Cherrie Mahan’s family holds 50th birthday celebration in her honor
CLINTON TWP — The pictures adorning Cherrie Mahan’s 50th birthday party should’ve shown a middle-aged woman with wide brown eyes and brown hair. Perhaps she would be standing with friends, co-workers, her mother or a family of her own.
But at the party Sunday, Aug. 16, all the pictures of Cherrie were from her childhood up until she was 8 — the age she was when she disappeared on Feb. 22, 1985.
“Cherrie was an amazing young lady,” Janice McKinney, Cherrie’s mom, said at the party Sunday. “She truly was. And she would have reached out to everybody because that’s how she was. She might not have known you, but she was definitely going to become your friend.”
Cherrie Mahan was a third-grade student at the former Winfield Elementary School in South Butler County School District, now Knoch School District. She went missing in February 1985 after she reportedly got off the school bus at Cornplanter Road, which has been confirmed by the bus driver and students who were on the bus at the time.
There have been reports Cherrie was taken into a van painted with a decal of a skier on a mountain. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, she was last seen wearing a gray coat, blue denim skirt, blue leg warmers and beige boots.
McKinney and law enforcement refer to Cherrie’s disappearance as a kidnapping and are still hoping someone will come forward with information about her.
Cherrie was declared legally dead in 1998, but the missing person case remains open with state police.
Cherrie’s 50th birthday party is not the only way McKinney has remembered her daughter. For years, on Feb. 22, she’s held vigils at the bottom of the driveway at 1136 Cornplanter Road — the place she and Cherrie once called home.
But Sunday marked the first time McKinney has held a birthday party for Cherrie. Dozens of family members and friends gathered to share stories, eat food and hold Cherrie close to their heart.
“It’s a crime that she never got to grow up. I want everybody to know. And of course, I’ve stomped the road 100 times because I just think the more people that talk about it, the more people understand and really follow it,” McKinney said.
Cherrie’s 50th birthday party also featured an optional donation box for toys planned for distribution closer to the holidays.
“We have so many families in our community that are in need,” McKinney said. “That’s who I want to reach out to, people who need something. I just felt it’d be a great thing to give these kids something that they wouldn’t have gotten before.”
For over 41 years, McKinney has refused to give up hope Cherrie is out there, even if she is no longer alive. She continues to tell Cherrie’s story to authorities, politicians and whoever will listen in hopes of reconnecting with her daughter once again.
The story has not lost traction, even with four decades passed. Thousands follow the “Find Cherrie Mahan” Facebook page, and a few dedicated people have even formed “Cherrie’s Angels,” a group of volunteers working to solve the case.
“I thank Jesus for (Cherrie’s Angels) because they do everything. They do it and then tell me about it. They’re very vigilant about everything. Every lead that we get, they check into,” McKinney said.
She has also received help from Iowa-based private investigator Steve Ridge. The two announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to her discovery in May 2025.
“I just want to find her body and bring her home. That’s all I want,” McKinney said at Sunday’s party.
State police Troop D has also continued the search for Cherrie, offering a $5,000 reward for information related to her case in February 2026.
Anyone with information regarding her disappearance is asked to contact state police’s Butler barracks at 724-284-8100, through the PSP Tips toll-free number at 1-800-472-8477 or online at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=107.
Callers to PSP Tips could be eligible for a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest, the solving of a crime or cold case or the location of a wanted person, fugitive or missing person.
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Friends and family gathered for a 50th birthday celebration for Cherrie Mahan at her grandmother’s home in Clinton Township on Sunday, Aug 16. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Janice McKinney, center, is flanked by “Cherrie's Angels” Tina Gizienski, Carlie Gizienski, Alyssa Dietz and Bailey Gizienski during the 50th birthday celebration for Cherrie Mahan at her grandmother’s home in Clinton Township on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Friends and family gathered for a 50th birthday celebration for Cherrie Mahan at her grandmother’s home in Clinton Township on Sunday, Aug 16. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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A poster on display at the 50th birthday celebration for Cherrie Mahan at her grandmother’s home in Clinton Township on Sunday, Aug 16. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Cherrie Mahan's mother, Janice McKinney, speaks to the crowd gathered to attend the 50th birthday celebration for Cherrie Mahan at her grandmother’s home in Clinton Township on Sunday, Aug 16. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Alyssa Dietz sets out a birthday cake at the 50th birthday celebration for Cherrie Mahan at her grandmother’s home in Clinton Township on Sunday, Aug 16. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
