117 dead dogs found at California no-kill shelter

117 dead – Authorities in Humboldt County, California, say investigators found the remains of at least 117 dogs on the grounds of Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary in Fortuna, including remains consistent with gunshot wounds. The sheriff’s office says it began investigat

FORTUNA, Calif. — By the time investigators finished combing the grounds of a California “no-kill” animal sanctuary on Thursday, the evidence they found was hard to put into words.

On the property of Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary in Fortuna, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said the remains of at least 117 dogs were discovered, many showing what authorities described as gunshot wounds.

Sheriff’s officials also found 21 canine skulls, hundreds of bones, and other remains during the searches of the 50-acre (20-hectare) facility.

Investigators said they located an area in a barn where they believe dogs were likely killed. Nearby, the sheriff’s office said, more than 600 dog collars were found. Sheriff William Honsal called it a “horrific scene.” No charges have been filed.

The sheriff’s office said investigators were still processing what they found. Honsal said in a statement, “This investigation is just getting started,” adding there is “a tremendous amount of data to process, witnesses to interview, and evidence to examine.”

The hunt began in April. after the sheriff’s office received “credible information” regarding allegations of felony animal abuse. animal cruelty. fraud. and conspiracy. The sheriff’s office said it also was tipped off by a pair of animal advocates. one of whom owns property adjoining the shelter and used trail cameras to monitor activity near an alleged burial site. The affidavit from an earlier search said the advocates later went onto shelter property and dug up dog remains.

During Thursday’s search. investigators used ground-penetrating radar and found 117 intact remains in various stages of decomposition buried in an open field. the sheriff’s office said. They x-rayed 70 of the remains on site and found evidence of bullet fragments in many of them. For many of those animals, authorities said, the cause of death appeared to be gunshot wounds. Officials said they also found additional remains in advanced stages of decomposition.

The sheriff’s office said hundreds of dogs were transferred or turned over to Miranda’s Rescue by private citizens and animal shelters.

Miranda, the shelter’s founder, was not immediately available for comment. A message seeking comment was left for Shannon Miranda.

In a statement posted to the shelter’s website on June 18, Miranda said recent media coverage and online commentary “have presented an incomplete and, in some cases, inaccurate picture of our work.”

Miranda wrote that the shelter’s mission is to save as many animals as it safely can, “always balancing compassion for animals with our responsibility to protect families, children, other pets, and the public.”

In that same statement, Miranda said, “Miranda’s Rescue is a no-kill rescue. We do not euthanize animals simply to make space.” But the founder added that 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.”.

Miranda wrote that in those situations, the shelter makes the “most humane and responsible decision we can, always with public safety and animal welfare in mind.”

The case now turns on what investigators can prove. For authorities, the next steps are clear: more data, more interviews, and more evidence to examine as the investigation moves forward.

Miranda's Rescue Animal Sanctuary Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Fortuna California no-kill shelter 117 dogs found gunshot wounds animal cruelty investigation William Honsal Shannon Miranda