Mother of Cherrie Mahan hopes new tip will lead to a conclusion of the case
The family of Cherrie Mahan is seeking help from the public as they chase a new tip, 40 years after the 8-year-old disappeared when she got off her school bus in Winfield Township.
"I would never wish this upon anybody to have to deal with this. 40 years of not knowing is a killer," said Janice McKinney, Cherrie's mother.
A 26-acre property could hold the key to solving the 40-year-old mystery, one that McKinney can't take her mind off of.
"Not knowing is horrible," she said. "It's excruciating. Every single day, I get killed a little but more than by not knowing."
McKinney hasn't given up hope of finding her daughter, dead or alive.
"I have got to the point in my life where I physically, mentally, just can't do this anymore," she said.
That's why she has gotten help from a group called "Cherrie's Angels," and now they've got a call out for help.
"We're asking for somebody to come with the dogs, with this equipment, and help us," she said.
McKinney said they want to focus on a two-to-three-acre section of the property that she said police never looked at, and it's across the street from where Cherrie's grandparents lived.
"I don't even think that this area was thought about," she said. "Back in the early days when Cherrie was kidnapped, because I don't think these people were on anybody's radar until recently."
She believes that someone molested her daughter and that is related to her disappearance.
"We believe that there are people out there who truly want to help," McKinney said.
She has received a lot of tips over the years, but this one about looking at this property just felt different.
"I am truly hopeful that this could put an end to my not knowing, I'd be happy with a bag of bones because this is just something that people don't understand how hard this is," she said.
They're praying that the property will mark the end of the story.
McKinney said the current property owners are cooperating, and in speaking with the owners, they said they just have to help find Cherrie.
