Elizabeth Pollard went looking for her missing cat on Monday evening in Unity Township, Pa. Then, she disappeared.
When the authorities went looking for her early on Tuesday morning, they found the 64-year-old’s car, her 5-year-old granddaughter inside it and a newly formed sinkhole nearby — which, they believe, Ms. Pollard had fallen into.
The authorities immediately began an “all hands on deck” rescue operation, Trooper Steve Limani of the Pennsylvania State Police said at a news conference at about noon on Tuesday. Excavators and rescue teams were working to remove dirt and access the sinkhole, which is about the size of a manhole, to try to find Ms. Pollard, who authorities said could be in another cavity underground.
“It appears that it was most likely created during the time while, unfortunately, Ms. Pollard was walking around,” Trooper Limani said. “We’re hoping everyone keeps their family in their prayers, that this ends up being a rescue mission, and that’s how we’re going to continue to conduct ourselves.”
Trooper Limani said that police received a call around 1 a.m. from a family member of Ms. Pollard, reporting her missing hours after she had gone to look for her cat, which The Associated Press said is named Pepper. The authorities searched for Ms. Pollard in other places, including the woods, using drones, but Trooper Limani said he believed that she could only be in the sinkhole, which they found near her vehicle around 3 a.m.
When Fire Chief John Bacha of the Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the scene, he said, it was not immediately obvious that someone had fallen into the hole. But when rescuers placed a camera in the hole, they saw a “modern” shoe that most likely was not a remnant of coal mining operations, Chief Bacha said.
The sinkhole was found in Marguerite, an unincorporated old coal mining community in Unity Township, Pa., about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It can be common for sinkholes to open up because of the old mines, Chief Bacha said on Tuesday.
The sinkhole opened up near a restaurant called Monday’s Union Restaurant, where Ms. Pollard’s car was parked, Trooper Limani said. It has plenty of oxygen and remains warmer than temperatures at the surface level, according to Chief Bacha.
Ms. Pollard’s 5-year-old granddaughter, who spent several hours in the car in freezing temperatures, was found safe and reunited with her parents, authorities said. It is unclear what happened to Ms. Pollard’s cat.
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