Janice McKinney believes she knows who took her daughter back in 1985, but she’ll need more evidence before the police can take action. Do you have that last piece of information she needs to finally end 40 years of grief and questions? Sources: personal interviews; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Press and Butler Eagle newspaper archives; the … Continue reading Nebby Presents: Finding Cherrie, Episode 3 →

Cherrie’s Angels begin digging into the disappearance of 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan. They sift through 40 years’ worth of theories — including child sex rings and biker gangs — before landing on a possibility that hits a little too close to home. Music credits: “Stories,” “Smoke Alarm,” “Tea” and “Payphone” by 1000 Handz Sources: personal interviews; … Continue reading Nebby Presents: Finding Cherrie, Episode 2 →

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 … Continue reading Nebby Presents: Finding Cherrie, Episode 1 →

On February 22, 1985, 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan stepped off her school bus in Butler County, Pennsylvania, and was never seen again. More than 40 years later, thanks to a renewed effort to solve the case, her mother might finally get the answers she deserves. Music: Into the Wild by 1000 Handz

EPISODE 6: THE WARDEN’S WIFE Kate Soffel was the wife of Allegheny County Jail warden Peter Soffel. In 1902, she helped two of her husband’s inmates to escape. She spent two years in prison for her crime, and the remainder of her short life atoning for it. This is the story of how it all happened. … Continue reading The Warden’s Wife →

EPISODE 5: THE LABOR ORGANIZER Fannie Sellins was a labor organizer for United Mine Workers of America and led a group of Eastern European immigrants in their fight against the Allegheny Coal and Coke Company in 1919. Her death became emblematic of the violence associated with Pittsburgh’s labor movement. EPISODE NOTES: Music used in this … Continue reading The Labor Organizer →

EPISODE 4: THE ASYLUM Many Pittsburghers know Dixmont State Hospital as the empty buildings on the hill in Kilbuck Township; a good place for ghost hunting and loud parties. But for 122 years, it served as a sanctuary for the mentally ill. EPISODE NOTES: Production help from David Smith. Music used in this episode came … Continue reading The Asylum →

EPISODE 3: THE NUMBERS RUNNER Gus Greenlee was a numbers runner, bootlegger and businessman who used his considerable wealth to buy a legendary Hill District jazz club and assemble one of the greatest baseball teams ever to take the field. EPISODE NOTES: Production help from David Smith. Music used in this episode came from the … Continue reading The Numbers Runner →

EPISODE 2: THE AVIATRIX One afternoon in August 1928 – months after the transatlantic flight that made her famous but years before she was lost forever – Amelia Earhart crashed her plane at Rogers Air Field in Fox Chapel. Learn how it happened in this special mini episode of Nebby. EPISODE NOTES: Music used in … Continue reading The Aviatrix →

EPISODE 1: THE MISSING B-25 On the afternoon of January 31, 1956, a B-25 bomber on a training mission ditched into the Monongahela River near what is now Sandcastle Water Park. Drivers on the Homestead High Level Bridge parked their cars and watched as the plane headed toward them. When it finally passed overhead, it … Continue reading The B-25 →