A Bucks County woman accused of animal abuse has been returned to the United States by investigators after fleeing to Belize last year.
Abigail Tuttle O'Keeffe, 54, the owner of Narrow Way Farm in Wrightstown, was turned over to Newtown Township police at 10:30 p.m. Friday by U.S. Marshals. She was charged with over 100 counts of animal cruelty in January, a case that the Bucks County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said is the largest in the county's history.
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O'Keefe was arrested for possession of a firearm on April 25 in Benque Viejo, Belize, which has strict gun laws and requires a permit to carry. After her criminal case in Belize was settled on Sept. 18, the U.S. and Belize governments arranged to have her returned for the animal cruelty charges. She awaits a preliminary hearing.
On Aug. 6, the Bucks County SPCA visited the farm and found 58 goats, 29 chickens, 10 pigs, five sheep and two cows living in unsavory conditions, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. A number of animals were undernourished and the cows had a hoof condition. There was no evidence that O'Keefe provided veterinary care for any of her animals, the Bucks County Courier Times reported. A goat and sheep were also found dead, and a number of animals had parasites.
Inside the home on the property, officers reportedly found 73 pounds of suspected marijuana and eight firearms.
O'Keeffe left the United States for Belize in July 2024 for a vacation and did not say when she would be back, according to social media posts that have since been taken down, although she remained in contact with employees, the Bucks County Courier Times reported. She had planned to sell her animals at a livestock auction a few days before police and the SPCA opened an investigation. Additional posts allegedly showed she planned to open another farm in Belize.
A Facebook post from the Bucks County SPCA said that nearly all of the animals from this case have since found new homes, including three goats which are being adopted today. Two pigs and two goats are still awaiting adoption, the organization said.
"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," said Nikki Thompson, chief humane society police officer at Bucks County SPCA.
The Bucks County SPCA did not immediately return a request for comment on the investigation.