An animal sanctuary in rural Northern California is under scrutiny after a neighbor says she dug up what looked like a mass grave of dogs on the property. Jennifer Raymond, a longtime animal advocate who'd long questioned operations at Miranda's Rescue in Fortuna, says she and another activist trespassed there in April and uncovered multiple dog carcasses, some with apparent bullet wounds, before turning eight bodies over to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, per the Los Angeles Times. That move triggered a wide criminal investigation into alleged animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud, and conspiracy.
Sheriff William Honsal said on Tuesday that between January 2025 and May of this year, Miranda's Rescue took in more than 900 animals from shelters and private owners, collecting fees of $500 to several thousand dollars per animal. Only about 120 of them could be confirmed as having been adopted out, Honsal noted, per SFGate; the whereabouts of more than 700 of them are currently unknown. Investigators have used ground-penetrating radar and a refrigerated unit to excavate and store remains from the property, though they haven't released a final count.
"We found many dogs in various stages of decomposition in several locations," Honsal said at a Thursday presser, noting that many of the dogs were microchipped, per the San Francisco Chronicle. "We also found a lot of skeletal remains." He notes that he expects final numbers to be released sometime on Friday.
Owner Shannon Miranda, who calls his operation a "no-kill rescue," hasn't been charged and continues to operate his business, urging the public not to rush to judgment and saying euthanasia is reserved for extreme cases only, per the Times. Authorities are also reviewing past complaints to see if earlier warnings were mishandled. The sheriff's office is asking anyone with relevant information on the case to call 707-445-7251.
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