Body of woman who fell into western Pennsylvania sinkhole has been recovered

Friday, December 6, 2024 1:38PM PT
UNITY TWP., Pa. -- The body of a woman who fell into a 30-foot-deep sinkhole while looking for her cat in western Pennsylvania has been recovered.

The Westmoreland County coroner said the body of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard was located on the fourth day of a search, a state police spokesperson said.

Her remains were recovered Friday and her body was being taken to the coroner's office for an autopsy.



A challenging excavation had been underway at an abandoned coal mine in Unity Township since Pollard was reported missing on Tuesday.



The sinkhole is believed to be tied to the mine and formed while Pollard was walking in the area, officials said.

Pictured: Rescuers search for a missing woman who may have fallen into a 30-foot-deep sinkhole in western Pennsylvania.



Pollard was last seen Monday evening, police said. Her vehicle was located shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday with her 5-year-old granddaughter safe inside, though Pollard was nowhere to be seen, police said.

While searching for Pollard in the area, troopers found an apparent sinkhole with an opening about the "size of a manhole" 15 to 20 feet away from the vehicle, according to Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani.

Pennsylvania State Police troopers found this sinkhole while searching for a missing woman.

Pennsylvania State Police



The search focused on the sinkhole that may have only recently opened above where coal was mined until about 70 years ago. Hunters and restaurant workers who were in the area in the hours before Pollard's disappearance told police they hadn't noticed the sinkhole.



Police said they found Pollard's car parked about 20 feet (6 meters) from the sinkhole with her 5-year-old granddaughter sleeping inside.

The effort to find Pollard included lowering a pole camera with a sensitive listening device into the hole, although it detected nothing. Crews removed a massive amount of soil and rock to try to reach the area where they believed she fell into the chasm about 30 feet (9 meters) deep.

Pollard grew up in Jeanette, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Unity Township, where she lived for much of her adult life. She previously worked at Walmart and was married for more than 40 years.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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