UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — A woman searching overnight for her missing cat in Westmoreland County may have fallen into a sinkhole behind a Unity Township restaurant, state police said.
Dozens of first responders, from police to firefighters and search and rescue teams, are on scene at Monday’s Restaurant on Marguerite Road. They are looking for 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard.
State police said Pollard was last seen in the area Monday around 5 p.m. calling for Pepper, her cat. Hours later, around 1 a.m. Tuesday, a family member called state police to report that Pollard had not come home.
Troopers searched for her in the area of Monday’s Restaurant and discovered her car parked behind the building just before 3 a.m.
Pollard’s 5-year-old granddaughter was found in the vehicle, state police said. She was cold and scared, but not injured.
As they walked around the car, state police said they found a sinkhole nearby. State police said they believe Pollard may have fallen into that hole while searching for the cat.
Pennsylvania State Police
The sinkhole is in an old coal mine, state police said. It is described as being about the size of a manhole on a city street; however, the hole is approximately 30 feet deep.
“We also discovered there was a sinkhole; it was maybe 15 to 20 feet away from the vehicle,” said Trooper Stephen Limani of the Pennsylvania State Police. “It was about the size of a manhole cover, but the pocket underneath is significantly larger. When we tried to send cameras down there, we found it’s about 30 feet before you see a lot of debris.”
Officials said cameras picked up what appeared to be a modern shoe in the hole. Limani said that after talking to people at the restaurant, it appeared the sinkhole opened as Pollard searched for her cat.
“The sinkhole seems likely to have formed during the time that Mrs. Pollard was walking around,” Limani said. “We don’t see any evidence that that hole would have ever been there before we decided to walk around and look for her cat.”
State police said they heard no sounds from the hole, but work continues to locate Pollard.
Officials are bringing in equipment to assist in the search
Troopers called in search and rescue teams from Westmoreland County as well as a vacuum truck to remove debris from the hole. Trooper Limani said there were more than 100 people on the scene at one point. He said they are still hoping for a rescue at this time.
“We have people from the mining organization coming here to help us get through this,” Trooper Limani said. “Our biggest concern right now is that she fell into that sinkhole. So that’s where we’re focusing our efforts.”
Unity Township Supervisor Mike O’Barto said officials have declared a state of emergency to assist in the search.
“What this does is it gives the council and the ambulance crews the opportunity to get all the equipment that we need without having to deal with a bidding process. So it’s really important that we’ve done this today and that we are here to do whatever is needed in this rescue mission,” O’Barto said.
The plan is to start digging to find Pollard.
A command post was set up overnight along Marguerite Road. Troopers from the State Police Barracks in Greensburg are leading the search and response efforts.
Stay tuned to KDKA-TV and KDKA.com for the latest on this developing story.
