Geological reports and expert analysis

Body of Grandmother Who Fell into Pennsylvania Sinkhole While Searching for Cat Found After Four-Day Search

Dec 6, 2024, 04:57 PM

Rescue crews in Pennsylvania have recovered the body of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard, who fell into a three-story deep sinkhole while searching for her lost cat, Pepper. Pollard was last seen on Monday evening near a restaurant in the Marguerite neighborhood of Unity Township, Westmoreland County, where her car, with her 5-year-old granddaughter inside, was found parked about 20 feet from the sinkhole that had recently formed. The sinkhole had opened above an abandoned coal mine, complicating rescue efforts due to unstable conditions and endangering workers. After four days of digging, authorities shifted from a rescue to a recovery operation. On Friday, the Westmoreland County Medical Examiner, Tim Carson, confirmed that Pollard's remains had been found approximately 12 feet away from where the ground had collapsed. State Police spokesperson Trooper Steve Limani stated that the search was challenging due to the threat of further collapse from the crumbling mine shafts beneath the surface.