Cadaver dogs employed in search for Cherrie Mahan
The decades-long search for the whereabouts of Cherrie Mahan, who disappeared from her Winfield Township home at the age of 8 in 1985, took a new turn over the weekend of Sept. 27 and 28.
According to Steve Ridge, the Iowa-based private investigator who took up the search for Cherrie’s whereabouts earlier this year, teams of cadaver dogs have been employed to search an area for the remains.
For confidentiality reasons, Ridge could not reveal the location of the search or how many dogs were involved. However, he did say the location lined up with other leads that he had received throughout the course of his investigation.
“I can confirm that there has been a search using dogs, but we’re not prepared to disclose any more than that at this time,” Ridge said. “We have been receiving information on an ongoing basis about potential locations of remains, so that’s what we’re currently working on.”
Cherrie’s mother, Janice McKinney, could not be reached for comment. However, according to a post from the “Find Cherrie Mahan” Facebook page, the cadaver dog-and-handler teams are from Hubbard, Ohio, and Hamburg, Pa.
“Because of dense foliage, loss of daylight, and exhausted dogs, we made the decision to pause and will bring the teams back later this fall for a more thorough search of the pinpointed area,” the post reads.
Ridge said the cadaver dog and handlers were brought in independently, with no involvement from the state police.
“This is a totally independent operation, independent of state police,” Ridge said. “I will say we have a very good relationship with the state police. It’s just that they’re approaching it with their investigative manpower in a certain way and we’re trying to supplement what law enforcement is doing and complement it.”
Even if the dogs turned up positive evidence of remains, Ridge says there’s no guarantee they would belong to Mahan.
“Even if we do detect some human remains, that’s no sure indication that it is Cherrie or anyone else,” Ridge said. “We would have to actually secure the remains and then have everything tested to see if it’s a match.”
Cherrie disappeared from her home on Cornplanter Road on Feb. 22, 1985, shortly after stepping off the school bus. She was declared legally dead in absentia in 1998.
Ridge attached himself to the Mahan case earlier this year and during the spring, he offered a $100,000 reward for any information that would lead to Cherrie’s whereabouts.
