Authorities Determine How Grandma Who Fell into Sinkhole Died While Looking for Pet Cat
The body of Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was recovered on Dec. 6, three days after she was first reported missing
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- Elizabeth Pollard, who fell into a sinkhole, died of head and torso injuries, according to the Westmoreland County Office of the Coroner in Pennsylvania
- Her body was found on Dec. 6 after a multi-day search
- Her family issued a statement thanking authorities for their efforts
Authorities have reportedly determined the cause of death of Elizabeth Pollard, the 64-year-old grandmother whose body was recently recovered after she fell into a Pennsylvania sinkhole last week while looking for her pet cat.
Pollard died of injuries to the head and torso, according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, citing a preliminary autopsy report shared by the Westmoreland County Office of the Coroner on Monday, Dec. 9. (The coroner’s office did not immediately comment to PEOPLE.)
Coroner Tim Carson said it is unknown whether Pollard died in the fall or died after, the Tribune-Review reported. Toxicology results from the autopsy have not yet been completed.
Pollard was first reported missing by a relative in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 3, when she disappeared while looking for her missing cat, authorities have said.
The Unity Township woman set off hours earlier in her car, along with her 5-year-old granddaughter, who was later found safe and asleep inside her vehicle.
Approximately 36 hours after Pollard was initially reported missing, officials switched gears in the search and rescue efforts due to safety concerns — and on Wednesday, Dec. 4, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Limani said that their work had turned into a recovery effort.
Then on Friday, Dec. 6, authorities announced the discovery of Pollard’s body.
Officials believe she fell through a sinkhole that unexpectedly opened in the ground, and then she dropped into an abandoned mine below.
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“During the course of the removal of dirt and sifting through things, we did find Elizabeth,” Limani, with state police, told reporters. “We found her approximately 30 feet below the surface of where the mine would have sat. She was about 12 feet southwest of where the original sinkhole occurred.”
Marguerite Fire Chief Scot Graham, the incident commander, noted that crews extricated Pollard’s body from the hole with the use of machinery because “it was not safe to send anybody down.”
Authorities said there was no sign of Pollard’s missing cat, The New York Times reported.
In a statement shared with the Tribune-Review, some of Pollard’s relatives thanked authorities for their efforts.
”They didn’t fail us; they did what they could do,” the family said. “They have been a big support to our family, keeping us updated with everything. “We’re very appreciative of the first responders, state police, anybody that was involved in the search.”
“They took their time to make sure that, regardless what the outcome was going to be, they brought my aunt back to the family, to give that closure that’s going to be needed,” their statement continued.
Missing Grandmother Found Dead Days After Falling into Sinkhole in Pennsylvania
Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was reported missing early Tuesday, Dec. 3 in Westmoreland County, near Pittsburgh
The body of Elizabeth Pollard, the Pennsylvania grandmother who went missing after she fell through a 30-foot sinkhole, has been found, according to authorities.
Pennsylvania State Police and the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office said that Pollard’s body was located following a four-day search, reported NBC affiliate WPXI, CBS affiliate KDKA and ABC affiliate WTAE reported.
Her body was found around 11 a.m. local time on Friday, Dec. 6, the coroner confirmed to Fox affiliate KOKH-TV.
Elizabeth Pollard’s body was found around 11 a.m., the Westmoreland County Coroner confirmed over the phone to The National News Desk.
State Trooper Steve Limani told WPXI that officials were relieved they were able to provide closure for Pollard’s family.
Officials did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Pollard was first reported missing by a relative in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 3, after she disappeared while looking for her missing cat, authorities previously said.
The 64-year-old Unity Township, Pa., woman set off hours earlier in her car, along with her 5-year-old granddaughter, who was later found safe and asleep inside her vehicle.
About 36 hours after Pollard was first reported missing, authorities changed the scope of the search and rescue effort, citing safety concerns.
Rescuers said on Wednesday, Dec. 4, that they would no longer send manned crews into the 30-foot sinkhole where Pollard was believed to have fallen, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Instead, crews utilized K-9 units, cameras and other electronic devices to search for the woman, the newspaper reported.
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“We’re just to a point where we can’t send rescuers to an area where they can be injured or killed,” Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Bacha said. “We’re still looking and doing everything we can.”
Conditions had deteriorated overnight when the roof of a nearby mine collapsed.
“Things changed quickly whenever we ran into an oxygen deficient atmosphere, which meant at that point, everybody that was going into that area to do that excavation work had to be on breathing apparatus,” Bacha said, according to the newspaper.
On Dec. 4, Pennsylvania State Trooper Steve Limani announced in a press conference that the search for Pollard had turned into a recovery effort while the fragile state of the mine resulted in a shift in rescue operations.
“The condition of the mine that we’ve been working through has changed our potential outlook on where we’re probably headed with our investigation,” he shared.
“The mine is just not in good condition,” Limani added. “It’s got areas where it’s starting to collapse and decay and buckle a little bit. We were afraid we’re gonna make it worse if we try to continue to plow forward with the techniques we were using.”
Limani noted in his Dec. 4 update that “based off of oxygen levels being a little low, even though we pumped oxygen into the mine, it’s lower than what you want for someone to try to sustain their life.”
“It’s been difficult — I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell you it feels a little bit like a loss,” Limani said.
“Unless it’s a miracle, most likely this is recovery,” he added.
During the time when his mother was missing, Pollard’s son Axel Hayes spoke with CBS News about the emotions he experienced during the search, the Associated Press reported.
“I’m upset that she hasn’t been found yet,” Hayes said at the time, “and I’m really just worried about whether she’s still down there, where she is down there, or she went somewhere and found somewhere safer. Right now, I just hope she’s alive and well, that she’s going to make it.”
Hayes also recalled Pollard, who adopted him and his twin brother when they were infants, as being a happy person who liked having fun, the AP reported. She previously worked at Walmart.
In an email to PEOPLE on Thursday, Dec. 5, Hayes wrote: “I can only say appreciate everybody’s hard work and efforts in searching for my mother. We are still holding hopes out that’s she’s still with us but we did prepare for the worst.”