BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. – Pennsylvania State Police are renewing requests for information in the 1985 disappearance of 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan, offering a $5,000 reward for tips that help solve the case.
According to Pennsylvania State Police Troop D’s Butler Station, Cherrie was last seen Friday, Feb. 22, 1985, after she exited her school bus on Cornplanter Road in Winfield Township, Butler County. Investigators say she never made it home.
Troopers said witnesses reported seeing Cherrie get off the bus around the time a blue or green conversion-style van was on Cornplanter Road. The driver has not been identified, and police said they want to question the occupants of the van.
Cherrie was described as wearing a gray jacket, a denim blue jean skirt, blue leg warmers, tan ankle boots and carrying a blue bookbag when she was last seen, police said.
State police urged anyone who may have been in the area that day — including people who lived nearby, traveled Cornplanter Road regularly, or remember a conversion van matching that description — to come forward, even if the information seems small. Investigators said details that were overlooked years ago can become significant as leads are rechecked.
Police also emphasized that cold-case tips can come from family conversations, old neighborhood recollections, or someone remembering a vehicle tied to the route and time frame.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Pennsylvania State Police at 724-284-8100. Tips can also be submitted through PSP Tips at 1-800-472-8477 or online through the PSP Tips tip form (ID 107). Police said callers may be eligible for a cash reward for information that helps solve the case.
