Remains of at least 117 dogs found with gunshot wounds at animal shelter

The corpses of at least 117 dogs have been uncovered at a “no-kill” animal shelter, police have confirmed, with many appearing to have died from gunshot wounds.

Police began investigating a shelter called Miranda’s Rescue, located on a 50-acre property in Fortuna, California, after police received “credible information” back in April that alleged the shelter was engaging in “felony animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud, and conspiracy.”

Investigators using ground-penetrating radar found 117 intact remains in various stages of decomposition buried in a mass grave in an open field. Investigators also found additional remains in advanced stages of decomposition, the sheriff’s office said.

Police analysis of the site found evidence of bullet fragments in the field, with x-rays confirming corpses in the mass grave were riddled with bullets.

Police also uncovered 21 canine skulls, hundreds of bones, as well as other remains during searches of Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary on Friday.

This comes after investigators who were combing the site on Thursday honed in on a spot inside a barn on the property that they now believe was where the dogs were likely killed.

Police found more than 600 dog collars nearby in a chilling discovery, with Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal called it a “horrific scene.”

No charges have been filed yet.

Miranda’s Rescue collects fees from shelter transfers. It also takes donations that it claims helps the animal rescue to shoulder the costs of food, housing, veterinary care, medications, facility expenses and staffing.

As per legal documents pertaining to an earlier search of the property, the sheriff’s office was tipped off by a group of animal advocates armed with trail cameras to monitor activity near a suspected burial site.

The advocates later went onto shelter property and dug up dog remains, as per an affidavit.

Despite the grim discovery of the doggy mass grave, there is still a long way to go as far as the police investigation is concerned.

Sheriff Honsal said: “This investigation is just getting started. There is a tremendous amount of data to process, witnesses to interview, and evidence to examine.”

The sheriff’s office said hundreds of dogs were transferred or turned over to Miranda’s Rescue by private citizens and animal shelters, with questions now being raised about the fate of each four-legged fluffball that was surrendered to Miranda’s facility.

Miranda, however, denies killing any animals unless it is a last resort,” he said. “Miranda’s Rescue is a no-kill rescue. We do not euthanise animals simply to make space.

“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.”

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

“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.”

Investigations into the alleged horrors at Miranda’s alleged animal shelter continue.