Woman charged with drowning puppy to death in airport toilet

Grand Island, NE -- A Florida woman is in jail after police say she drowned a puppy in an airport toilet and then tried to flush the body.

The woman, Cynthia Anderson, did it because she had been denied access to a plane after trying to board with the animal in her carry-on, ABC affiliate NTV reported.

Help was on the way as the scene was playing out, the Central Nebraska Humane Society said, but they didn't make it in time.

"We were literally on our way out as the incident was transpiring," Laurie Dethloff, CNHS executive director, told NTV. "It's disheartening because we were only a mile away."

The society had been alerted because this incident, which happened on Friday, wasn't the first time Anderson tried to board with the dogs.

The first time was Thursday. Anderson brought three newborn puppies to the airport with her in addition to the two dogs that were in approved crates. She tried to hide the puppies in her carry-on bag. The puppies were discovered, and Anderson was turned away.

She then placed two of those puppies in the care of family members, coming back to the airport Friday with the third puppy, again in her carry-on. When she was turned away again, police say, she took the puppy to the airport bathroom and drowned it in a toilet. She tried to flush the body, but was unsuccessful, and another passenger discovered it.

In court Monday, Anderson said that her mental health had affected her actions, saying, "I have brain damage and have a hard time understanding things," according to NTV.

Anderson will return to court on Feb. 10 for a preliminary hearing. She is charged with animal neglect resulting in death.

The two living puppies remain in the care of Anderson's family members, and the humane society has been taking care of the two adult dogs.

The Humane Society posted Tuesday on their Facebook page: "The other two dogs in our care are doing well! They are not available for adoption."