The search for Cherrie Mahan is back in the spotlight as local police and members of the FBI started digging in Armstrong County.
Crews were out excavating a small plot near a home in South Buffalo on Tuesday afternoon.
Members of Cherrie’s Angels tell 11 Investigates the search was in reference to the 40-year-old case.
The group was not sure if any clues were located.
8-year-old Cherrie Mahan disappeared after getting off the school bus in 1985 in Butler County.
Earlier this year, a private investigator from Iowa put up a $100,000 reward for information that leads to her discovery.
“I don’t know if surprised is the best word but I was very happy,” Bailey Gizienski told Channel 11. She is a friend of Cherrie Mahan’s mother Janice McKinney and runs a group dedicated to finding Cherrie.
“She [Janice] did say to me this morning, ‘my heart is beating so fast. Cherrie wants to come home,’” she said.
Steve Ridge is a private investigator working on the Cherrie Mahan case.
“I knew a dig was imminent. I was not surprised but in terms of the specific location, I did not have that location pinpointed. I definitely had areas on both sides of the Allegheny right in that area,” he said.
It’s not clear what investigators uncovered in the dig, if anything. Gizienski says they told Cherrie’s mother that they plan to return.
“This community has never forgotten about Cherrie but the amount of tips we’ve received with the collaboration with PA State Police, we’re very close,” Bailey said.
“This could rapidly unfold. Just no predicting how soon it’ll break loose,” Ridge said.
You can submit a tip or learn more about the search here: https://www.facebook.com/find.cherrie.mahan.
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