PHILADELPHIA — A woman charged in one of the largest farm animal cruelty cases in Bucks County history has been extradited from Belize and turned over to local authorities.
Abigail Tuttle O’Keeffe was returned to the U.S. late Friday night by the U.S. Marshals Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force, who handed her over to the Newtown Township Police Department around 10:30 p.m.
O’Keeffe was charged in January with more than 100 counts of animal cruelty, following an investigation by the Bucks County SPCA. The organization described the case as the largest instance of farm animal abuse the county has ever seen. O’Keeffe fled the country shortly after the charges were filed.
On April 25, O’Keeffe was arrested in Benque Viejo, Belize, for possession of a firearm. Once in custody, the U.S. State Department notified the U.S. Marshals Service, who confirmed she was a wanted fugitive.
Following coordination with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, O’Keeffe’s case in Belize was resolved by September 18, paving the way for her deportation. She was escorted from Belmopan, Belize, to Philadelphia, where she now faces prosecution for the original animal cruelty charges.
The case remains under investigation by local authorities.
