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

[Trackergd]

I know Lake Saxony is near Cabot. Are there any other bodies of water? Interested in any lakes, holding ponds, etc that are shallow or have completely dried up due to lack of use, waterway redirection or landscaping changes

 

[stellam]

I was watching a war between a few people on the Cherrie Mahan FB page yesterday and I think the kid who runs the Butler Dispatch was banned. I also saw people calling the lady names who first mentioned about the van. I honestly think she is on to something - she has been posting for years on Cherrie's FB page but was afraid to come out completely because of family. She said she contacted authorities, but so far nothing in the news. I remember when they received a tip that Cherrie could be alive and living in Michigan, it was breaking news on the Pittsburgh News Stations. Either they are keeping this new info close to their belt, or it's fake. I pray it's a tip than finally pans out.

I, like you, have been watching this closely. I grew up with her cousins, knew her grandma and my family is friends with her family. I have hoped for an answer as to what happened to Cherrie for as long as I can remember. When I saw that post (that turned into a dumpster fire) from Butler Dispatch on the Cherrie FB page I was filled with hope. That woman has been posting for years about the van...fingers crossed we find answers and justice for Cherrie.

 

[chaddylex]

I, like you, have been watching this closely. I grew up with her cousins, knew her grandma and my family is friends with her family. I have hoped for an answer as to what happened to Cherrie for as long as I can remember. When I saw that post (that turned into a dumpster fire) from Butler Dispatch on the Cherrie FB page I was filled with hope. That woman has been posting for years about the van...fingers crossed we find answers and justice for Cherrie.

Hi Stellam,
Are you hearing any other chatter? Has her family made any comments about this latest "tip"? I just wish someday we would know what happened to her.

 

[stellam]

Hi Stellam,
Are you hearing any other chatter? Has her family made any comments about this latest "tip"? I just wish someday we would know what happened to her.

Its a really tricky situation for me. I know they have seen the FB page and the latest "tip". I haven't spoken to any family about it yet, I was trying to wait to see if anything came of it. Its obviously a painful topic so I am hesitant to bring it up.

I know I have been sleuthing the hell out of the van tip and have to say I am really intrigued by it. I heard rumor that nothing came of the tip, but I'm telling you, the connections there (figured out the now-deceased owner of said van and then did a little digging around) are interesting. Very interesting. I do believe the tip is credible. I haven't yet determined who the one player (the actual "suspect" per se) is yet, but I will.

 

[chaddylex]

Its a really tricky situation for me. I know they have seen the FB page and the latest "tip". I haven't spoken to any family about it yet, I was trying to wait to see if anything came of it. Its obviously a painful topic so I am hesitant to bring it up.

I know I have been sleuthing the hell out of the van tip and have to say I am really intrigued by it. I heard rumor that nothing came of the tip, but I'm telling you, the connections there (figured out the now-deceased owner of said van and then did a little digging around) are interesting. Very interesting. I do believe the tip is credible. I haven't yet determined who the one player (the actual "suspect" per se) is yet, but I will.

The lady who sent in that tip about the van private messaged me on FB back in June and gave me the guy's name who lived in the basement of the guy who owned the van. I am telling you - I wouldn't sell her short. She seems to be on to something but was afraid to say anything because of family retaliation. I don't know any of these people, but why would she make this stuff up, She told me it has been bothering her for a very long time.

 

[BethAnn777]

The lady who sent in that tip about the van private messaged me on FB back in June and gave me the guy's name who lived in the basement of the guy who owned the van. I am telling you - I wouldn't sell her short. She seems to be on to something but was afraid to say anything because of family retaliation. I don't know any of these people, but why would she make this stuff up, She told me it has been bothering her for a very long time.

I WISH people in this situation would call in an anonymous tip, if nothing else. So she lets a possible child killer roam free because she is afraid of retaliation from her family or the suspect’s family? Not sure which one you mean. But either way, call in a dang anonymous tip for the love of God. SMH...

 

[chaddylex]

I WISH people in this situation would call in an anonymous tip, if nothing else. So she lets a possible child killer roam free because she is afraid of retaliation from her family or the suspect’s family? Not sure which one you mean. But either way, call in a dang anonymous tip for the love of God. SMH...

She did report it supposedly last week. She just didn't come out on the FB page and state the guy's name. She is related to the guy who owned the van. He passed away in June. The guy she thought could be responsible for Cherrie's disappearance lived in this guys basement and worked for him. He also passed away but in prison.

 

[Savemecastiel]

bumping...

 

[BethAnn777]

She did report it supposedly last week. She just didn't come out on the FB page and state the guy's name. She is related to the guy who owned the van. He passed away in June. The guy she thought could be responsible for Cherrie's disappearance lived in this guys basement and worked for him. He also passed away but in prison.

She reported it last week. Did she just find out last week? Sounds like no, she has suspected this for some time.

I guess I can get that it would be hard to call in a tip against a family member. What a tough predicament to be in.

 

[stellam]

The lady who sent in that tip about the van private messaged me on FB back in June and gave me the guy's name who lived in the basement of the guy who owned the van. I am telling you - I wouldn't sell her short. She seems to be on to something but was afraid to say anything because of family retaliation. I don't know any of these people, but why would she make this stuff up, She told me it has been bothering her for a very long time.

Would you mind DM'ing me that name? I can PM on her fb, but she is probably overwhelmed. I did figure out that she is related to the recently deceased van owner...I noticed she didn't really mention that on FB. I didn't want to point it out on FB. But I would like to discuss it with my parents...who can then discuss it with the appropriate parties.

 

[stellam]

The lady who sent in that tip about the van private messaged me on FB back in June and gave me the guy's name who lived in the basement of the guy who owned the van. I am telling you - I wouldn't sell her short. She seems to be on to something but was afraid to say anything because of family retaliation. I don't know any of these people, but why would she make this stuff up, She told me it has been bothering her for a very long time.

Oh I don't discredit her one bit. I feel her tip is very credible and there is something about it that is tingling my spidey sense, VERY bad.

 

[stellam]

She reported it last week. Did she just find out last week? Sounds like no, she has suspected this for some time.

I guess I can get that it would be hard to call in a tip against a family member. What a tough predicament to be in.

She reported it before last week.

 

[chaddylex]

Would you mind DM'ing me that name? I can PM on her fb, but she is probably overwhelmed. I did figure out that she is related to the recently deceased van owner...I noticed she didn't really mention that on FB. I didn't want to point it out on FB. But I would like to discuss it with my parents...who can then discuss it with the appropriate parties.

Sure I will message you now.

 

[Gameman]

Hi everyone,
The van was taken by police and is currently being looked at for evidence. Does anyone know if the van was reported before this? Why is the van good enough to search now but wasn’t worth it before? The guy who lived with the owner committed some sort of sex crimes towards boys around ‘96. Still, why would the owner, who seems upstanding, cover for someone like this? I hate to hear criticism of this woman for doing the right thing too late. It’s been over 30 years, but if someone wants to come forward with any information at any point, that’s great. If something comes of this, she would be the only person in the situation with the courage to come forward, no matter how long it may have taken.

The posts from another woman in the comments section of that post seem promising. She claims to know the perpetrators as two brothers whose father lived across the street from Cherrie’s grandmother. Janice and Cherrie grew up in this house. Janice went to school with this family, and the woman claims he used to babysit Cherrie. Both Cherrie’s mother and the police say it’s someone Cherrie knew very well. Is this a case where there is common knowledge but not enough evidence to arrest? This woman has been posting on blogs for years, and both her and her husband are adamant that one or both of these guys did it. I only found one brother through sleuthing, and he is now a registered sex offender for apparently abusing some child relatives, even though the sex offender registry doesn’t say as much.

 

[Gameman]

I know Lake Saxony is near Cabot. Are there any other bodies of water? Interested in any lakes, holding ponds, etc that are shallow or have completely dried up due to lack of use, waterway redirection or landscaping changes

Can I ask why? Oddly enough, there is a lake on the property of these brothers’ family.

 

[stellam]

Hi everyone,
The van was taken by police and is currently being looked at for evidence. Does anyone know if the van was reported before this? Why is the van good enough to search now but wasn’t worth it before? The guy who lived with the owner committed some sort of sex crimes towards boys around ‘96. Still, why would the owner, who seems upstanding, cover for someone like this? I hate to hear criticism of this woman for doing the right thing too late. It’s been over 30 years, but if someone wants to come forward with any information at any point, that’s great. If something comes of this, she would be the only person in the situation with the courage to come forward, no matter how long it may have taken.

The posts from another woman in the comments section of that post seem promising. She claims to know the perpetrators as two brothers whose father lived across the street from Cherrie’s grandmother. Janice and Cherrie grew up in this house. Janice went to school with this family, and the woman claims he used to babysit Cherrie. Both Cherrie’s mother and the police say it’s someone Cherrie knew very well. Is this a case where there is common knowledge but not enough evidence to arrest? This woman has been posting on blogs for years, and both her and her husband are adamant that one or both of these guys did it. I only found one brother through sleuthing, and he is now a registered sex offender for apparently abusing some child relatives, even though the sex offender registry doesn’t say as much.

Are you a local too GageMan? The interesting/crazy/disturbing thing is that this family owned (and still does) a large bit of land in town surrounding Grandma's old property. The land has been in that family for a long while. Yes, one of the brothers is a registered sex offender. Much of the family still lives in and around town. I shudder to think these boys were/are responsible.

 

[passionflower]

Hi everyone,
The van was taken by police and is currently being looked at for evidence. Does anyone know if the van was reported before this? Why is the van good enough to search now but wasn’t worth it before? The guy who lived with the owner committed some sort of sex crimes towards boys around ‘96. Still, why would the owner, who seems upstanding, cover for someone like this? I hate to hear criticism of this woman for doing the right thing too late. It’s been over 30 years, but if someone wants to come forward with any information at any point, that’s great. If something comes of this, she would be the only person in the situation with the courage to come forward, no matter how long it may have taken.

The posts from another woman in the comments section of that post seem promising. She claims to know the perpetrators as two brothers whose father lived across the street from Cherrie’s grandmother. Janice and Cherrie grew up in this house. Janice went to school with this family, and the woman claims he used to babysit Cherrie. Both Cherrie’s mother and the police say it’s someone Cherrie knew very well. Is this a case where there is common knowledge but not enough evidence to arrest? This woman has been posting on blogs for years, and both her and her husband are adamant that one or both of these guys did it. I only found one brother through sleuthing, and he is now a registered sex offender for apparently abusing some child relatives, even though the sex offender registry doesn’t say as much.

Wow!

 

[Gameman]

Stellam,
Hi there! I am local, and this case bothers me like none other.

It’s both discouraging and encouraging that the police acted on this van tip. The woman said a local authority she spoke to didn’t seem concerned, but when hundreds in the community became aware of the situation, action was swiftly taken. Maybe that is just because it wasn’t the local cop’s jurisdiction...I just personally know from ANOTHER experience with a cold case that the police may have the information all along and not given enough credence to it.

I think it is pretty fair to responsibly discuss (without accusing) those in the area that are on the Megan’s Law website, are of the right age range, and where they may have lived at the time. If it drums up attention, so be it. I’m still hesitant and not sure why. It’s been 30 years, and if the police were going to solve it, they would have. To paraphrase what someone else posted, there are only so many people an eight year old knows.

 

[Gameman]

Found the answer to my own question! It appears she reported to police about the van back in 2014.

 

[BethAnn777]

Hi everyone,
The van was taken by police and is currently being looked at for evidence. Does anyone know if the van was reported before this? Why is the van good enough to search now but wasn’t worth it before? The guy who lived with the owner committed some sort of sex crimes towards boys around ‘96. Still, why would the owner, who seems upstanding, cover for someone like this? I hate to hear criticism of this woman for doing the right thing too late. It’s been over 30 years, but if someone wants to come forward with any information at any point, that’s great. If something comes of this, she would be the only person in the situation with the courage to come forward, no matter how long it may have taken.

The posts from another woman in the comments section of that post seem promising. She claims to know the perpetrators as two brothers whose father lived across the street from Cherrie’s grandmother. Janice and Cherrie grew up in this house. Janice went to school with this family, and the woman claims he used to babysit Cherrie. Both Cherrie’s mother and the police say it’s someone Cherrie knew very well. Is this a case where there is common knowledge but not enough evidence to arrest? This woman has been posting on blogs for years, and both her and her husband are adamant that one or both of these guys did it. I only found one brother through sleuthing, and he is now a registered sex offender for apparently abusing some child relatives, even though the sex offender registry doesn’t say as much.

I’m sorry, but why would you “hate to hear criticism of this woman for doing the right thing too late”? If it was your loved one that was abducted would you not criticize someone who didn’t come forward with information? I understand she may have been in a tough situation, but, yeah I definitely criticize her for not coming forward the very second she had information.