Humboldt County investigators have begun using ground-penetrating radar at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna after animal advocate Jennifer Raymond and another rescuer said they found a mass grave of dogs. Authorities say hundreds of animals are unaccounted for, whi
On the night of April 26, Jennifer Raymond and another animal advocate, Jenna Moore, said they waited until dark with headlamps, shovels, gloves, and phones before trespassing onto the neighbor of Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna. What they were hunting for wasn’t just suspicion anymore. It was proof.
Raymond said they jumped into a deep hole and began digging. As they worked, she described uncovering blood-soaked dog bodies—several with bullet holes in the head. “Each time we uncovered a dog, we uncovered part of another dog,” she said. “We knew by the time we were to our fifth or sixth dog that we weren’t leaving them there in this mass grave.”.
Raymond said she and Moore took eight dog carcasses home that night. Later, they handed those animals to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
The next step came when authorities acted on allegations of fraud and animal abuse. The Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at Miranda’s Rescue on May 1. supported by an affidavit that corroborated details of Raymond’s account. No criminal charges have been filed against the sanctuary’s owner. Shannon Miranda. who did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. In an earlier statement on his organization’s website, Miranda urged people not to rush to judgment.
Since then, the investigation has expanded into felony animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud, and conspiracy allegations connected to the sanctuary. At a Tuesday afternoon news conference. Sheriff William Honsal said that between January 2025 and May 2026. Miranda’s Rescue accepted more than 900 rescue animals from animal shelters and private citizens. Investigators have tracked down adoption records for only a limited number of those animals.
For each animal Miranda’s Rescue took in, the Sheriff’s Office said the organization charged a fee ranging from $500 to several thousand dollars. Honsal told reporters that around 730 animals remain unaccounted for as of Tuesday.
The Sheriff’s Office began searching the property for more carcasses using ground-penetrating radar. As bodies were pulled from the earth, investigators brought a mobile refrigerator unit to store the remains. “We are thinking worst-case scenario. ” Honsal said. “and we are here to book and uncover whatever evidence we could possibly find.”.
The Sheriff’s Office finalized its search Thursday afternoon but has not yet disclosed how many animals were found. Raymond, who said she watched the search, said she counted at least 45 animal carcasses unearthed. “It is just heartbreaking to see these totally innocent creatures. in various states of decomposition. be taken out and put on a tarp and put in the black plastic garbage bag for evidence. ” she said.
Raymond said her emotions were mixed this week—relief that authorities were taking allegations seriously. paired with the weight of what they were finding. She said she had been asking the Sheriff’s Office to investigate the facility for years. and that her repeated requests fell on what she described as deaf ears.
At Tuesday’s news conference, Honsal was asked whether the office dropped the ball in investigating prior complaints. He said, “We are looking into those previous cases to see what was investigated, how it was investigated, to see if we did not do our job enough.”
Investigators have not limited their work to excavation. Honsal said law enforcement has seized financial records, adoption records, and business records.
Miranda has continued operating the sanctuary, Honsal said, because the Sheriff’s Office has not filed any criminal charges. Honsal also said that currently around 50 animals are still living at the sanctuary. The sanctuary does not require a license to operate.
In a June 18 statement on the organization’s website. Miranda described the sanctuary as a “no-kill rescue” that does not euthanize animals to make space. but does euthanize in extreme circumstances such as a terminal illness or if an animal attacks staff. He asked the public to consider all the facts before reaching conclusions. saying allegations made without a full understanding of the circumstances can harm his reputation and also the future of an organization that has served the community for decades.
Both Honsal and Raymond said they hope the case draws attention beyond one facility—toward California’s broader animal overpopulation problem. Honsal said, “The state has ignored this issue for many, many years,” and he hoped the case would encourage spay-and-neuter clinics to provide more help.
Raymond. who said she founded two spay-and-neuter clinics in Humboldt County that treat from 3. 500 to 5. 000 dogs and cats every year. said her efforts prevent tens of thousands of animal births. She also advocates for making spaying and neutering, which she said typically costs several hundred dollars, more affordable. While she wants more oversight of rescues, she said the central issue is eliminating unwanted animal births. “We have been doing animal shelters in California for over 150 years and we have not solved the problem. ” she said. “because we’ve never addressed the cause.”.
Miranda’s Rescue Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Fortuna mass grave investigation animal cruelty animal abuse allegations fraud investigation unaccounted animals ground-penetrating radar spay-and-neuter