Pennsylvania State Police shared an update on the identity of a woman claiming to be missing person Cherrie Mahan, who at 8 years old disappeared from her school bus stop in 1985.
The woman, who hasn’t been publicly identified, claimed to be Cherrie in both a post to a Facebook group and a voicemail left with state police last month.
But the post was promptly removed by the group administrators and investigators haven’t been able to reach her at the phone number or address that she provided in the voicemail, state police said.
With no way to reach her, cops went another route.
State police were able to obtain fingerprints for the name left by the caller and tested them against Cherrie’s. There was no match.
“An initial review of these fingerprints indicate that she is not Cherri Mahan,” cops said in the update.
“At this point in the investigation, law enforcement has not had in-person contact with the women [sic] claiming to be Cherrie Mahan. If the caller decides to make herself available to the Pennsylvania State Police or any other law enforcement agencies, her claim will be investigated.”
The real Cherrie was last seen being dropped off from her school bus near her Windfield Township home on Feb. 22, 1985.
She never made it through the front door.
In the nearly four decades since she vanished, four women — including the latest — have claimed to be Cherrie.
A $5,000 reward is still being offered to anyone who provides information that leads to finding Cherrie, who would be 46 today, or an arrest.
Cherrie’s mother, Janice McKinney, said she didn’t believe the latest woman was her daughter from the beginning.
“I truly believe she thought in her mind that she was Cherrie,” McKinney told the Butler Eagle. “It did not look anything like Cherrie at all.”
She said the woman’s claims came as a surprise, as she usually expects such claims to come around the anniversary of Cherrie’s disappearance or her birthday in August.
“In February and August, I expect craziness. This just hit me different,” she told the local publication.
“If you wanted your 15 minutes of fame, you’ve already blown it,” she said. “People are mean, they are cruel, but this affects me really crazy. It’s gonna be 40 years since Cherrie’s been missing.”
Cherrie’s case is still active. The one possible clue investigators have is a blue 1976 Dodge van with a mural of a mountain that was seen in the area when the young girl vanished.
