A private investigator from Iowa is asking for the public’s help in locating items of interest in the Cherrie Mahan disappearance case.
Steve Ridge is renewing his request for help finding a blue book bag that belonged to Cherrie, who vanished from rural Butler County in 1985 at the age of 8.
“We now know that two shoulder straps removed from a bag of this type were found during a search of the area right after Cherrie went missing,” Ridge said in a release Sunday.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> State police offer $5K reward for information that solves Cherrie Mahan disappearance case
Also, Ridge says he’s looking for a pair of children’s Cabbage Patch doll earmuffs that Cherrie was wearing the day she disappeared.
“Items like this are often kept as souvenirs in a case of this type,” Ridge said.
Both items would have been in good condition and could have been discarded or hidden anywhere, perhaps even recently, due to progress in the investigation, Ridge says.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Family & friends of Cherrie Mahan discuss developments in case, 41 years after her disappearance
Last year, Ridge put up a $100,000 reward of his own money for information that leads to Cherrie’s discovery.
11 Investigates has been following developments in Cherrie’s case closely.
In February, Cherrie’s mother, Janice McKinney, said she’s been in contact with an inmate, who’s in prison for an unrelated crime. The family believes that the inmate holds the key to solving the case.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 11 Investigates: Could letters from prison help crack the Cherrie Mahan cold case?
Family members say he was named in dozens of tips and wants to speak, but not until he’s out of prison, and only under certain conditions.
Chief Investigator Rick Earlier reported that the inmate also sent letters to 11 Investigates in August and October, denying involvement in Cherrie’s disappearance but suggesting he has more information.
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