Cops: Flier Drowned Puppy She Couldn't Bring on Plane

Cynthia V. Anderson accused of killing Doberman
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 26, 2015 10:31 AM CST
Updated Jan 26, 2015 9:03 PM CST
Cops: Flier Drowned Puppy She Couldn't Bring on Plane
Cynthia V. Anderson.   (Hall County Jail)

There are awful stories and then there are awful stories. Brace yourself for the latter. Nebraska police say a Florida woman who wasn't permitted to board a flight with a puppy not yet two weeks old may have drowned the animal in a bathroom at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport. The Grand Island Independent has the alleged timeline: It reports Cynthia V. Anderson, 56, attempted to board a plane on Thursday with two dogs in "proper kennels" and three puppies—two Yorkies and a Doberman—in a carry-on. The Edgewater, Fla., woman was told she couldn't fly with dogs so young that Grand Island Police Captain Dean Elliot notes "their eyes weren't even open." The Orlando Sentinel reports dogs must be at least 8 weeks old to fly; a Central Nebraska Humane Society rep says each airline has its own criteria that passengers should reference in advance.

Anderson's parents, who live in western Nebraska, reportedly relieved her of the Yorkies, and she allegedly tried to again get on a flight the next day with the Doberman puppy hidden in her carry-on bag, reports the Daytona Beach News-Journal. She wasn't permitted to board. Police say Anderson was spotted entering an airport bathroom; after she exited, a bathroom user reported a dead puppy in a toilet. "The cause of death was determined to be drowning," says Grand Island Police Sgt. Stan Steele following an autopsy. NBC Nebraska reports Anderson faces charges of recklessly abandoning an animal, a felony punishable by up to five years in jail. She has a court date set for early next month. (Here's a much more uplifting dog story.)

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