Valley News Dispatch

New technology, culture shifts give cold cases from latchkey-kid era new hope

Zachary Gibson
By Zachary Gibson
1 Min Read Feb. 26, 2025 | 10 months Ago
Go Ad-Free today

In the American latchkey era, if a child went missing, law enforcement and the local community utilized tools of the time, milk cartons, print publications and a community network, to gain and share information to help find the missing child.

Time has since afforded progressions in culture and technology that have prove invaluable as tools to track and recover missing children today. Biometrics and social media are helping to locate some of the 460,000 children reported missing each year.

TribLive reporter Jack Troy discusses how law enforcement hope these advancements will aid in solving the 40-year-long case of Cherrie Mahan, the 8-year-old who disappeared Feb. 22, 1985, from a bus stop near her home in rural Winfield.

This is “From the Newsroom.”


Related:

Investigators hope advancements in biometrics, social media could aid in the case of Cherrie Mahan
After 40 years of searching and praying, Cherrie Mahan’s mother asks for closure


Share

Tags:

About the Writers

Zachary Gibson is a Tribune-Review digital producer. You can contact Zachary at zgibson@triblive.com.

Push Notifications

Get news alerts first, right in your browser.

Enable Notifications

Content you may have missed

Enjoy TribLIVE, Uninterrupted.

Support our journalism and get an ad-free experience on all your devices.

  • TribLIVE AdFree Monthly

    • Unlimited ad-free articles
    • Pay just $4.99 for your first month
  • TribLIVE AdFree Annually BEST VALUE

    • Unlimited ad-free articles
    • Billed annually, $49.99 for the first year
    • Save 50% on your first year
Get Ad-Free Access Now View other subscription options