Heartbroken mother of girl who went missing 39 years ago speaks out after woman claims to be her

The heartbroken mother of a girl who went missing 39 years ago has spoken out after a woman claimed to be her lost daughter on social media.

Cherrie Mahan, who hails from Pennsylvania in the US, disappeared after being dropped off by her school bus outside her home in February 1985 at just eight years old.

After nearly 40 years with no breakthrough in the missing person's case, Cherrie's family feared they'd never see her again.

Everything might have changed this week, however, as one woman has since come forward, claiming to be the missing youngster.

Investigating authorities believed at the time of her disappearance that Cherrie may have been abducted by the driver of a 1976 Dodge van - which featured a unique design of skier on a mountain - after a witness observed the child walking past it after disembarking the bus.

Her mother, Janice and stepfather LeRoy McKinney both told responding officers that they'd heard the bus arriving, but claimed that due to the sunny weather that day, they'd allowed their daughter to walk home, as opposed to walking to meet her.

Despite the couple subsequently noticing a set of tyre impressions in the driveway soil approximately 50 yards from their home, a lead connected to the mysterious van was never discovered, and in November 1998, Cherrie was legally declared dead.

In the years that followed, officers investigating the missing youngster pursued thousands of leads, tragically, to no avail.

Cherrie Mahan first disappeared back in 1985. (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

They initially refused, however, to discount the possibility that Cherrie might still be alive.

That was, until in 2011, after Pennsylvania police received a new 'potentially crucial' tip that indicated that the youngster was unlikely to have survived her abduction.

This week, however, another US-born woman posted in a Facebook group titled 'Memories of Cherrie Maham', claiming to believe she is the missing youngster.

Despite initial hope, though, Cherrie's heartbroken mother Janice says she no longer holds onto hope of finding her daughter, due to the countless number of other individuals who have claimed to be her.

Speaking to the Butler Eagle, Janice said: "I truly believe she thought in her mind that she was Cherrie. It did not look anything like Cherrie at all.

"If it was really her, she could present herself at any police office and arrange for a DNA test without reaching out to people online and making aggressive claims."

She went on to slam people claiming to be Cherrie, hitting out: "If you wanted your 15 minutes of fame, you’ve already blown it.

Police believe the real-life Cherrie would now look like this. (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

"People are mean, they are cruel, but this affects me really crazy. It’s gonna be 40 years since Cherrie’s been missing."

The youngster's family are understood to still hold an annual remembrance dinner on the anniversary of her disappearance, a time which normally brings tips on the case which ultimately lead nowhere.

Janice said: "In February and August, I expect this craziness. This just hit different. I didn't even see it. Someone called me and told me about it."

Despite her heartache, she added: "I’ve always felt that she was OK. If she was dead, she is in heaven with my parents and my brothers. If she was alive, someone was taking care of her. I don’t know why I feel that way."