Former Farmer Heads To Trial For Wrightstown Animal Cruelty Case

A former Wrightstown Township farm owner who was arrested after fleeing overseas is heading to trial after waiving her right to a preliminary hearing last week.

Abigail Tuttle O’Keeffe, 54, was charged in late 2024 and arrested in Belize on 149 charges, including aggravated cruelty to animals resulting in serious injury or death, and neglect of animals. She was brought back to Bucks County last September after an operation by federal and local authorities.

O’Keeffe waived her right to a preliminary hearing last Friday before District Judge Mick Petrucci, and she agreed to waived nine of the 149 charges to the Court of Common Pleas. The charges that were not withdrawn by prosecutors include aggravated cruelty to animals, neglect of animals, and attempted neglect of animals, court records showed.

The former farmer is free on nonmonitary bail as part of a pre-trial supervision program, according to a court docket.

O’Keeffe’s defense attorney, Josh Buchanan, previously said his client looks forward to defending herself in court.

The investigation began in August 2024 after Bucks County SPCA police received reports from concerned workers and volunteers regarding conditions at the farm that sits along Worthington Mill Road.

While O’Keeffe initially refused direct contact with investigators, officials said she surrendered her animals to the SPCA via text message on Aug. 7, 2024, police said.

SPCA police filed a warrant for her arrest in the closing hours of 2024, but by then, O’Keeffe was living in Central America.

Her return to Pennsylvania followed an April 2024 arrest in Belize on an unrelated firearm possession charge. Her extradition was the result of a coordinated operation between the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Department of State, and INTERPOL Washington.

Members of a fugitive task force took O’Keeffe into custody in Belmopan, Belize, and transported her to Philadelphia last September before turning her over to Bucks County authorities.

Investigators described a grim scene at the Wrightstown Township property. According to authorities, police discovered a makeshift composting site containing decaying animal carcasses.

More than 100 animals—including chickens, steer, pigs, goats, and sheep—were removed from the site. Officials reported the animals suffered from malnutrition and heavy parasitic loads, having been fed substandard by-products and denied veterinary care.

While some animals were eventually rehomed, others required extensive veterinary intervention or euthanasia.

“This case is exceptional because of the number of animals, severity of their suffering, and the interagency cooperation required to bring Ms. O’Keeffe back to the United States,” said Bucks County SPCA Police Chief Nikki Thompson.

Search warrants executed by Newtown Township police at the property also uncovered suspected marijuana, THC or CBD oil, and firearms. However, O’Keeffe has not been charged with any crimes related to those items and is not accused of wrongdoing regarding them.

O’Keeffe also has unrelated traffic cases out of Hulmeville Borough and Warrington Township.