Missing Pennsylvania woman may have fallen into sinkhole while looking for cat: Reports
Editor's note: Follow along here for Wednesday news about a woman feared to have fallen into a sinkhole in Pennsylvania.
A rescue effort is underway in Pennsylvania after a woman appeared to have fallen into a sinkhole Monday as she was searching for her cat, according to local reports.
Elizabeth Pollard, 64, appears to have fallen into the sinkhole near Monday's Restaurant in Unity Township, approximately 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
CBS affiliate KDKA reported that Pollard was last seen around 5 p.m. Monday searching for her cat Pepper. Pollard's family contacted state police at around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning to report that she had not come home.
Police found Pollard's car behind the restaurant around 3 a.m. with her 5-year-old granddaughter inside, the station reported. State troopers found a sinkhole in the area near the car that was nearly the size of a manhole cover, according to KDKA.
"The sinkhole, it appears that it was most likely created during the time, unfortunately, that Mrs. Pollard was walking around," Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Stephen Limani told the station. "We don't see any evidence of any time where that hole would have been there prior to deciding to walk around and look for her cat."
“We are still in rescue mode,” Marguerite Volunteer Fire Chief Scot Graham told the Tribune Review.
USA TODAY reached out to the Pennsylvania State Police but did not receive an immediate response.
Sinkhole disappearance draws large rescue effort
Both outlets reported that there were as many as 100 people working on the rescue. Fire officials told local outlets that the conditions gave them hope that Pollard could be found.
“All oxygen levels have been perfect. No carbon monoxide, no explosive gases, no anything. The atmosphere has been perfect at this point so we still have some hope that there's a void and we'll be able to get there,” John Bacha, Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Chief, told KDKA.
Tabitha Pollard, the niece of Elizabeth, told the Tribune-Review that her aunt has multiple cats at their home.
“They definitely love their cats,” Pollard said. “They have inside ones and they have outside ones. All of their cats mean a lot. Those are their babies.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reports: Pennsylvania woman may have fallen into sinkhole
