The search for Cherrie Mahan, the 8-year-old girl who went missing from a bus stop in Butler County in 1985, brought law enforcement to Armstrong County on Tuesday. 

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Cherrie Mahan was last seen on Feb. 22, 1985, on Cornplanter Road in Winfield Township, Butler County. 

(Photo: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children/Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers)

Sources told KDKA that digging in South Buffalo Township on Tuesday morning was connected to the Mahan case. She was last seen in Winfield Township, about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh, and there’s been no sign of her for 40 years. 

Cherrie Mahan case update

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police investigators were along the Allegheny River about 10 miles from where the girl was last seen. At sunrise, with assistance from the FBI, state police started digging near a private residence along River Road, KDKA was told. Sources said this was not the first time law enforcement had searched the area. 

It was not immediately known what led law enforcement to the scene or if anything was found, though sources said future searches will happen due to how vast the area is. The area that was searched on Tuesday had river camps and a few houses in 1985. 

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Law enforcement was in South Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, on Oct. 21, 2025, for a dig in connection with the Cherrie Mahan case. 

(Photo Credit: KDKA)

“This is a dirt road back into this area. There’s a little village on the other end. You’re out in the middle of nowhere, yes. There are the doods all around us and the river behind us,” township resident Darlene Elash said.

Disappearance of Cherrie Mahan

Mahan was last seen getting off her school bus on Cornplanter Road in Winfield Township on Feb. 22, 1985. Police previously said a bright blue 1976 Dodge van with a mural of a mountain and a skier may be involved in her disappearance.

State police say the amount of time that has gone by makes this case difficult to solve. There is no prime suspect in the disappearance of Mahan. However, sources said there are persons of interest who are being actively investigated. 

The investigation remains ongoing. There’s still a $5,000 cash reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest, solving the case or finding Mahan. 

Four women throughout the years have claimed to be Mahan.