Remains of at least 117 dogs found at California ‘no-kill’ shelter as investigators uncover suspected burial site and 600 collars

The remains of at least 117 dogs were found on the grounds of a California ‘no-kill’ animal shelter, many of them with gunshot wounds, authorities said.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that it also discovered 21 canine skulls, hundreds of bones and other remains during searches at Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary in Fortuna, California.

Investigators searched the site on Thursday and identified an area inside a barn where they believe dogs were killed. 

More than 600 dog collars were found nearby, the office said. Sheriff William Honsal called it a ‘horrific scene.’ No charges have been filed.

‘This investigation is just getting started,’ Sheriff Honsal said in a statement.

‘There is a tremendous amount of data to process, witnesses to interview, and evidence to examine.’

The 50-acre shelter, owned by Shannon Miranda, has been under investigation since April 2026 over allegations of ‘felony animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud, and conspiracy.’

An earlier affidavit from the property search states the sheriff’s office was alerted by two animal advocates – one a neighboring landowner – who used trail cameras on the edge of the shelter grounds to monitor activity near a suspected burial site. 

The remains of at least 117 dogs were found on the grounds of a California’no-kill’ animal shelter

Investigators from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office search the grounds of Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary

The advocates later went onto shelter property and dug up dog remains, the affidavit said.

Investigators used ground-penetrating radar – a tool that scans underground without digging – to locate 117 intact canine bodies in various stages of decomposition buried in an open field. 

More than 70 of the remains were X-rayed, and investigators found bullet fragments in many of them. 

The findings suggest that gunshot wounds were likely the cause of death for many of the animals.

Some of the dog remains were discovered in ‘advanced stages of decomposition,’ according to the sheriff’s office. 

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

In an aerial view, investigators search for animal remains while executing a second search warrant at Miranda’s Rescue

More than 70 of the remains were X-rayed, and investigators found bullet fragments in many of them

‘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,’ they wrote.

Miranda’s Rescue collects fees from shelter transfers, as well as donations that it says helps cover the costs of food, housing, veterinary care, medications, facility expenses and staffing. 

Shelters paid the Fortuna facility anywhere from $400 to $1,450 per dog, according to the affidavit obtained by the SFChronicle.

Hundreds of dogs have been transferred or turned over to the rescue by private citizens and animal shelters. 

Daily Mail reached out to Miranda’s rescue for additional comment.  

‘Miranda’s Rescue is a no-kill rescue. We do not euthanize animals simply to make space,’ the shelter wrote in the June 18 statement.

However, they added ‘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.’

‘In those situations, we make the most humane and responsible decision we can, always with public safety and animal welfare in mind,’ the shelter said.

Berkeley Animal Care Services posts photos of dogs they had sent, but then removed, from Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna, California

One of the three dogs that were taken back from the Fortuna shelter

The returned dogs are now up for adoption

In early June 2026, Bay Area shelters started to take back the dogs that had been placed with Miranda’s Rescue amid the investigation, SFChronicle reported. 

Napa County Animal Shelter said the safely returned dogs are now available for adoption.

Three dogs that were previously at the rescue – Blanche, Gus, and Clem Smith Jr – were also returned.

Staff noted they came back thinner and bruised, the outlet reported.

 This is a breaking news story.