Travelers maintained their customary activities throughout Orlando International Airport on December 16, 2024 because holiday movements in Florida were accelerating.
Staff members together with investigators experienced shock when they witnessed the woman who wanted to board her flight.
The individual who turned out to be Alison Agatha Lawrence from Clermont Florida stood at 57 when she visited the airline counter while holding her small pet dog.
Airlines and TSA regulations demanded specific documentation that the airport employee informed her was missing from her possession.
The surveillance video shows Lawrence left the security gate unhappy but continued to hold the small pet animal.
She traversed to the restroom area in front of the security checkpoint and spent multiple minutes away from sight.
Surveillance video and staff observations revealed the woman stepping out from the restrooms without her pet while making her way to the gate to remain quietly until boarding time.
The series of incidents was about to fade away until the restroom maintenance staff member became involved with their shift.
The employee came across suspicious circumstances while entering the women’s restroom which included pooling water on the floor and excessive dog food around the handicapped area.
She recalled seeing the woman earlier “on her knees cleaning up a lot of water and a lot of dog food,” a detail she shared with her supervisor.
The worker discovered distressing evidence during restroom waste removal near the terminal when checking the airport dumpster.
A small white pup passed away inside a trash bag which led the worker to dial Orlando Police right away.
The authorities conducted a full-scale investigation by gathering relevant video recordings and receiving statements which provided proof to support their findings.
Medical tests on the dog proved drowning as the cause of death while all investigative findings indicated the dog met its end right before the woman entered her flight.
Neighbors of Lawrence, Roy and Janet Fernandes, told WFTV that they hadn’t seen her “little white dog” in some time.
“My husband said to me, ‘I don’t know why we haven’t seen the lady with the little white dog lately.’ After those words Janet continued with the story of a sad event.
The couple maintained watch as police notified Lawrence during her arrest at her Clermont residence in the following months.
I kept gazing outside to understand what was happening at that moment. The situation repeated itself as law enforcement departed from the house before returning, according to Janet.
According to him he paid attention to active noises taking place outside. It seemed to be during this time that she got arrested according to him.
The police arrested Alison Agatha Lawrence on March 18th of 2025 for aggravated animal cruelty offenses.
Lawrence spent five hours at Lake County Jail after her arrest before her $5000 bond allowed her release per People.
The Florida state law mandates a maximum sentence of five years along with a total fine of $10,000 for individuals found guilty of aggravated animal cruelty offenses.
State Senator Tom Leek responded to the case in a statement, saying, “This is yet another horrible example of why I filed Senate Bill 502… which strengthens criminal penalties for those who do harm to innocent animals.”
He added, “It is my commitment to have this good bill pass the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives and sent to Governor Ron DeSantis for his signature.”
Animal cruelty advocates use this sad airport incident as their driving force to push for strengthened animal protection legislation throughout Florida.
The discovery of truth by the airport worker remains etched into her mind as she opened up the dumpster.
Feature Image Credit: (Youtube/ABC7)
