All charges against a woman accused in what authorities called the largest farm animal cruelty case in Bucks County history were held for trial Friday in Bucks County Common Pleas Court.
Abigail Tuttle O’Keeffe, who was returned to the United States from Belize last fall with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, now faces prosecution on more than 100 counts of animal cruelty stemming from a January 2025 investigation in Bucks County, on offenses allegedly committed in August 2024 in Wrightstown, Bucks County.
O’Keeffe had fled the country shortly after charges were filed, but was later arrested in Belize and ultimately transported back to Pennsylvania through a coordinated effort involving the U.S. Marshals Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Department of State, Bucks County authorities, and international partners.
At a prior hearing, she was granted nonmonetary bail after a court modified her original bail, which had been set at 10 percent of $500,000. She remains free pending trial. Court records list Quakertown attorney William Joshua Buchanan as her defense counsel.
The case drew national attention due to the scope of the alleged abuse and the number of animals involved. The Bucks County SPCA previously described the investigation as unprecedented in scale for the county.
Officials have said the charges involve severe neglect and cruelty affecting a large number of farm animals. Specific details of the evidence are expected to be presented as the case proceeds through the county court system.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
