Rescuers worked tirelessly into early Wednesday to locate Elizabeth Pollard, 64, who vanished Monday evening while searching for her missing cat, Pepper, in Marguerite, Pennsylvania.
Authorities believe Pollard may have fallen into a newly formed sinkhole above an abandoned coal mine.
Search Efforts Hampered by Unstable Conditions
Emergency crews toiled through freezing temperatures and snow flurries, using bright lights and advanced equipment to search both above and below ground. A pole camera equipped with a sensitive listening device was lowered into the sinkhole but found no signs of life. However, a separate camera detected what appeared to be a shoe about 30 feet (9 meters) below the surface.
“It almost feels like it opened up with her standing on top of it,” said Trooper Steve Limani, emphasizing the precariousness of the situation. The mine’s structural integrity has become increasingly compromised, forcing authorities to reassess their tactics to avoid endangering rescuers.
Granddaughter Found Safe in Nearby Car
Pollard’s family alerted authorities around 1 a.m. Tuesday after she failed to return home. Her car was discovered near Monday’s Union Restaurant, with her 5-year-old granddaughter safe but alone inside. According to Limani, the young girl fell asleep in the car and awoke to find her grandmother missing. Rescuers found the child unharmed, but there has been no sign of Pepper, the missing cat.
A New Sinkhole in a Dangerous Landscape
The sinkhole, about the size of a manhole cover, was not present earlier that day, according to hunters and restaurant staff in the area. Authorities suspect the collapse occurred shortly before Pollard’s disappearance. Sinkholes are common in the region, attributed to subsidence from decades-old coal mining activities.
A team from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection confirmed the void likely originated from the Marguerite Mine, last operated in 1952 by the H.C. Frick Coke Company. The mine lies roughly 20 feet (6 meters) below the surface in this area.
Digging Continues as Hope Persists
Using an excavator, search teams have been digging carefully to avoid further destabilizing the ground. Additional entrances to the mine have been opened to facilitate the search. Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Company Chief John Bacha expressed optimism: “We are pretty confident we are in the right place. We’re hoping there is still a void she could be in.”
Authorities vowed to continue searching until Pollard is found. Once the operation concludes, the state’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation will investigate whether the sinkhole was definitively caused by mining activity. For now, the community anxiously awaits any news, holding out hope for Pollard’s safe recovery.
