The dog, a 9-year-old white miniature schnauzer named Tywinn, was found dead in a bathroom on Dec. 16, 2024, according to Orlando Police Department. After an investigation, police arrested Alison Lawrence March 19 on a charge of aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony. She has since been released on $5,000 bail.
According to a brief from Orlando Police Department, police say they received reports on Dec. 16, 2024, of an airport employee finding a “dead animal” in a women’s bathroom located outside the security checkpoint.
An employee noticed that a woman had been in a stall for an extended period of time, and appearing to be cleaning up “a lot of water and a lot of dog food” off the floor. The employee left, then returned about 20 minutes later to see the same woman, who has since been identified as Alison Lawrence. Inside a nearby trash can, the employee found Tywinn’s body, along with a vest, collar, pet travel bag and other accessories, including a dog tag with Lawrence’s contact information.
An arrest affidavit says Lawrence “is believed to have taken extreme and tragic action by killing the dog” after she was denied boarding the dog because she lacked the proper paperwork. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, dogs traveling to Colombia from the U.S. are required to have a health certificate issued by a veterinarian and a rabies vaccine certificate.
Surveillance footage shows Lawrence speaking with a Latam Airlines agent with the dog for about 15 minutes before walking into a bathroom and then exiting without Tywinn nearly 20 minutes later. She went through security and boarded her plane bound for Colombia, the police report says.
The cause of Tywinn’s death was determined to be drowning, the report says.Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
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This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2025.