Woman’s Body Found in a Sinkhole in Western Pennsylvania, Identified as Elizabeth Pollard

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 body of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard was discovered by Westmoreland County coroner on the fourth day of the search, as confirmed by a state police spokesperson.

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.

Elizabeth Pollard was last seen on Monday evening, as reported by the police. Her vehicle was found shortly before 3 a.m. on Tuesday with her 5-year-old granddaughter unharmed inside, although Pollard herself was missing, according to police statements.

During the search operation for Pollard in the vicinity, troopers came across what appeared to be a sinkhole with an opening approximately the “size of a manhole” situated 15 to 20 feet away from the vehicle, State Police Trooper Steve Limani explained.

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.)