UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — The body of Elizabeth Pollard, the missing 64-year-old woman who fell into a sinkhole while searching for her cat in Unity Township, Pa., has been found, officials said authorities Friday.
Pollard fell about 30 feet below the surface of where the mine was believed to have been located and was about 12 feet from where the original sinkhole opened, the trooper said Friday of Penn State, Steve Limani, during a press conference.
Pollard went missing Monday around 5 p.m. and since Tuesday, crews excavated, consolidated and excavated an abandoned coal mine behind Monday’s restaurant on Marguerite Road. 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 Wednesday evening they informed Pollard’s family that the operation had moved to a recovery phase. Authorities said Friday they wanted a better outcome, but were relieved they could at least give the family closure after finding Pollard’s body.
“I couldn’t have been happier for the family that we were able to find her because the only thing on their minds after yesterday was if they could have her so they could do the right thing when it’s about a commemoration. service and having a visitation and everything that everyone deserves to have if that’s what your faith believes,” Limani said.
At this time, it’s unclear whether the 30-foot fall killed Pollard, but Limani hopes an autopsy will reveal more answers.
Crews work to consolidate abandoned mine
As Pollard’s research progressed, there were concerns that the abandoned mine would collapse as they moved “a huge amount” of earth, Limani said. Incident Commander Scott Graham said instead of sending people, they used machines to recover Pollard’s body because even Friday, parts of the roof and sides were collapsing.
Limani has now said engineers from the mining division will work to consolidate the mine.
“They’re going to put the dirt back in place and then they’ll talk about possibly putting grout on it and shoring up the whole area,” Limani said.
Pennsylvania State Police
He called out the abandoned mining complex, saying, “It’s almost like a mini-city underneath this town, which is wild.” » Teams had to use hand-drawn maps from the 1940s to make the recovery easier.
Marguerite is a former coal mining town, and officials said they have heard from residents worried about more collapses. Anyone who notices any sort 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 has not been found.
