A sheriff’s office in Northern California said the remains of 117 dogs were found on the grounds of a “no-kill” animal shelter, with many having died of gunshot wounds.
In a June 26 statement, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said the remains were found at the Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary in Fortuna, located in the northwestern corner of the state.
A search warrant that was issued for the sheriff’s office included a search associated with the shelter and Shannon Miranda, founder of the shelter, “for evidence related to animal cruelty and fraud,” the statement said.
“This included the excavation of open fields for evidence of deceased dogs believed to be buried in mass graves,” it stated.
A team searched the shelter’s property, including via ground-penetrating radar systems, according to the sheriff’s office. Teams were then sent to excavate areas “where anomalies in the soil were discovered” on the property.
At least 117 intact canine remains were found inside two dig sites, and 21 canine skulls, hundreds of bones, and six microchips were found in another location. The team found 117 intact dead dogs in various stages of decomposition, with approximately 70 dogs being X-rayed on site. Bullet fragments were found inside many of the animals, the sheriff’s office added.
Based on onsite examinations, the office said, “investigators preliminarily determined the cause of death for many of those animals to be gunshot wounds.”
Sheriff’s investigators also located an area inside a barn believed to be where the dogs were likely killed. In that same area, investigators located more than 600 dog collars.
“This investigation is just getting started. There is a tremendous amount of data to process, witnesses to interview, and evidence to examine,” Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said in a statement, adding that investigators showed professionalism while “working through this horrific scene.”
Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary did not immediately respond to a request for comment on June 28.
In a statement issued on the shelter’s website on June 18, Miranda, the owner, said that media coverage and online commentary about the case “have presented an incomplete and, in some cases, inaccurate picture of our work.” The statement was published before the sheriff’s office said it found 117 dogs’ remains on the property.
“At Miranda’s Rescue, our mission is to save as many animals as we safely can—always balancing compassion for animals with our responsibility to protect families, children, other pets, and the public,” the statement said.
Miranda said that in recent months, local shelters were told that the shelter would “no longer accept dogs ... already designated for euthanasia because of serious behavioral concerns.“ It stated, ”Shelters must take responsibility for animals that pose significant safety risks, rather than transferring those animals to rescues while maintaining a public image of being ‘no-kill’ organizations.”
The statement also maintained that the organization “is a no-kill rescue” group, adding that it does not “euthanize animals simply to make space.”
“However, as we state on our website, there are rare circumstances in which euthanasia may be necessary—when an animal is suffering from a terminal condition or when it poses a serious, ongoing danger to people or other animals,” the statement said.
“In those situations, we make the most humane and responsible decision we can, always with public safety and animal welfare in mind.”
