Family, friends still seek answers 30 years after Winfield child vanished
Thirty years ago Sunday, Cherrie Mahan stepped off a school bus near her family's Winfield home like any other day. The handful of elementary students using the bus stop along Cornplanter Road in Cabot that sunny February day went their separate ways, toward their homes and their families.
But Cherrie, 8, never made it to hers. She vanished without a trace, and three decades later, her whereabouts remain a mystery.
On Sunday, about 50 people gathered in Saxonburg Memorial Presbyterian Church for a service in Cherrie's honor on the 30th anniversary of her disappearance. Pastor Carmen Shullo led the solemn service, with glimmers of hope and faith, that largely centered around Cherrie's mother, Janice McKinney.
McKinney, who now lives in Saxonburg, wept when she expressed her gratitude to the congregation and expounded her faith that she'll one day find closure.
“It's just the not knowing that's the hardest part,” McKinney said. “It sucks the life out of you. We're hoping that this will jog people's memories. Maybe it will lead to that one missing piece that can point in the right direction.”
State police Trooper Chris Birckbichler, the case's lead investigator, agrees the attention Sunday's service drew could lead to a tip that helps police solve the case. On average, he said, they receive a handful of tips each month.
The strongest lead stemming from the Feb. 22, 1985, incident are reports of a suspicious 1976 bright blue Dodge van that was seen in the area that day.
“It's highly unlikely, though, that information will lead anywhere,” Birckbichler said. “There was so much media attention surrounding her disappearance. There is no way it's still in the possession of those responsible.”
Newspaper clippings were on easels in the church lobby on Sunday, and a bouquet of yellow roses and two photos of Cherrie were on a table. One photo showed a beaming, 8-year-old Cherrie, and the other was an age-progressed photo of what experts think she would look like today, at 38.
Jennifer Morgan, who played frequently with Cherrie as a child, thinks often about all the life Cherrie might have missed since she was last seen.
“I think about her most on milestone occasions,” Morgan said. “Births, weddings, things like that. We used to play Barbie dolls and do little girl stuff all the time. I think about what she might be like now if she was around.”
McKinney said she felt the presence of Cherrie and Cherrie's late grandmother on Sunday, even prior to the service.
“My mother loved cardinals,” McKinney said. “I was shoveling my driveway in the morning, and I saw this beautiful, bright red cardinal in the tree behind me. I took it as my mother giving me a sign that everything is okay and that she's thinking about Cherrie.”
Perhaps more than anyone, Cherrie's disappearance devastated McKinney's mother, Shirley Mahan, she said.
“My mother absolutely adored her,” McKinney said. “It was Cherrie that got mom through the death of her husband, I think. She was such a special kid. She really was.”
Carol Burnett, now of Saxonburg, remembers Cherrie as a vivacious little girl in the former lifeguard's swim classes in the early 1980s.
“She was the sweetest little thing,” Burnett said. “She was very bright, always happy. I was in college when I saw that she vanished on the news that day. I couldn't believe it. It's a small town where people don't even lock their doors and kids run around playing in the fields.”
Heather Check, a close friend of McKinney's, opened Sunday's service with a vocal performance of Carrie Underwood's “See You Again.” Friends of the McKinneys took turns sharing memories and their thoughts of Cherrie and her family.
“It's still a process,” McKinney said of dealing with the loss. “I have forgiven whoever did this to my little girl, I just need some answers. I know there's someone out there who knows something. It's time to find out what happened.”
Braden Ashe is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-226-4673 or bashe@tribweb.com.
