UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) – The body of Elizabeth Pollard, the missing 64-year-old woman who fell through a sinkhole while searching for her cat in Unity Township, Pennsylvania, has been found, authorities announced Friday.
Pollard fell about 30 feet below the surface of where the mine would have been and was about 12 feet from where the original sinkhole opened, Steve Limani, a Pennsylvania State Police trooper, said at a news conference Friday .
Pollard disappeared Monday around 5 p.m. Troopers found her car parked behind Monday’s Union Restaurant on Marguerite Road around 3 a.m. Tuesday. Her 5-year-old granddaughter was in the vehicle, cold but unharmed. While searching the area, police said they found a sinkhole, which they believe opened up while Pollard searched for her cat.
Since Tuesday, crews have been digging, shoring up and searching the abandoned coal mine that was beneath the sinkhole. The massive effort lasted about 80 hours and involved more than two dozen fire departments, several other groups and a construction company.
Pennsylvania State Police
Rescuers hoped she would be found alive, but on Wednesday evening they informed Pollard’s family the operation was put into a recovery phase. Authorities said Friday they wanted a better outcome but were relieved they could at least provide some closure for the family after finding Pollard’s body.
“I couldn’t be happier for the family that we were able to find her because that was the only thing they were worried about after yesterday was if they could get her so they could do what’s right when it comes to a memorial monument. service and a viewing and everything that everyone deserves to have if that’s what your faith believes,” Limani said.
It is unclear at this time whether Pollard died in the 30-foot fall, but Limani hopes an autopsy will provide more answers.
Crews are working to fortify the abandoned mine
As the search for Pollard progressed, there were fears that the abandoned mine could collapse while moving “an enormous amount” of dirt, Limani said. Instead of sending people down, the incident commander said crews used machines to retrieve Pollard’s body as parts of the roof and sides collapsed even Friday.
Now, Limani said engineers from the mining division will work to strengthen the mine.
“They’re going to put the dirt back and then they’re going to talk about eventually adding grout and reinforcing the whole area,” Limani said.
Pennsylvania State Police
He called the abandoned mine complex and said, “It almost looks like a mini-town underneath this city, which is wild.” Crews had to use hand-drawn maps from the 1940s to help navigate the recovery.
Marguerite is an old coal town and authorities say they have heard something about it Residents concerned about the risk of more collapses. Anyone who sees any type of depression in the ground or sinkhole opening can call the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation at 814-472-1800.
As for Pollard’s cat, Pepper hasn’t been found yet.
