Woman Falls Into Sinkhole Looking For Pet Cat

UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa.-- Yesterday on December 4th, Elizabeth Pollard, a elderly woman from Unity Township, Pa. had fallen into a sinkhole looking for her pet cat.

Pollard's family had called the police at around 1am on Tuesday reporting her missing after she had not come back since 5pm the day before after looking for her pet cat, Pepper.

Officials have drilled for 2 days in efforts to save her, but sources say that she has no signs of life. Oxygen levels below the ground were low, leading officials to think that she did not survive.

Pollard would have had to survive not only the initial impact of the fall, but also the dirt, rocks, and mud that would have covered the hole and the lack of air in the bottom.

The sinkhole was thought to be freshly opened along the trails of an old mine, and as this took place late at night, officials think that Pollard had failed to see the hole through the dark.

Pleasant Unity Fire Chief John Bacha thinks that because his team, along with the operating police force, cannot find her, she may have been moved within the dirt after falling.

Officials had also found her 5 year old granddaughter in a car nearby unharmed that same day that she was announced missing on Tuesday.

The rescue team is still on the hunt to find Pollard. Teams are going in group after group digging, searching, and plowing through all of the dirt and debris that followed the hole.

As well as the hole, there was also a roof of the mine that collapsed into the hole with it, as the sinkhole was along the trails of a mine as stated before. This roof of the mine was far from stable, and had added to the severity of the impact Pollard would have faced following the impact.

Searchers had also implemented a camera and microphone search tactic, lowering a camera and mic to try to find out any voices or breathing, but that came back to no avail.

Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Trooper Steve Limani had met with Pollard’s family, announcing that they are shifting from rescue to recovery.

Pollard was a well known lover of cats, says her adoptive son. At one point, she had 10 cats in her care, and cared about each one deeply.

Joy Donald is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her you can email her at ndon9325@gmail.com.