Woman claims to be missing person Cherrie Mahan, eight-year-old Pennsylvania girl who vanished from bus stop in 1985

A woman has come forward claiming she is the eight year old Pennsylvania girl who disappeared during an arrest in 1985.

Cherrie Mahan was last seen in Winfield Township, Butler County, nearly four decades ago, on Feb. 22, after getting off a school bus about 100 yards from her home in Cabot.

The unnamed woman claimed she was the missing girl, currently believed to be 47, in a May 23 post on the Facebook group ‘Memories of Cherrie Mahan.’ She didn’t make a photo public, so it was unclear what she looks like.

Cherrie’s mother, Janice McKinney, was not convinced the woman is her long-lost daughter.

“I really believe in her mind she thought she was Cherrie. It didn’t look like Cherrie at all,” McKinney told the BBC Butler Eagle.

A spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania State Police told DailyMail.com, “We are investigating this woman’s claim that she is Cherrie Mahan.”

Cherrie Mahan was last seen in Winfield Township, Butler County, on February 22, 1985, after getting off a school bus about 100 yards from her home in Cabot.

The unnamed woman posted in a Facebook group on May 23 that she was the missing girl, who is currently said to be 47. (photo: a photo of what Cherrie would look like now)

“We are working with an external agency to positively identify the female. They did not contact her using the contact information she provided. The Foreign Service is trying to locate her.”

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrena blue 1976 Dodge van with a mural of a mountain and a skier on it “possibly involved” in Cherrie’s disappearance.

The agency said she had her ears pierced and was last seen wearing a blue denim skirt, gray jacket, blue leg warmers and beige boots.

The message the unnamed woman posted on Facebook has since been deleted because the page’s administrator, Brock Organ, said the woman was “harassing and bullying” other members.

“Few are in a position to assess the claim, and unfortunately some people online are unstable and divisive,” Organ said.

‘So we have removed the member and I apologize for the unwanted content. The group members, especially our dear member Janice, should not be exposed to such content.”

Cherrie’s mother commented under Organ’s post and said she has been in contact with the police.

Cherrie’s mother, Janice McKinney (center), said she is not convinced the woman is her long-lost daughter

“I really believe in her mind she thought she was Cherrie. It didn’t look like Cherrie at all,” McKinney said. (photo: an undated photo of Cherrie and her mother)

‘I have spoken to the police, they are investigating this. This is very difficult for me. Please note that I see everything,” McKinney wrote.

The heartbroken mother said this isn’t the first time someone has claimed to be her now adult daughter, as many tips have come in over the years.

McKinney explained that many contact her around the anniversary of Cherrie’s disappearance, and around August, the missing girl’s birthday month.

‘I expect madness in February and August. This just hit me differently,” McKinney told the Butler Eagle.

‘I didn’t even see it. Someone called me and told me about it.’

She explained that every day is difficult without her daughter, but when unfounded claims spread, she experiences more pain.

“If you wanted your 15 minutes of fame, you’ve already ruined it,” she said.

‘People are mean, they are cruel, but this really hits me like crazy. It will be forty years since Cherrie went missing.”

She said what keeps her sane is knowing her daughter is cared for whether she is dead or alive.

On May 30, Cherrie’s mother posted a photo of her as a baby and said, “If only you know the heartache.”

‘I always felt she was doing well. If she were dead, she is in heaven with my parents and brothers,” the mother said.

‘If she’s alive, someone has taken care of her. I don’t know why I feel this way.’

She told me earlier KDKA News that she remembers waiting with her husband Leroy for Cherrie to run into the family driveway after getting off the school bus that day.

“Leroy says, ‘Do you want me to go down and pick her up?’ and I said no, it’s a beautiful day, she’ll come running up the hill because she wants to go. But that never happened,” McKinney said.

Still, nearly four decades after seeing her beloved child, McKinney still hasn’t found the closure she needs.

“There’s something that someone somewhere has missed, and someone knows about it,” she said.

McKinney regularly posts photos of her daughter on her Facebook, and on May 30, she shared a photo of her as a baby and said, “Just know it hurts your heart.”

Members of the social media group quickly comforted McKinney and called out the woman who said she was the child.

“I wish everyone could see how many people have been in Janice’s inbox over the years claiming to be Cherrie,” one person said.

“It’s heartbreaking that people have the audacity to continue to do this to this poor woman,” they added.

Another wrote, “I have been praying for this family since she went missing. When I travel, I always look for the blue van with the winter ski mural on it.”

“I was 11 when she disappeared and I remember it like it was yesterday,” said another.