Florida woman arrested for drowning dog in airport toilet to avoid missing flight

A Florida woman has been arrested after she reportedly killed her dog rather than miss her flight at Orlando International Airport (MCO).

The story begins on Dec. 16th of last year, when an MCO employee found a “dead animal” — later identified as a dog — inside a women’s restroom located outside of the airport’s security checkpoint.

When the police arrived, an employee told them she’d earlier seen a woman inside one of the stalls scooping up water and dog food from the floor. When the employee returned 20 minutes later to clean the restroom, the woman was still there but left shortly thereafter.

While cleaning the restroom, the employee discovered an unusually heavy trash bag containing the wet and warm corpse of a dog, as well as a dog tag, a dog collar, a dog travel bag, and a dog harness.

Using the dog tag, which contained a name and phone number, the police were able to trace the dog, named Tywinn, to Alison Agatha Lawrence, a 57-year-old Florida woman.

NEW UPDATE on the woman accused of drowning dog in Orlando International Airport bathroom before boarding flight

Alison Agatha Lawrence was reportedly trying to board a flight but didn’t have the right paperwork to allow the dog to board and couldn’t take it

She is charged… pic.twitter.com/jPITIKwWqY

— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) March 20, 2025

A necropsy was subsequently performed, and it was discovered Tywinn had died from being drowned/submerged in water. Moreover, airport surveillance footage strongly hinted at Lawrence, who’d been at the airport to catch a flight to Columbia, South Carolina, being the culprit.

“Airport surveillance footage shows Lawrence talking to an airline agent at a ticket counter for about 15 minutes, something the report notes is longer than normal for interactions at a ticket counter — which usually last less than five minutes,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.

“She then walked with Tywinn to the bathroom about 20 feet from the ticket area. … [F]ootage shows Lawrence later exiting the bathroom without the dog then walking toward the exit to the street and leaving the main terminal. She then walked toward the next-closest door and re-entered the terminal — which the report described as unusual behavior. She later went on to board her plane,” the reporting continues.

The police suspect she drowned her dog so she could continue with her flight.

“After Alison Agatha Lawrence was denied boarding of the dog due to improper paperwork, Alison Agatha Lawrence is believed to have taken extreme and tragic action by killing the dog,” the Orlando police said in the arrest affidavit.

It took some time, but an arrest warrant was finally issued for aggravated animal abuse and Lawrence was immediately arrested this past Tuesday, March 18th, in Florida.

Lawrence was booked into the Lake County jail at 3:54 p.m. on the Orlando police warrant,” according to local station WTVT. “She was being held on a $5,000 bond, online records state. She will eventually need to be extradited from Lake County to Orange County.”

Tywinn’s sick, unnecessary death has already inspired state Sen. Tom Leek, a Republican, to propose a bill on his behalf. Senate Bill 502 would, if one day signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, establish much stricter penalties for animal abuse.

“Under SB 502, individuals convicted of the primary offense of animal cruelty to a domestic animal would have their sentence points multiplied by 1.25, per the Florida Criminal Punishment Code,” according to The Floridian Press. “The bill defines the term ‘domestic animal’ as common house pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and hamsters.”

State Rep. Linda Chaney, also a Republican, has sponsored a similar bill for the Florida House.

“Abuse against helpless animals is one of the most heinous acts that can be committed, and punishment for a perpetrator should be swift and severe,” Leek said in a statement. “I am proud to continue my work in addressing animal cruelty in the state of Florida by strengthening penalties for those who prey upon domestic animals.”

A separate bill, Senate Bill 494, would require the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to create a registry of animal abusers.

“[T]he legislation would give adoption shelters and pet breeders a way to screen prospective pet owners, which could help improve the ability of these groups to find safe homes for these animals,” local station WPLG notes.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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