Pennsylvania authorities are desperate to find the grandmother who may have fallen into a massive sinkhole while searching for her missing cat.
Elizabeth Pollard, 64, last seen in Margaret, Pennsylvania, on the evening of December 2. She parked her car outside a restaurant to look for her lost cat, Pepper.
Her 5-year-old granddaughter, who was later found safe, was left in the car at the time. Pollard’s family alerted authorities at 1 a.m. Tuesday to report she was missing.
When officials arrived on the scene, they discovered a gaping sinkhole near her car. It is unknown how deep the hole is, but crews found what appeared to be a shoe about 30 feet underground.
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Elizabeth Pollard, 64, may have fallen into a huge sinkhole while searching for her lost pet. (KDKA/Pennsylvania State Police via AP)
Pennsylvania State Trooper Steve Limani told reporters it was possible the hole opened up on Pollard as she stood searching for Pepper, whose whereabouts are unknown.
“(Her granddaughter) fell asleep in the car and woke up,” Limani said. “Grandma never came back.”
“It almost feels like it’s opening while she’s standing on top of it.”
The temperatures in Marguerite were freezing last night. Authorities also lowered a pole camera with a sensitive listening device into the sinkhole on Tuesday, but found no sign of Pollard.
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On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the Pennsylvania State Police image shows the top of a sinkhole in the village of Marguerite, Pennsylvania, where rescuers were searching for a missing woman. (Pennsylvania State Police via AP)
Local restaurant workers and hunters had not reported a sinkhole before Pollard went missing, leading authorities to believe the hole may have swallowed the missing woman.
Marguerite, a western Pennsylvania village that was once a coal town, is prone to sinkholes due to past mining activities.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection responded to the Marguerite sinkhole and found that it was likely caused by work in Margaretha Mine, which has not been in use since 1952.
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A possible shoe was found about 30 feet deep in the sinkhole. (KDKA)
Authorities are actively investigating the incident. No additional details are known at this time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
