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The incident unfolded on December 16, 2024, when Alison Agatha Lawrence arrived at Orlando International Airport with her mini schnauzer, Tywinn, who was 5 years old.
Lawrence had planned to travel to Ecuador with her dog before continuing on to Colombia.
Unbeknownst to the busy travelers passing through the terminal, a deeply troubling situation was unfolding behind security barriers.
At the ticket counter, LATAM Airlines staff informed Lawrence that Tywinn would not be allowed to board the flight.
They explained that the dog did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements for international travel, citing missing health certificates and incomplete rabies vaccination documentation.
Surveillance footage revealed Lawrence engaging in a lengthy discussion with an airline agent at the counter, appearing to attempt to resolve the situation.
Shortly afterward, she took Tywinn into a restroom near the TSA checkpoint following a phone call.
Lawrence stayed inside the restroom for approximately twenty minutes before proceeding to board her flight to Bogotá—without her dog.
The grim discovery came when a janitor, who had previously noticed Lawrence cleaning a bathroom stall, returned to find the trash bin unusually heavy.
While emptying the receptacle, the janitor uncovered a disturbing scene—a white miniature schnauzer’s lifeless body hidden inside a trash bag, alongside its service dog vest, rabies tag, collar, travel bag, and a bone-shaped dog tag inscribed with Lawrence’s information.
Orlando Police launched an immediate investigation after being notified of the incident.
Forensic examination confirmed that the dog died by drowning, with microchip data linking ownership directly to Lawrence.
Authorities later determined that Lawrence had left for Ecuador shortly after the dog’s death.
Between the date of the incident and March 18, 2025, the case remained unsolved until authorities located and arrested Lawrence at her home in Lake County, Florida.
She now faces two felony charges of third-degree animal cruelty under Florida law and was released on a $5,000 bond.
Bryan Wilson of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida voiced his outrage, saying, “We were horrified to learn that a woman drowned her companion animal simply because the dog couldn’t board a flight.”
Residents of Clermont were equally shocked, as many had often seen Lawrence walking Tywinn in the neighborhood.
“Anyone who could do something like that has got to be mentally unstable,” one neighbor told WFTV.
