Authorities in Pennsylvania are desperately searching for a grandmother who may have fallen into a giant sinkhole while searching for her missing cat.
Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was last seen on the night of December 2nd in Margaret, Pennsylvania. She parked her car outside the restaurant to look for her lost cat, Pepper.
Her 5-year-old granddaughter was left in the car at the time, but she was later found safe. Pollard's family called authorities at 1 a.m. Tuesday to report her missing.
When authorities arrived at the scene, they found a large sinkhole near her car. The depth of the hole is unknown, but workers found what appeared to be a shoe about 30 feet underground.
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Elizabeth Pollard, 64, may have fallen into a giant sinkhole while searching for her lost pet. (KDKA/Pennsylvania State Police, via AP)
Pennsylvania State Trooper Steve Limani told journalists that the hole may have opened while Pollard was standing there looking for Pepper. Pepper's whereabouts are unknown.
”[Her granddaughter] Limani said she woke up nodding off in the car, and “grandma never came back.''
“When she stands on it, it feels like it opens up.”
The temperature in Marguerite was below freezing all night. Authorities also lowered a pole camera equipped with sensitive eavesdropping equipment into the sinkhole on Tuesday, but no sign of Pollard was detected.
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This Tuesday, December 3, 2024. Images provided by Pennsylvania State Police show the top of a sinkhole in Margaret Village, Pennsylvania, where rescuers were searching for a missing woman. (Pennsylvania State Police, via Associated Press)
Authorities believe the sinkhole may have swallowed the missing woman, as local restaurant workers and hunters were not aware of any reports of the sinkhole until after Pollard went missing.
The village of Margaret in western Pennsylvania, once a coal town, is prone to sinkholes due to past mining activity.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection responded to the Margaret sinkhole and found that work at the Margaret Mine, which has not been in operation since 1952, was likely the cause.
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What may have been a shoe was found about 30 feet deep in the sinkhole. (KDKA)
Authorities are actively investigating this incident. Further details are unknown at this time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
