Butler County can’t forget Cherrie Mahan, seeks closure alongside her mother
Even 41 years after her disappearance, Cherrie Mahan’s name still comes up all the time, especially in Butler County, where she lived before disappearing on Feb. 22, 1985.
While a big proponent of keeping Cherrie’s name in the conversation is her mother, Janice McKinney, who still lives in the area, other people from inside and outside of Butler County have gotten involved in the continued search for Cherrie.
Maybe it’s our human instinct to want closure in the face of uncertainty, and it seems the continued conversation and the vigils McKinney organizes each year on the anniversary of Cherrie’s disappearance are helping get closer to that closure. On Sunday, Feb. 22, McKinney spoke at a conference about recent developments in the search for Cherrie.
Two separate digs took place in connection to the Mahan investigation just last year. One was a privately organized dig involving cadaver dogs at a location within 10 minutes of Cherrie’s disappearance, and another dig organized by the state police and the FBI along River Road in South Buffalo Township, Armstrong County.
Additionally, a group collects tips on the search and keep updates all in one place, Cherrie’s Angels. One of Cherrie’s Angels, Bailey Gizienski, said that although four decades have passed since Cherrie’s disappearance, time shouldn’t prevent witnesses from coming forward with vivid and truthful accounts.
Gizienski said the case has haunted many people even outside of Cherrie’s life and Western Pennsylvania, which is why people are still searching and why there is still hope to be found in the search.
“The people that have been told these stories remember every detail,” Gizienski said. “Cherrie’s case has haunted so many that when you hear these kinds of testimonies, it’s something you just don’t forget.”
In this moment, we want to praise Cherrie’s mother for her efforts in keeping Cherrie’s name known and efforts to find her ongoing.
We at the Butler Eagle see that Cherrie is not forgotten. We’ll continue to print her name and tell her story until she is found.
– ET
