Elizabeth Pollard was looking for her cat in Unity Township, Pennsylvania, in December 2024 when she disappeared. Pollard had taken her 5-year-old granddaughter with her and parked outside Monday’s Union Restaurant on Marguerite Road. When Pollard got out of the car, she fell into a sinkhole above an abandoned mine. It took crews days to excavate the area and eventually uncover Pollard’s body. Nearly two years later, her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit and wants the landowner to pay.
Police initially found Pollard’s car with the child inside.
According to CBS News, Pollard’s family called police to report her missing in the early morning of December 3. Police located her car outside the restaurant a short time later with her 5-year-old granddaughter inside and unharmed. They quickly determined Pollard likely fell into a sinkhole and began the grueling task of excavating the land and looking for her.
Police found her body several days later.
Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani announced the discovery on December 6, during a news conference.
“When she fell through the shaft, and she landed and struck that mound of — we’ll call it a Hershey Kiss [shape] — it appears that she rolled or moved that 12 feet or so where our initial spot was,” Limani said.
Limani also said that he felt a bit of relief knowing the family could have some closure.
“I couldn’t have been more happy for the family that we were able to find her because that was the only thing that they were concerned with after yesterday, was if they can have her so they can do what’s right when it comes to a memorialized service and having a viewing and everything that everyone deserves to have if that’s what your faith believes,” he added during the news conference.
The family might feel relieved, but they still want justice.
According to WGAL, Pollard’s family filed a wrongful death suit against U.S. Steel, Monday’s Union Restaurant, and other unnamed parties, claiming they could have prevented Pollard’s death. The family’s attorney, Mark Malone, told the news station, “The Pollard family is looking for answers and accountability.”
Malone explained that although the Marguerite Mine closed in 1953, U.S. Steel still owns the mine. “Even though it’s closed, they probably still own the mineral rights below the restaurant,” he said.
Malone said his clients never want another family to face this kind of heartache. If the land had been properly marked, Pollard might still be here.
“If we can change U.S. Steel’s approach here on how they approach their abandoned mines to be more proactive than reactive, that’s a huge win for them. They just want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anybody else in the future,” he said.
According to her obituary, Pollard had a career in retail that she loved and “enjoyed flower gardening, crafts, and her cats.”
