Police Believe Sinkhole in Pennsylvania May Have Consumed Missing Grandmother | US News

Authorities have reported that a woman who went missing while searching for her cat is believed to have been swallowed by a sinkhole.

Elizabeth Pollard disappeared after embarking on a search for her pet with her granddaughter on Monday evening in Pennsylvania. Her family notified authorities when she had not returned by the early hours of Tuesday.

The 64-year-old’s car was discovered approximately two hours later, with her unharmed five-year-old granddaughter inside, close to a newly formed sinkhole above an old, deteriorating mine.

However, law enforcement stated that the search mission has transitioned into a recovery operation, as two challenging days of excavation efforts yielded no signs of life.

Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Trooper Steve Limani indicated that authorities no longer anticipate finding Ms. Pollard alive, but efforts to locate her remains are ongoing.

“Unless there’s a miracle, it’s most likely recovery,” he stated.

There have been no indications of life or anything that would encourage rescuers to continue, with inadequate oxygen levels reported underground.

“We feel like we failed. It’s difficult,” he shared.

He commended the teams who ventured into the abandoned mine to assist in removing debris during the search for Ms. Pollard in the village of Marguerite, located about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Previously, authorities reported that the mine’s roof had collapsed in multiple areas and was unstable.

“We reached the location we believed she was situated at. We searched that area,” noted Pleasant Unity Fire chief John Bacha, the incident’s operations officer.

“What happened after that, I can’t say; perhaps the mud flow pushed her in a different direction. There are various shafts in that mine where this could have occurred.”

Geological engineer Paul Santi, a professor at the Colorado School of Mines, remarked that the likelihood of Ms. Pollard surviving if she fell into the sinkhole is quite low.

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“I would be astonished if she made it through this successfully,” he stated.

“It would necessitate that she escaped fatal injuries from the fall, wasn’t harmed by falling debris, and that there was an air pocket for her to survive in.”

Sinkholes frequently occur in this area due to subsidence linked to coal mining activities.

Mr. Limani mentioned that searchers met with Ms. Pollard’s family before transitioning from rescue efforts to recovery.

“I think they understand,” he remarked.

Ms. Pollard’s son, Axel Hayes, described her as a joyful person who once had ten cats. She and her husband adopted Mr. Hayes and his twin brother when they were infants.

He referred to her as “a wonderful person, a great mother” who “never harmed anyone.”