A woman has reignited speculation over a missing person cold case after claiming she is a girl who disappeared over 39 years ago.
Cherrie Mahan vanished after she was dropped off by her school bus right in front of her home in Winfield Township in Pennsylvania in February 1985.
State Police have now launched an investigation into the claims the unidentified woman made in a post to the “Memories of Cherrie Mahan” Facebook group last month.
The long-lost eight-year-old was last seen getting off the school bus right at the bottom of her driveway on the afternoon of February 22, 1985.
Investigators at the time said a blue 1976 Dodge van sporting the mural of a skier on a mountain was spotted nearby and suggested may have been involved in Cherrie’s disappearance.
The girl’s mother, Janice McKinney, has reportedly dismissed claims that the woman is her daughter, who would now be 46.
Speaking to local publication The Eagle, Ms McKinney said: “I truly believe she thought in her mind that she was Cherrie. It did not look anything like Cherrie at all.”
Three other women have claimed to be Cherrie in the years since she went missing.
Ms McKinney, who has been offering a $5,000 (£3,910) reward for information about the girl, said she has seen a surge in tips about Cherrie around the anniversary of her disappearance or around her birthday for years.
The heartbroken mother said: “In February and August, I expect craziness. This just hit me different. I didn’t even see it. Someone called me and told me about it.
“If you wanted your 15 minutes of fame, you’ve already blown it. People are mean, they are cruel, but this affects me really crazy. It’s gonna be 40 years since Cherrie’s been missing.”
Pennsylvania State Police have been trying to identify the woman and are working with an out-of-state agency to contact her. Her posts to Cherrie’s memorial page have since been removed.
Ms McKinney added that she always felt her daughter was being taken care of whether she was alive or dead.
She said: “I’ve always felt that she was OK. If she was dead, she is in heaven with my parents and my brothers.
“If she was alive, someone was taking care of her. I don’t know why I feel that way.
“I wish that we [every investigator who has looked into Cherrie’s case] could all get together and sit and talk. There’s something somebody missed somewhere, and somebody knows.”
