
Cherrie Mahan’s favorite color was purple. She wanted to be a teacher, trying out lessons on the Cabbage Patch Doll she named Katrina. She loved tuna fish sandwiches and books and Care Bears and her dog, Scruffy. Then, on the afternoon of February 22, 1985, she stepped off the school bus in front of her parents’ house and disappeared. She left no clues, no witnesses, no footprints. It’s as if the earth opened up and swallowed her whole.
Music: “Tea,” “Stories,” “Elevate” and “Smoke Alarm” by 1000 Hands
Sound effect: Freesound Community
Sources: personal interviews; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Press and Butler Eagle newspaper archives; The Charley Project