Farm owner brought back to U.S. after fleeing, charged with over 100 counts of animal cruelty
KYW
By Jessica MacAulay, CBS News Philadelphia Staff
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NEWTOWN, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A Pennsylvania farm owner who fled the country in 2024 was brought back to the United States and faces more than 100 counts of animal cruelty charges in what animal advocates are calling the largest case of farm animal cruelty in county history.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office identified the farm owner as Abigail Tuttle O’Keeffe, who was extradited to the U.S. from Belize and handed over to Newtown Township police Friday night.
The investigation into O’Keeffe began after more than 100 animals were seized from a farm in Newtown in August 2024, the Bucks County SPCA said, following multiple reports of sick and dying animals.
CBS News Philadelphia previously reported the animals were taken from the Narrow Way Farm on Worthington Mill Road. The farm, which had held “sip and snuggle” events for visitors to cuddle with baby goats, had “animals living in filthy conditions, dead animals, and reports from caretakers of young animals suddenly dying,” the BCSPCA said on social media.
A veterinarian who investigated the property found multiple sheep and goats had died from a heavy parasite load, which was “largely a problem of the environment,” according to the BCSPCA. Other animals had a contagious but treatable condition called foot scald, and others were displaying respiratory symptoms.
“The thin animals had been fed a poor diet,” the agency said.
The BCSPCA said O’Keeffe “was found to have left the country with no confirmation of when or if she plans to return,” adding they had negotiated with her to surrender the animals and care for them.
According to the Bucks County DA’s Office, once the animal charges were brought against her, O’Keeffe fled the country but was later arrested in Benque Viejo, Belize, on April 25 for possessing a gun. The U.S. State Department then alerted the U.S. Marshals Service that O’Keeffe was in custody, asking if they could bring her back into the country.
O’Keeffe’s criminal case in Belize was settled on Sept. 18; she was then handed over to the U.S. Marshals and extradited from Belmopan, Belize, to Philadelphia, according to the Bucks County DA’s Office.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office worked in tandem with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia, the U.S. Marshals Office of International Operations, the U.S. Department of State, Bucks County Sheriff’s Office, INTERPOL Washington and law enforcement in Belize.
“This was an exceptional case in terms of the number of animals, severity of their suffering, and the interagency cooperation required to bring Ms. O’Keeffe back to the United States to face charges and gain justice for the animals,” Nikki Thompson, chief humane society police officer at Bucks County SPCA, said.
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