Another woman has come forward in a since-deleted claim that she is an 8-year-old girl authorities have been trying to find for the past four decades.

When Cherrie Ann Mahan disappeared after getting off her school bus back in 1985, the world went into shock. Since then, multiple social media groups have been created in memory, including one on Facebook.

Now, a woman named Kera Turner is convinced she may be the long lost girl.

Kera Turner believes she is Cherrie Ann Mahan

Image credits: Memories of Cherrie Mahan

“I believe in my heart that I am Cherrie Mahan. I have been living in a lie of a life for a very long time,” she wrote on January 18. “I’m extremely traumatized and have had a very hard life. I’ve been looking at photos of my family and I remember now.

“I don’t know how this could happen. My heart finally feels whole again as I’ve held on to hope for so long. I am tired and have endured so much by people I thought had my best interest at heart. I am still so grateful and looking forward to the future.”

Image credits: Memories of Cherrie Mahan

A DNA test has not been issued, and comments are speculative at best. But Kera said she doesn’t want to “get silenced in a permanent way” and is waiting on an answer from the state police after previously calling them.

She also claimed that she is the same age Cherrie would be today — which is 48 years old. 

Kera’s post is fairly recent, but it’s gained a lot of attention. At the time of writing, more than 100 comments flood the post, many describing how insensitive her words are.

The woman has contacted police and is waiting on the results of a DNA test

Image credits: Kera Turner

“Please don’t do this to her family,” one user wrote. 

“Prove it before posting here, giving false hope to her family,” another agreed. 

Others saw the statement as nothing but a scheme for more attention. 

“Instead of posting this, go get DNA tested but I really think this is a scam honestly, someone just out there to get publicity and fame…” a netizen theorized. 

“If you made all of this up for attention, you should be placed in a mental hospital,” a fourth scolded, adding that it was a “cruel, mischievous” kind of punishment to Cherrie’s family.

Various comments started debating the missing girl’s age, as well, with some Facebook users claiming they could see a resemblance. Others said she looked much too young. 

This is an ongoing incident as the attention now turns to the authorities.

Cherrie was only 8 years old when she disappeared 40 years ago

Image credits: Memories of Cherrie Mahan

Cherrie was a little girl from rural Winfield Township, Butler County in Pennsylvania born in 1976. Less than ten years of her life passed before she mysteriously vanished on February 22, 1985. 

She was declared legally dead in November of 1988, and her abduction is widely believed to have been committed by someone outside of her family.

40 years later, it still remains one of the most infamous unsolved missing children’s cases in the United States, and many posters attempting to raise awareness with the headline Have You Seen Me? have been hung all over the nation.

Comments were very speculative on how true Kera’s claims were

Image credits: Memories of Cherrie Mahan

And, interestingly enough, Kera’s statement isn’t the first time a stranger has claimed to be Cherrie — as four people have come forward with the same line of thinking.

Back in the early summer of 2024, a woman posted in the same Facebook group that she was the missing girl in question.

Authorities investigated the case but things halted as the group’s administrator banned her for “harassing and bullying” other members.

Image credits: Kera Turner

To this day, Cherrie’s mother is still holding on to the hope that her daughter will be found. She has become accustomed to seeing random bits of information floating around, but it was still a shock to see the words in front of her. 

“If you wanted your 15 minutes of fame, you’ve already blown it,” she said to Butler Eagle. “People are mean, they are cruel, but this affects me really crazy. It’s gonna be 40 years since Cherrie’s been missing.”

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