If this happened before she got on the plane I bet she could have found someone at the airport who would have taken the hamster. Giving it away would be better than killing it. This story just doesn’t add up.
Your are correct. But then none of her story adds up. Including her claim that all the car rental agents at BWI were out of cars and claimed taking a bus would take too long.
Add to that this hamster was supposedly her "emotional support animal that she supposedly loved and depended on, yet she flushed the poor thing down a toilet rather than miss her flight.
She's either mentally ill or looking for a payday, or likely both.
IMO, she should be brought up on charges for animal cruelty.