A Pennsylvania grandmother is feared to have fallen into a 30-foot sinkhole after her granddaughter was found alone in a car nearby, sparking a frantic search. Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was last seen at around 5 p.m. on Monday, walking with her 5-year-old granddaughter before vanishing.
The child was discovered in a car about 15 to 20 feet away from where Pollard was last seen, leading authorities to focus their search on a sinkhole that reportedly formed around the time of her disappearance. Trooper Steve Limani explained that it appears the sinkhole may have been created while Pollard was walking in the area, possibly while searching for her cat.
“The sinkhole appears to have been created most likely during the time when, unfortunately, Miss Pollard was walking around. There is no evidence of any time where that hole would have been here prior to her deciding to walk around looking for her cat,” he said to ABC7.
Officials are investigating the potential link between the sinkhole and nearby old coal mines, though it remains unclear if the two are connected. Local reports have raised concerns about similar sinkhole activity in other regions, particularly in South Dakota, where residents in the Hideaway Hills neighborhood fear for their safety due to sinkholes opening up since 2020.
Stuart and Tonya Junker, residents of the Black Hills, have expressed concerns about living above an old mine as sinkholes continue to pose a threat to their property. “Let’s just say it’s really changed our lives a lot,” said Tonya Junker. “The worry, the not sleeping, the ‘what if’ something happens. It’s all of it, all of the above.”
In light of these events, the Junkers and roughly 150 of their neighbors have filed a lawsuit against the state, seeking $45 million in compensation for property damage and legal costs. The state’s approval of building the Hideaway Hills subdivision above an abandoned mine has drawn criticism.
Paul Santi, a professor of geological engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, remarked on the unusual severity of sinkhole risks in South Dakota. He stated that the situation in Hideaway Hills may become a case study in the future.
“The extent of this problem in South Dakota is exceptional. It will likely be used in textbooks as a significant example,” he said. The search for Elizabeth Pollard continues, with authorities closely monitoring the sinkhole area.
