[Trigger Warning: Animal Abuse]
After being prohibited from bringing her white miniature schnauzer on an international flight due to a documentation issue, a woman drowned the dog in a Florida airport restroom before boarding the aircraft.
The woman was arrested in Lake Country on March 19 for aggravated animal abuse, a third-degree felony. She was released on a $5000 (Php 286,675) bail.
An arrest affidavit from the Orlando Police Department stated that “This act was intentional and resulted in a cruel and unnecessary death of the animal.”
A janitor discovered a 9-year-old- schnauzer named Tywinn in a garbage bag in a restroom stall at the Orlando International Airport in December, sparking the start of the investigation into the dog’s death.
Prior to this, the janitor had seen the woman in the stall clearing the floor of dog food and water.
When the janitor returned to the restroom after being taken away from a cleanup emergency twenty minutes later, the investigators discovered Tywinn in the trash can along with a companion vest, collar, rabies tag, dog travel bag, and a bone-shaped dog tag bearing the woman’s name and phone number.
Surveillance footage from the airport showed the woman talking to a Latam Airlines agent for fifteen minutes while carrying the dog, entering the restroom close to the ticket booth, and leaving the restroom with Tywinn less than twenty minutes later. The woman then went through security and boarded the plane headed for Colombia, according to the report.
Authorities stated that due to the woman lacking the required documentation, she had been informed that she was not permitted to bring her dog on board.
For dogs traveling from the United States to Colombia, a rabies vaccination and health certificate from a veterinarian is required in order for them to board the plane, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A necropsy revealed that Tywinn had drowned, and the dog was identified by its implanted microchip. Detectives were also informed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the woman had taken a trip to Bogota, Colombia, and then flew to Ecuador.
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