Hundreds of dead dogs found buried in mass graves at California animal sanctuary
Many of the dogs suffered gunshot wounds, say investigators, who also uncovered skulls, bones, and more than 600 dog collars at Miranda’s Rescue.
Photo via Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office
The remains of 117 dogs have been found buried in mass graves at an animal sanctuary in Fortuna, California.
On June 25, the Humboldt County Major Crimes Division completed a second search warrant at Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary, following allegations of animal cruelty and fraud.
According to a press release by the Sheriff’s Office, on-site X-rays performed on 70 of the dogs revealed that most suffered gunshot wounds. The 117 dogs were in various stages of decomposition, but all were intact, and collected as evidence. Many of the dogs were microchipped, and officers will now begin identification efforts.
In addition, 21 canine skulls, hundreds of bones, and more than 600 dog collars were found.
Further bodies were discovered within the same field, but such was the advanced decomposition that these were not removed from the burial site.
Assisted by the FBI and the USDA, the three-day excavation follows an earlier search warrant executed on May 1, in which officers seized the bodies of eight dogs, as well as adoption records and firearms.
Between January 2025 and April 2026, around 900 animals were transferred from shelters across the state to Miranda’s Rescue. Of those, 730 are currently unaccounted for, said Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal.
The developments have fractured the local community. For more than three decades, Miranda’s Rescue has provided a no-kill rescue for animals, including those with serious behavioral issues. In several jurisdictions, such animals may be euthanized. On its website, Miranda’s Rescue says the shelter therefore serves as “a last resort for these harder-to-place animals.”
The authorities were first contacted about Miranda’s Rescue in April of this year, after neighbor Jennifer Raymond conducted her own private investigation. Raymond had long been suspicious of its founder Shannon Miranda.
“[Miranda] was everybody’s sweetheart as far as animal rescues go,” Raymond told SFGATE. “But there was always something that had happened that he no longer had the animal within a few weeks of getting it. He’d be taking these big dogs, and they’d simply disappear.”
When the property next to Miranda’s Rescue came up for sale last year, Raymond bought it, with the sole intention of gathering evidence.
Her suspicions were piqued when cameras she had set up recorded Miranda using a tractor to move dirt around his shelter. Later that night, on April 26, Raymond trespassed onto the property to excavate the mound. She discovered five dogs in a grave, including two three-month-old puppies. All had bullet holes in their heads.
After scanning the dogs’ microchips, Raymond learned that among the deceased was Zora, who had been sent to Miranda’s by Oakland Animal Services. According to Oakland shelter operations manager Melinda Tierney, Zora had arrived at Miranda’s Rescue just weeks earlier, with no behavioral or health issues. On April 25, Miranda allegedly told Oakland staff that Zora had been adopted.
Zora at Oakland Animal Services in March 2026. Photo via OAS
But, in an online post of June 18, Miranda explained that Zora had in fact been euthanized, after killing a feral cat while out walking with a prospective owner, before attacking another dog.
When confronted in a phone call by Oakland Director Joe DeVries, Miranda admitted to euthanizing a further four dogs transferred from Oakland. According to DeVries, Miranda initially told Oakland staff that these animals had found new homes.
DeVries – whose shelter transferred 445 animals to Miranda’s Rescue between 2023 and 2025 – immediately cut ties with Miranda, and multiple police departments and regional rescues have since followed suit.
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Detective Julian Aguilera has stated that Miranda “murdered” the dogs for financial gain. According to investigators, Miranda received over $500,000 through intake of dogs and care payments from California shelters and affiliated nonprofits.
So far, no charges have been announced, and the investigation is ongoing.
“The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office understands the public’s desire for accountability and justice,” it said in a statement. “However, it is our responsibility to conduct a complete, impartial, and legally sound investigation while ensuring that the constitutional and legal rights of everyone involved are protected throughout the process.”
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