Missing grandmother ‘swallowed by sinkhole’ while searching for beloved cat – but family hope ‘she’s still down there’

AN URGENT search is continuing for a grandmother believed to have fallen down a sinkhole while searching for her beloved pet cat.

Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was reported missing early on Tuesday, December 3, with fears growing she fell into an abandoned coal mine close to her home.

Grandmother Elizabeth Pollard has been missing since December 2
Grandmother Elizabeth Pollard has been missing since December 2Credit: Pennsylvania State Police
She is feared to have fallen down a sinkhole while looking for her pet cat
She is feared to have fallen down a sinkhole while looking for her pet catCredit: AP

Authorities in Unity Township, Pennsylvania, have warned that the abandoned mine is too unstable for them to continue to safely search underground.

A car belonging to Pollard was found along with her unharmed five-year-old daughter around two hours after she went missing.

The sinkhole is in the village of Marguerite, around 40 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Emergency crews believe they have narrowed the search down to a newly-formed sinkhole above the mine.

“What happened at that point, I don’t know, maybe the slurry of mud pushed her in one direction,” Pleasant Unity Fire Chief John Bacha said.

“There were several different seams of that mine, shafts that all came together where this happened at.”

Trooper Cliff Greenfield said they are still actively searching for Pollard.

“We are hopeful that she’s found alive,” he said.

Electronic devices and cameras are being used as crews continue surface digging, Chief Bacha said.

Search dogs are also expected to be used.

New twist in Hannah Kobayashi case as cops reveal missing woman was spotted alive on CCTV going into Mexico

A pole camera with a sensitive listening device detected nothing after being lowered into the hole.

Another camera indicated a potential shoe roughly 30 feet under the water surface, as stated by Pennsylvania State Police representative Trooper Steve Limani.

Sinkholes are common in the area due to subsidence caused by coal mining activity, which ceased in the 1950s.

Pollard was last seen by her family after going out at about 5 pm on the night of Monday, December 2, to search for Pepper, her beloved pet cat.

At that time, temperatures would have dropped well below freezing.

Her relatives called police at around 1 am Tuesday morning when she still hadn’t returned.

Axel Hayes, Pollard’s son, described his mother as “an exceptional individual and a wonderful mother,” highlighting her fondness for cats, with a history of caring for up to ten of them as pets.

“Every cat that she’s ever come in contact with, she has a close bond with them,” he said.

He added that his mother had worked for many years at Walmart but hadn’t been employed recently.

“I’m just hoping right now that she’s still with us and she’s able to come back to us,” he said.

You May Also Like

“Jack P Shepherd Emerges as the Champion of Celebrity Big Brother, with Danny Beard as the Runner-Up”

Jack P Shepherd has won Celebrity Big Brother, with Danny Beard finishing…

Father and Son Accused of Fatally Beating Former Family Friend in Response to Daughter’s Assault

In New Jersey, a 55-year-old man and his 17-year-old son were taken…

Touching messages for dear British person discovered deceased in Benidorm following body being found on shore.

The relatives of a man who was tragically found dead on a…

DHS Reacts to Influx of Letters Urging US Citizens to Depart Country

The Department of Homeland Security is dealing with a high volume of…

George Santos Receives a 7-Year Jail Term for Fraud After Implicated Representative Complained about Incarceration and Requested a Pardon from Trump

DISGRACED politician George Santos has been sentenced to over seven years in…

Luigi Mangione brought to court for controversial ‘electric chair’ exhibit, pleads not guilty despite facing death penalty.

The CEO assassin Luigi Mangione has denied the federal charges after his…

Meghan Markle’s podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder,” fails to make an impact on charts and loses to a sleep-related show

The Duchess of Sussex has suffered another blow this week after her…

Karen glares during trial while harsh messages to police officer partner are presented to jury, where he pleaded with her to ‘cease calling’.

Karen Read, the suspect in a murder case, appeared emotionless during a…

Discovering Paul Burton’s current whereabouts.

PAUL Burton is the subject of the hard-hitting Channel 4 documentary 24…

Warning: Tourist fell victim to a holiday scam involving the ‘bird poo’ trick, resulting in purse theft

BRITISH tourists are sounding the alarm over a classic con that is…

Donald Trump arrives in Italy for Pope Francis’ funeral with a solemn expression alongside Melania after disembarking Air Force One.

US president Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived in Rome as…

Emma and Matt Willis show affection as they leave glamorous BAFTA TV Craft Awards event – her first appearance after undergoing keyhole heart surgery

Emma and Matt Willis put on a loved-up display as they led…