Previously, we had the tragic misfortune of reporting on the death of a grandmother, who fell into a sinkhole looking for her cat. Well, it turns out that story is a lot more heartbreaking than anybody knew.
64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard died after falling into a 30-foot sinkhole. She was out looking for her cat, who had gone missing. Pollard was the guardian of her 5-year-old granddaughter. She helped to raise the little girl after her son died. Her son Brandon died earlier this year in January.
"Her granddaughter was her world," Tabitha Pollard, a niece of Elizabeth, told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Wherever she was, her granddaughter was with her."
Her family remembered her as a happy figure, rocked by grief.
Grandma Dies In Sinkhole
"She was always a happy person," Axel Hayes, Elizabeth's son, told the outlet. "There was never a day I saw her sad until my brother died."
Sadly, she ended up perishing herself this December. She and her granddaughter went looking for the missing feline. That's when Pollard fell into the massive sinkhole. I can't help but think about the poor 5-year-old, who has had to endure the loss of two family members in such a short time.
Authorities found the little girl asleep inside of Pollard's vehicle. It was parked near a massive sinkhole. Search and rescue later located her body after a several day search. Authorities believe that the sinkhole may have opened up underneath Pollard as she was walking rather than her falling in. An abandoned mine apparently caused the sinkhole.
It's unknown if Pollard died instantly or was alive for an extended period of time. Her niece mourned the loss of Pollard.
"They were still healing," she said, "and now the family is dealing with her loss. It's a very tough situation right now for my uncle."
The family established a GoFundMe to help with expenses and burial.
"Our Walmart family/friends are asking for support for Liz's family," Reid-Donahue wrote in the fundraiser's description. "All who know Liz know how wonderful, selfless, caring and beautiful she is. She would give her shirt off her back for someone else in need. She loved working in retail and was devoted to her job, her husband and family."
