Police hope new tech will help Butler County cold case
By Matthew Santoni
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Pennsylvania State Police in Butler County are hoping new technology will give new life to the 24-year-old case of Cherrie Mahan, the 8-year-old girl who disappeared in the 50 yards between her bus stop and her home.
Police announced Saturday that they have received new computer equipment and programs that will help them compile and manage the volumes of information related to Cherrie's case. The brown-haired, brown-eyed little girl went missing from the road to her family's mobile home in Winfield on Feb. 22, 1985, and was never seen again. Today marks the anniversary of her disappearance.
Over 24 years, Cherrie's case received national exposure. She was featured on national television, her face was on the first "Have You Seen Me?" cards distributed by direct-mail advertiser Advo, and her picture has appeared on milk cartons, flyers and bumper stickers -- all sure to generate tips to be checked out and logged.
For example, children who rode the bus with Cherrie and a mother who picked up several kids at her bus stop recalled seeing a blue or green van with a large mural that featured a skier and a snowy mountain scene.
Over the years, "hundreds and hundreds" of vans that might fit that description were photographed and checked over the years, according to a statement from state police in Butler county. Trooper Frank Jendesky is now in charge of the investigation.
The computers were donated to the State Police by Kids Count and Family Psychological Associates in Butler, which offer mental health services to children and families, according to the police statement.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the State Police criminal investigation unit at 724-284-8100 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. Calls will be kept confidential.
Matthew Santoni can be reached at msantoni@tribweb.com or 412-380-5625.
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