Aubrey Vanlandingham, a 17-year-old cheerleader from Texas, faces animal cruelty charges after allegedly poisoning a show goat belonging to another student at Vista Ridge High School’s barn facility in Cedar Park, just north of Austin.
Security footage reportedly captured Vanlandingham using a drench gun—commonly used for administering livestock medication—to deliver a toxic pesticide to the goat, named Willie. Prosecutors allege she “intentionally and knowingly tortured a livestock animal.”
Willie succumbed to the poisoning within a day, experiencing severe symptoms, including convulsions and respiratory distress.
According to an arrest affidavit, Vanlandingham admitted to the crime, revealing it was her second attempt to harm the goat. She claimed her actions stemmed from suspicions that the goat’s owner’s daughter was a “cheater.”
Further investigation uncovered that Vanlandingham had researched lethal poisons for animals and ways to delete her search history before the incident. She was arrested and later released on a $5,000 bond. Attempts to reach her legal counsel for comment have been unsuccessful.
