A Wrightstown woman is back in the United States to face more than 100 neglect and cruelty charges in what has been called the largest animal rescue case in Bucks County history.
The U.S. Marshals Service on Friday, Sept. 19, turned over Abigail Tuttle-O’Keeffe, 54, to Newtown Township police after she arrived from Belize, a Central American country where she allegedly had fled last year before she was charged.
Her return was part of an arrangement with the Belize government after O’Keeffe was arrested in late April for possession of a firearm in Benque Viejo, according to the U.S. Marshals press release.
Narrow Way Farms owner Abigail Tuttle O’Keefe who is accused in the worst animal abuse and neglect case in Bucks County SPCA history was extradited by U.S. Marshals Service on Friday Sept. 19 from Belize, where she fled before more than 100 criminal charges were filed against her last year.
Belize police pulled over O’Keeffe, who was living in a village called Valley of Peace, on a routine highway traffic stop and found an unlicensed .38 revolver and 55-rounds of live unlicensed ammunition, according to a police report provided to this news organization.
The firearm was reportedly concealed inside a black lunch bag wrapped in an American flag rag located in the rear passenger seat of her Ford F250 pickup truck.
Authorities allege Tuttle-O’Keeffe told police she “did not know what to do with” the gun, which she alleged was a “gift.”
Belize has extremely strict gun laws that require annually renewed permits to own and use one; only permanent residents or citizens are eligible to own guns and the maximum caliber allowed is a 9-millimeter.
The U.S. State Department notified the U.S. Marshals Service O’Keeffe was in custody and asked if they would be willing to return her to the U.S. She was deported after her criminal case in Belize was settled on Sept. 18, the release said.
“While the U.S. Marshals Service remains steadfast in its mission to capture violent fugitives, after learning of the heinous animal cruelty allegations against Ms. O’Keefe, we were pleased to assist the Bucks County D.A.’s Office in facilitating her extradition from Belize,” said Eric Gartner, of the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
O’Keeffe was arraigned Saturday morning before District Judge Gary Gambardella and sent to Bucks County Correctional Center in lieu of $500,000 bail. She had no legal representation listed as of Monday, according to the docket.
The Bucks County SPCA last December filed 160 charges against Abigail Tuttle O’Keeffe, following a four-month investigation at the 37-acre Narrow Way Farms in the 800 block of Worthington Mill Road.
The majority of offenses O’Keeffe faces are misdemeanors or summary offenses, but O’Keeffe faces two felony charges for aggravated cruelty to animals for the death of two goats. Each charge carries a potential jail sentence of up to seven years.
Animal abandonment is a crime in Pennsylvania and it can result in felony charges if an animal dies, under the law.
Last August Newtown Township police and Bucks County SPCA officers removed 124 sick, dying and neglected animals, after receiving complaints, photos and video of sick animals and reports of dying animals.
Investigators found no evidence that O’Keeffe provided veterinary care for the goats, sheep, pigs, cows or chickens, which lived in unsanitary conditions, the affidavit said.
O’Keeffe reportedly left the United States for a one-week vacation in July 2024, but failed to return as scheduled. She later announced in Facebook posts that she relocated to Belize, where she was seeking residency.
During her absence, volunteers and the farm manager oversaw the farm and its animals. When the farm manager expressed concerns about the deteriorating health of the animals, O’Keeffe allegedly told him to treat them with only over-the-counter medications, the affidavit said.
The farm manager told authorities that many animals died in the months after O’Keeffe brought a new flock of sheep to the farm, according to the probable cause affidavit.
In Facebook posts, O’Keeffe said that she had made plans to sell the animals at a livestock auction scheduled to be held days before the SPCA and Newtown Township police opened investigations.
After O’Keeffe surrendered custody of the animals to the SPCA, veterinary exams found the presence of contagious parasites requiring deworming of the goats, sheep and cows.
The animals were also allegedly malnourished. Some had respiratory problems and a preventable contagious foot condition.
O’Keeffe also operated a farm store on the property that was open to the public since at least 2020, though she allegedly did not have state or federal licenses to operate a retail store or sell some items.
She also hosted community events and activities at the farm that allowed the public to interact with the animals.
On her social media last year, O’Keeffe posted that she did not plan to return to Narrow Way Farm, which she and her former husband bought in 2017 for $550,000, according to county property records.
Four Narrow Way Farm animals remain in SPCA custody and they are still available for adoption, two pot-bellied pigs and two goats as of Monday, Sept. 22, SPCA spokeswoman Cindy Kelly said.
All the other animals have found new homes, including three goats that were adopted on Monday, she added.
The animal welfare agency has spent more than $44,000 on medical and daily care for the animals including sterilizing and vaccinating them.
“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,” SPCA Chief Humane Society officer Nikki Thompson said.
If you are interested in adopting the remaining Narrow Way Farm animals, adopters must be located within Pennsylvania and have experience caring for livestock. Farm animal adoptions are managed by appointment. Please contact the Bucks County SPCA’s Quakertown Shelter at 267-347-4674 to learn more and to schedule an appointment.
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Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Wrightstown woman wanted in Bucks County’s animal abuse case caught
