Elizabeth Pollard, 64, is believed to have accidentally fallen into a sinkhole near Monday's Restaurant in Unity Township, located roughly 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
According to CBS affiliate KDKA, Elizabeth Pollard was last seen around 5 p.m. on 2 December, Monday while looking for her missing cat, Pepper. Concerned for her safety, her family reached out to state police at approximately 1 a.m. on Tuesday after she failed to return home.
Police report on what might have happened to Elizabeth Pollard
Authorities discovered Elizabeth Pollard’s 5-year-old granddaughter alone in a parked car near a massive, freshly formed sinkhole in Unity Township, Pennsylvania, according to The New York Times. The little girl was unharmed but told responders she had fallen asleep in the car and woke up to find her grandmother missing.
"Grandma never came back," she reportedly said.
State police spokesperson Steve Limani explained during a press conference that the situation quickly escalated when responders connected Pollard’s disappearance to the sinkhole.
“At that point, we realized this could be a very serious situation,” Limani stated, per ABC News.
Rescue teams, along with the state's Bureau of Mine Safety, began excavating the area, using cameras to investigate the sinkhole, which had appeared suddenly. Witnesses, including local hunters and restaurant employees, had not seen the opening earlier that day, leading authorities to conclude it was newly formed.
Pollard’s shoe was discovered approximately 30 feet below the surface, Limani revealed. Her home is located just across the street from where her car and granddaughter were found.
What has possibly caused the sinkhole that may have engulfed Elizabeth Pollard?
Police suspect the sinkhole might be linked to the area's history of coal mining, the last mine was operated by the H.C. Frick Coke Company in 1952. Experts, like Professor Paul Santi from the Colorado School of Mines, explain that sinkholes often form from collapsed caves, old mines, or dissolving underground materials.
Local reports stated that around 100 individuals were involved in the rescue efforts. Fire officials shared with the media that the circumstances provided optimism for locating Elizabeth Pollard.
While speaking to the KDKA, Peasant Valley's Fire Chief John Bacha said:
“All oxygen levels have been perfect. No carbon monoxide, no explosive gases, no anything. The atmosphere has been perfect at this point so we still have some hope that there's a void and we'll be able to get there,”
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According to The Guardian, a group from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which assessed the site, believes the underground cavity was probably caused by activities at the Marguerite mine, which was last operated by the HC Frick Coke Company in 1952. The Pittsburgh coal seam is situated approximately 20 feet (6 meters) beneath the ground in that region.
Neil Shader, a representative for the department, stated that once the search is concluded, the state’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation will investigate further to determine if the sinkhole resulted from subsidence related to the mine.
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