Mom of 8-year-old girl who went missing 39 years ago has heartbreaking response to woman claiming to be her

The mom of a girl who went missing 39 years ago has responded after a woman emerged online claiming to be her daughter.

On February 22, 1985, Cherrie Mahan had just been dropped off at her home in Pennsylvania by her school bus when she disappeared.

The eight-year-old has been a missing person ever since, with an investigation still not having found what happened to her.

Investigators believe that a Dodge van from 1976 painted with a picture of a skier on a mounted could be involved in the awful case.

Nearly 40 years after Cherrie's disappearance, a woman has emerged in a Facebook group claiming to be her.

State police in Pennsylvania have confirmed that they are now investigating the woman to verify her claim.

However, Cherrie's mom Janice McKinney has given a heartbreaking response to the woman's claim that she is her lost daughter.

She explained to the Butler Eagle that she does not believe this woman is her daughter, saying: “I truly believe she thought in her mind that she was Cherrie. It did not look anything like Cherrie at all.”

Cherrie Mahan was eight-years-old when she went missing. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

Not only that, but this isn't the first time that someone has come forward claiming to be Cherrie.

Three other people have previously claimed to be Cherrie, making this the fourth time that someone done it.

McKinney went on to condemn the woman, saying: “People are mean, they are cruel, but this affects me really crazy. It’s gonna be 40 years since Cherrie’s been missing.”

She added: "This just hit me different. I didn’t even see it. Someone called me and told me about it.”

The mom also posted into the Facebook group to request that people be sensitive with how they post there, writing: "I talked to the police, they are investigating. This is very hard on me so please be aware I see everything."

A artificially aged image depicting how Cherrie may look today. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

McKinney opened up about how it was the uncertainly and 'not knowing' which most difficult, saying it 'sucks the life out of you.'

She added: "It just beats you down every single day and for the past 39 years, this has been the hardest part of my life."

A spokesperson for Pennsylvania State Police told UNILAD: "We are investigating this woman’s claim to be Cherrie Mahan and are currently working with an out-of-state agency to identify her.

"The out of state agency has not yet made contact with her based on the contact information she provided. The investigation continues."