so long since Cherrie was abducted, but I'm still holding out hope that this can be figured out.

If the father had a criminal past, I wonder how much the police have looked into him throughout the years. I'd also like to know how solid his alibi was in 1985 and if the police have continually been investigating him? Also, who he was associated with back in 1985?

 

[chaddylex]

I'm also from the area. Interestingly enough, I woke up this morning thinking about Cherrie and well, now here I am.

To answer your questions: yes & from what I've been told over the years, yes (I have no way to verify but knowing what I do of supposed bio-dad, I believe it).

I just saw your post. I really wish someone that knows the biological father would speak up, (even though authorities claimed he has been cleared.) Janice has a reason why she believes he knows who had something to do with her disappearance - still all of these years later.
'It's A Torment': Cherrie Mahan's Mother Still Searching 35 Years After She Disappeared From Butler Co.

Janice believes there is a connection between her rape, Cherrie’s birth, and eight years later her disappearance “I do, I believe that but I can’t prove anything,” she says.

Janice McKinney says authorities did not believe her rape allegation and Cherrie’s biological father was never charged.

But she does not believe he was involved in her disappearance? “Not him personally but the people that he knows yes.”

Police are aware of McKinney’s suspicions and have told her the man is adamant in his denials. The only thing Trp. Long will say about suspects: “Anybody that was implicated, until we find evidence otherwise, they still would be considered a suspect.”

 

[pinballwizard1919]

Forgive me if this has been asked before, but does anyone know what property in Winfield township was searched back in 2014? New search unsuccessful for girl missing since '85

 

[pinballwizard1919]

Welcome

This article actually mentions that it was off Winfield Rd. Does anyone know the address?

 

[burning_turtle]

It appears to me that LE still considers Cherrie's biological father a suspect according to Tpr Long's statement?

Can someone help me understand how it works on this site - he cannot be named publicly, in these threads, unless he's been named in MSM?

Like many locals, I never believed that Cherrie's abduction was a stranger abduction case. I believe Cherrie's biological father needs looked into a lot more. I also wish that there was more information given to the public by LE. In 30+ years, the only new information I've heard reported was the revelation of the sexual assault. If LE were willing to share more information I believe it could have a huge impact on solving this case.

I just saw your post. I really wish someone that knows the biological father would speak up, (even though authorities claimed he has been cleared.) Janice has a reason why she believes he knows who had something to do with her disappearance - still all of these years later.
'It's A Torment': Cherrie Mahan's Mother Still Searching 35 Years After She Disappeared From Butler Co.

Janice believes there is a connection between her rape, Cherrie’s birth, and eight years later her disappearance “I do, I believe that but I can’t prove anything,” she says.

Janice McKinney says authorities did not believe her rape allegation and Cherrie’s biological father was never charged.

But she does not believe he was involved in her disappearance? “Not him personally but the people that he knows yes.”

Police are aware of McKinney’s suspicions and have told her the man is adamant in his denials. The only thing Trp. Long will say about suspects: “Anybody that was implicated, until we find evidence otherwise, they still would be considered a suspect.”

 

[pinballwizard1919]

It appears to me that LE still considers Cherrie's biological father a suspect according to Tpr Long's statement?

Can someone help me understand how it works on this site - he cannot be named publicly, in these threads, unless he's been named in MSM?

Like many locals, I never believed that Cherrie's abduction was a stranger abduction case. I believe Cherrie's biological father needs looked into a lot more. I also wish that there was more information given to the public by LE. In 30+ years, the only new information I've heard reported was the revelation of the sexual assault. If LE were willing to share more information I believe it could have a huge impact on solving this case.

Agreed about this being someone who knew Cherrie that abducted to her. There is always a chance of a random abduction, but I believe those chances are low in this case.

The lack of information on this case is definitely frustrating. The little info that is out there is jumbled in different news articles and reports. It'd be nice if the public knew the areas that have been searched and the bio dad. Perhaps LE will eventually let some stuff leak out just to get the case moving again.

 

[Gameman]

I'll throw my two cents in to keep the conversation going. IMO, there is almost no negative to the police releasing information. If they find him that way and then are unable to prosecute, it would be no worse than where the case is now, and they would have a chance at recovering her. They had this long to solve and accomplished nothing. Coming from them, it might also shut down horrible rumors that plague her mother.
There isn't any DNA to match with genealogy one day. The odds of solving are next to nil. The same old reasoning that they still get tips weekly is stale.

It seems to lean towards a stranger abduction OR a happenstance abduction by a family acquaintance, IMO. This thought is only because if she was accompanied daily to the bus, there isn't really a reason to target her there, if she was specifically targeted. By chance, she was allowed to walk on that day only. Also, there was another parent waiting for their kids at the actual bus stop so there normally would have been multiple adults around.

Stranger abductions actually account for 25% of child abductions, which is more than I thought. That's a fair share. It's usually a male abducting a female child. If you're looking for a small kid to lure, following a bus is almost the only shot for finding a small child alone in public at a specific time. A friend and I were approached by a strange man offering a ride after getting off the bus as children. It happens. I think there are a lot more people we think are normal that will try doing something sick on a random impulse if they think nobody will ever know. It seems like a lot of these genealogy cold cases getting solved end up being a men who went on to have families and blend in with society.

If Cherrie had to know them to not scream or to accept a ride, then maybe it was a person her parents knew. We have already established that Cherrie spent the first years of her life as neighbors with more than one child molester just a few miles away. Her parents also may have been in a tougher place in their lives, and I say that without judgement, but that may have made them acquainted with less savory characters.

That's a lot. I used to think about Cherrie more and have a passion for getting this local case attention so that it might be solved but lately have accepted that it won't be. I hope I'm very wrong about that. Police don't seem to follow up with people who claim they have reported tips, and they also aren't willing to involve the public by releasing more information. There is really nothing more unless someone has a podcast that forces their hand or brings more
Witnesses forward, as was the case with Kristin Smart.

 

[pinballwizard1919]

I'll throw my two cents in to keep the conversation going. IMO, there is almost no negative to the police releasing information. If they find him that way and then are unable to prosecute, it would be no worse than where the case is now, and they would have a chance at recovering her. They had this long to solve and accomplished nothing. Coming from them, it might also shut down horrible rumors that plague her mother.
There isn't any DNA to match with genealogy one day. The odds of solving are next to nil. The same old reasoning that they still get tips weekly is stale.

It seems to lean towards a stranger abduction OR a happenstance abduction by a family acquaintance, IMO. This thought is only because if she was accompanied daily to the bus, there isn't really a reason to target her there, if she was specifically targeted. By chance, she was allowed to walk on that day only. Also, there was another parent waiting for their kids at the actual bus stop so there normally would have been multiple adults around.

Stranger abductions actually account for 25% of child abductions, which is more than I thought. That's a fair share. It's usually a male abducting a female child. If you're looking for a small kid to lure, following a bus is almost the only shot for finding a small child alone in public at a specific time. A friend and I were approached by a strange man offering a ride after getting off the bus as children. It happens. I think there are a lot more people we think are normal that will try doing something sick on a random impulse if they think nobody will ever know. It seems like a lot of these genealogy cold cases getting solved end up being a men who went on to have families and blend in with society.

If Cherrie had to know them to not scream or to accept a ride, then maybe it was a person her parents knew. We have already established that Cherrie spent the first years of her life as neighbors with more than one child molester just a few miles away. Her parents also may have been in a tougher place in their lives, and I say that without judgement, but that may have made them acquainted with less savory characters.

That's a lot. I used to think about Cherrie more and have a passion for getting this local case attention so that it might be solved but lately have accepted that it won't be. I hope I'm very wrong about that. Police don't seem to follow up with people who claim they have reported tips, and they also aren't willing to involve the public by releasing more information. There is really nothing more unless someone has a podcast that forces their hand or brings more
Witnesses forward, as was the case with Kristin Smart.

I agree with a lot you had to say. And I also admire the passion. I've read through the discussion and you have been apart of it for sometime. There is a huge benefit for the police to release information publicly. If someone wanted to start a podcast, I think that'd be helpful. If anything, it may just get people speaking in the community again. Interview people that were around the time that Cherrie went missing and people close with Janice/Cherrie.

I had no idea that stranger abductions account for 25%. That is a lot higher than I expected. Although I think that a stranger abduction is certainly possible, I still lean towards the bio dad or an associate(s) of him. I wonder if bio's father was solid? Either that, or it could have been someone who knew Cherrie (family friend, neighbor, etc etc). In the media, Janice has stated that she never left Cherrie's side and always met her at the bus stop. “I never left that house without her, we were always together, we grew up together, she was my life,” What if someone had been following Janice for quite some time and they were waiting for her to not be around to abduct Cherrie? The abductor could have been following the bus daily and finally had an opportunity. If you read into Janice's latest quote about the bio dad and if he's involved in the abduction - "Not him personally, but the people that he knows, yes,” she says. Perhaps someone that knew both Cherrie (enough to lure her into the car) and the bio father. A mutual acquaintance of some sort.

I came across this CNN Nancy Grace transcript - CNN.com - Transcripts . Here is an excerpt from the transcript:

CASAREZ: You did polygraphs, too, right? Who did you do polygraphs on?
MCGRAW: The mother and stepfather were both given polygraph tests.
CASAREZ: All right. What about the birth father?
MCGRAW: Jean, I`m not going to answer that question.

It's absolutely stunning it would appear that the bio father likely did not receive a polygraph test. Officer Mcgraw was the lead investigator on the case back in 2011. If the father was given a polygraph, they would have likely stated that in the media IMO. No reason to say "I'm not going to answer that question" unless he wasn't given one.

At the end of the day, what really matters is finding Cherrie and returning her to Janice. I am with you that there needs to be more info out to the public. I don't think anyone is doing anyone any favors by keeping info out of the public eye. Polygraphs need to be given to the necessary people and areas need to be searched using GPR. Ponds in the area need to be drained. Excavation. Etc etc. If they really want this case to be solved, there is a lot more that needs to be done it would seem. It would start with getting more info out to the public though!

 

[MacPlus512]

Where is bio dad today and is he still alive?

 

[pinballwizard1919]

Where is bio dad today and is he still alive?

He's still a person of interest in the case. So I'd say he's likely alive. Excerpt from one of the most recent articles on the case:

“Not him personally, but the people that he knows, yes,” she says.
John Shumway went back to the state police today about Cherrie’s biological father.
They say he’s a person of interest.

State Police Ask People With Information About Cherrie Mahan's Disappearance To Come Forward

 

[Gameman]

Was this sketch done based on a description or is this the medium using her "talent" to make the sketch and say that the man still lives in the area?

I don't want to offend, but it's doesn't really matter what we believe in. Things are either real or they're not. There has never been a proven case of psychic powers. James Randi had a long-standing offer of $1,000,000 to anyone who could prove psychic abilities under scientific conditions. It never happened in his lifetime, and the videos of people failing are pretty entertaining. Despite psychics claiming their vague clues solved cases, the FBI is not aware of any cases that have been solved by psychics. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. (I'm also not being judgmental. I used to be a total believer!)
It seems like the PA State Police don't pay much attention to legitimate clues. I would assume that anything from a psychic would go straight to the trash.

 

[chaddylex]

Indiana OA (where the retired officer lived) when he was approached by the van w/ the skier at age 10 and Cornplanter Road in Cabot (where Cherrie was abducted from) is about 40 miles between the two. Route 422 is almost a straight shot for 20 miles

 

[chaddylex]

Indiana OA (where the retired officer lived) when he was approached by the van w/ the skier at age 10 and Cornplanter Road in Cabot (where Cherrie was abducted from) is about 40 miles between the two. Route 422 is almost a straight shot for 20 miles
View attachment 306131

I meant Indiana PA - sorry I typed that from my phone!!

 

[burning_turtle]

Was this sketch done based on a description or is this the medium using her "talent" to make the sketch and say that the man still lives in the area? <snip>

The sketch was done based on her "talent," but was supposedly verified by the other cop who claimed to have been a victim, as well.

 

[burning_turtle]

I realize that the post that I've quoted is 10+ years old, however, I believe the thoughts of this poster are spot on and deserve revisiting.

local pgh guy is absolutely correct in his assessment of Cornplanter Road. It is in the middle of nowhere, it is not a road you would take as a shortcut to anywhere unless you lived in the immediate area - which is why a lot of us locals believe that Cherrie was abducted by either someone she knew or someone who knew her. I realize that because we do not know exactly what happened to Cherrie that the possibility of a stranger abduction cannot be ruled out, but it doesn't logically or logistically make sense given the very rural area and the absence of any kind of commerce that might attract someone who wasn't local.

Debbie Burk (DB) said in this article (Pennsylvania child Cherrie Mahan still missing after getting off school bus in 1985) “I caught a glimpse of the blue van in the mirror,” Debbie, the neighbor who had picked her own children up from the bus stop that day, said in 1985. “It was right behind me. My son saw the van, too.” local pgh guy brought up the question of the location of all of the vehicles and the absence of any kind of statement as to the whereabouts of the van after DB took off toward her home (which was not on Cornplanter, by the way). If DB was following the school bus, the van should have followed both further down Cornplanter. If the van had remained parked while the bus and DB's vehicle proceeded in their respective directions, wouldn't DB have noticed the van not moving and shouldn't that have sparked some kind of caution, especially knowing that an 8 year-old Cherrie Mahan was alone on that rural road with an out-of-place vehicle close by? I am certainly not casting suspicion on DB, just pointing out that if I lived in rural Cabot, PA, was at the bus stop waiting on my children, saw an out of place vehicle lurking around, it would certainly cause me to pause. But, I suppose with hindsight being 20/20....

I believe local pgh guy is correct in stating that the people who lived in the area on Cornplanter Rd, Russell & N. Scenic Drives, Morehead, Leasureville, Sarver and Kepple Roads need looked into. Additionally, the businesses on those roads need looked at as well (specifically, auto painting businesses) If the timeline provided by Cherrie's mother and step-father is accurate, that van would not have had much time to get out of the area at all with 300+ people descending on Cornplanter to look for Cherrie, especially unseen by any person other than DB.

PSP has done no favors in this case as far as information sharing is concerned. The information that they have shared has created more questions than answers. Further up in the thread an interview with Detective McGraw with Nancy Grace was posted and McGraw is quoted stating that he would not answer questions regarding Cherrie's biological father and a polygraph. I don't see why that information cannot be shared and McGraw's refusal to answer can only be taken in a way that suggests Cherrie's biological father was not given a polygraph. Why? That could have easily ruled him out as a suspect/POI 36+ years ago. I wonder if he would be willing to take one today?

Just some thoughts as I go back and read the posts in Cherrie's thread.

Edited to add: Does anyone know if Todd Nature Preserve (borders Kepple Rd) was searched when Cherrie went missing? Is anyone aware of any locations specifically searched for Cherrie either in the direct aftermath of her abduction - or even years later?

I&#8217;ve been thinking about this case this week, as it marks its 25th anniversary. I grew up in the area, and have lived there for most of my life, so I&#8217;m familiar with the case. And as a father of two, I think it is important to find out what happened to Cherrie on that day. This is my first post on this site, so I apologize for the length, and I hope you bear with me.

Two things really stood out to me as I look at this case, and that is the location of the road and the description of the stop. First off, for those that know the area, Cornplanter Road is really in the middle of nowhere. It isn&#8217;t a shortcut to anywhere, unless you live very close to the road, and even then it isn&#8217;t the best choice. The chances of someone from out of town traveling down this road to grab a child would logically be extremely small, especially one in a brightly colored and decorated van. The only people who travel that road are those who live close, and I think that may have been the case that day.

Second, the description of who was where at the stop is confusing. Cherrie came out of the bus with three other kids, so I&#8217;m assuming they&#8217;d all live very close to each other. She crossed behind the bus according to another mother at the stop, but students are supposed to cross in front of the bus, so that the driver can see the student at all times. If the van was behind the bus, it would be safe to assume the van would need to follow the bus out of the road, unless it would turn around and go back the way it came in. If it did that, then the mother, who would be picking up her kids also, should have noticed a van turning around if she was going up her nearby driveway. I know this is confusing, but somehow it all doesn&#8217;t make sense to what needed to happen to have the child disappear. Why would someone in a van that did not know the area grab the child, not knowing who was looking at the road or even where other local houses may be? And where does the blue car that was seen come in? Was it parked there waiting, or was it also following the bus down Cornplanter Road? These would be things that would be needed to be clear up, because these witnesses at the stop were the ones that saw the van. And considering the closest ski area is at least 2 hours away in multiple directions, having a driver in ski gear here would be extremely unlikely at best.

And one other thing about this scene...one of her friends from school in a recent story marking the 25th anniversary said that Cherrie told her she was afraid of a neighbor's dog. Would this be the neighbor that saw the van, or someone else? And where was this dog in relation to where Cherrie was...was she playing in the neighbor's yard or close enough to make the dog bark? Or did the neighbor bring the dog to Cherrie? I would like to find that out. It would suggest that she did have some contact with that particular neighbor and his dog, whether alone or with her family, and any investigator should get more details on this.

Lastly, the area around the road is pretty rural, but has several things that are interesting in this case. The whole area is undermined, meaning there are a series of mines under the whole area. West Winfield for example had an old coal mine that was used to grow mushrooms, and was one of the largest producers of mushrooms in the area in 1985. In addition, many of the local farms were larger than 100 acres, with lakes and woods that would be perfect places to hide things. If you Google the area now, for example, the newer Birdsfoot Golf Club was built from a private farm. There are many other farms that size in the area, and some may even have access points to some of the old mines. Also, there are areas that are fairly close that are desolate. For example, if you take Iron Bridge Road, just south of Cornplanter Road, it will take you to PA 128 and close to Murphy&#8217;s Bottom, which is a great place to hide things. The reason I bring this up is simple, because I don&#8217;t think the van with the ski mural made it out of the area, if it was involved in the case. I think that the persons involved in this case were local, and still may be local.

If I was the new lead investigator looking back on this case, I would first make sure I got a definite description of who was where at the bus stop, just to have that defined. That would tell you if the witnesses were actually in a position to see what they saw. Then I would look at some of the people that would have been close to the area, and make a list. I would look at those who would have lived on Cornplanter Road at the time, and would have taken the same path turning off of Winfield Road as the bus from the school. That would include all the children also. Then I would look at the roads that come off of Cornplanter (Russel & North Scenic Drives, plus Moorehead, Bauer, Leisureville & Sarver Roads). I would also look at the members of the church that Cherrie and her family went to at the time, because those people would have known where the family lived and when Cherrie got off the bus. Plus I would look at the classes around 1985 (say 84-88) for Freeport High School, which was accessible by driving a few miles down Kepple Road, located south of Cornplanter Road. The time that Cherrie disappeared would have fit in to the time frame where teenagers were driving home from school.

I think this is where modern technology comes into play. We know following these crimes that people that abuse kids usually don&#8217;t stop until they are caught, and we have 25 years to see if anyone close to the area was abusive. If someone on those lists came up on Megan&#8217;s List, for example, or as committing a crime towards children, I would want to talk to them about Cherrie. In fact, there is a person on Megan&#8217;s List that currently lives on Leisureville Road in Cabot that was arrested for a sex crime in 1991, according to the web site. He would have been 15 in 1985 if he grew up in the area, but the real kicker was one of the autos he listed&#8230;a blue 1969 Camaro. The other blue car, perhaps?

I think that chasing the van has been a dead end in this case. Looking through Google news at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette articles (the local Valley News Dispatch & Butler Eagle, which covered the case intensely, aren&#8217;t available on Google news) shows that the van story came into play only a few days after Cherrie&#8217;s disappearance, and time may not have been spent on other possibilities. If the van was involved, I don&#8217;t think it made it out of the area that day if at all, even though people may have saw it somewhere else. If it was involved in this case, I would not be surprised to find pieces of it buried somewhere on a local farm, or in a mine shaft accessible to a farm. In looking at the case, I think it was done by someone local, from everything I mentioned above, and I&#8217;d like to see the police take another aggressive look at the case for its 25th anniversary to find the person that took this little girl.

 

[burning_turtle]

Back in 1990, PSP as well as the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit were sure that Cherrie's abductor(s) was known to her. They also believed "that the person or persons were well aware of the area in which she resided. Additionally, that person or persons would have known her personal habits very well."

Clipping from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Newspapers.com

According to the article, that revelation sparked renewed interviews with "prime witnesses who were interviewed during the initial investigation."

We know that LeRoy and Janice McKinney were subject to polygraph tests and were, by all accounts, cleared of any wrong doing in Cherrie's disappearance. The only other person who has been named a POI is Cherrie's biological father (although his name has been kept out of the news reports), remaining a POI as recently as 2020 according to this article: State Police Ask People With Information About Cherrie Mahan's Disappearance To Come Forward

It would appear to me that the Pennsylvania State Police have a good indication of who is responsible for this crime. They've had countless opportunities over 3 decades to indicate/implicate someone other than the biological father in this abduction. They haven't - why is that?

It's beyond time for some movement in this case.

 

[Gameman]

@burning_turtle The only thing is that her biological father didn't know Cherrie, and she would not have known him. I read a blog that stated the cops have also called the father NOT a person of interest, but I'm not sure where they got that information. I have always gotten the impression that the police don't consider him a suspect or not a suspect and have never gone out of their way to talk about him until specifically asked after that interview. Trooper Long stated: “Anybody that was implicated, until we find evidence otherwise, they still would be considered a suspect.” One could interpret that as: Janice said he could be involved. We can't prove he was or wasn't, so he has not been cleared.
This is from memory, but I also think that in the past, police have issued blanket statements about how nobody has been cleared.

Also, can anyone circle on a map where she was abducted? I have seen the video of the spot, but I have been under the impression that it was Winfield Road BY Cornplanter.

Back in 1990, PSP as well as the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit were sure that Cherrie's abductor(s) was known to her. They also believed "that the person or persons were well aware of the area in which she resided. Additionally, that person or persons would have known her personal habits very well."

Clipping from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Newspapers.com

According to the article, that revelation sparked renewed interviews with "prime witnesses who were interviewed during the initial investigation."

We know that LeRoy and Janice McKinney were subject to polygraph tests and were, by all accounts, cleared of any wrong doing in Cherrie's disappearance. The only other person who has been named a POI is Cherrie's biological father (although his name has been kept out of the news reports), remaining a POI as recently as 2020 according to this article: State Police Ask People With Information About Cherrie Mahan's Disappearance To Come Forward

It would appear to me that the Pennsylvania State Police have a good indication of who is responsible for this crime. They've had countless opportunities over 3 decades to indicate/implicate someone other than the biological father in this abduction. They haven't - why is that?

It's beyond time for some movement in this case.

 

[burning_turtle]

@Gameman I think that's a part of the problem, the police issuing blanket statements. As far as we know, Cherrie didn't know bio-dad. But, did he know her? Every article I've read over the past 20+ years has just regurgitated information from previous articles. The only "new" information supplied was the SA revelation that Janice made almost 2 years ago. So, I completely understand what you're saying but the truth is, we'll never know unless people start talking and stop holding back information.

I have yet to see an article that gave a definitive bus stop for Cherrie.

The Wikipedia page for Cherrie says it was "approximately 50 feet from the base of her driveway to her home."

This article states that it was "only 50 feet from her house."

This one states the bus stop was on Cornplanter Rd.

This article states "Cherrie's stepfather, Leroy McKinney, usually drove her the 50 yards from the bus stop at the intersection of Cornplanter and Winfield roads

Several articles would have you believe that the bus stop was at the base of her driveway. Here is a map of Cherrie's home to the intersection of Winfield and Cornplanter Roads. It's a 1.5 mile walk.


Based on being a childhood bus rider in a rural area, my bus stopped at each child's home/driveway to pick them up, we didn't gather as a group to hop on the bus each day. I can't see a bus stop being a mile and a half from her home. I suppose it's possible, though?