Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal on Monday asked for the public’s patience and assistance as a multi-agency investigation continues into allegations Miranda’s Rescue accepted money to care for animals that were instead put down.
This is, he emphasized during a nearly one-hour press conference, a case involving multiple jurisdictions and “many moving parts,” noting “the process will take time.”
“Upon completion of the investigation and after a thorough review of all evidence, if there is sufficient evidence of violations of animal cruelty, fraud, conspiracy or other applicable laws, the case will be submitted to the prosecution team for review and consideration of criminal charges,” he said.
“I understand the public’s cry for justice. I understand the public’s cry for transparency,” Honsal continued. “However, we must balance the public’s right to know with the Constitution and legal rights of everyone involved. This case will not be solved in the public forum. It will be handled through the criminal justice system and, if appropriate, a court of law. I’m asking everyone to take a breath in this time. Allow the investigation and legal process to work. We owe that to the victims, the community and the integrity of this case.”
Preliminary numbers from the investigation indicate at least 981 dogs were either surrendered at the site or transferred to the rescue by shelters across California between January of 2025 and around the end of April. To date, 116 have been verified as adopted, Honsal said. Another 71 were found onsite May 20, where 45 now remain.
“That leaves,” he said, “731 dogs unaccounted for.”
Operating Miranda’s Rescue for more than 30 years, owner and founder Shannon Miranda has been lauded for his work, but suspicions about the operation have been circulating within the close-knit animal welfare community for years.
As the North Coast Journal reported in the two-part series “Miranda’s Rescue Under Scrutiny,” published June 18 and June 25, the case began to unfold in late April, when animal welfare advocates Jennifer Raymond and Jenna Moore snuck onto the property and dug up eight dogs, taking the evidence to authorities, along with documentation of more than 600 animals transferred to the rescue from shelters in 2025 alone.
In interviews with the Journal, Miranda denied wrongdoing but admitted to shooting five of those eight dogs unearthed by the women, animals he was paid to take in by out-of-the-area shelters, saying it was done for public safety. The other three, he said, were victims of attacks by the animals buried with them.
Miranda also denied the existence of a mass grave at the rescue, saying he might have shot 10 to 15 dogs in the last four years, and acknowledged his record keeping was “shit.”
Last week, a coalition of local, state and federal agencies conducted excavations at the sprawling property in Fortuna, unearthing “intact” remains of 117 dogs from two digs sites. Seventy were examined at the scene by forensic veterinarians who placed the preliminary cause of death for many as gunshot wounds.
Honsal said the deepest hole was around 12- to 15-feet deep and the animals were found in layers, with evidence indicating the dogs had been buried at different internals over the last year or so.
Asked about the ages of the dogs, Honsal said he did not have any details but described them as being “all shapes and sizes.”
Another 21 canine skulls and hundreds of bones were exhumed nearby during the three-day excavation that began June 23, along with a separate “mass grave” of remains, which were documented but left in place after a determination that they were too decomposed to serve any evidentiary value.
In a barn on a far corner of the 50-acre site, investigators also located a section where the dogs were believed to have been shot, Honsal said, with evidence including spent shell casings and blood spatter.
In the same area, he said, 661 collars were found, some bearing names and dog license numbers, while others had “distinct markings and some unique qualities” that may aid in tracking down the animals they belonged to.
The investigation now centers on allegations Miranda’s Rescue entered into agreements with shelters and rescue organizations that paid money, sometimes $500 to $1,000, to place animals “that were later euthanized and were not adopted out or allowed to live out their lives in their sanctuary, as represented,” he said.
Honsal asked anyone with information about animals brought to Miranda’s Rescue in the last year to contact the sheriff’s office by email and provide as many details as possible, including photos, the animal’s description, microchip number, collar information, when the transfer took place and what shelter or rescue agency was involved.
“We are continuing to ask for the public’s help,” he said. “We cannot do it without you. If anyone has information about this case, please contact us.”
There are no current plans, Honsal said, to conduct further excavations at the site.
As the Journal also previously reported, and Honsal also stated during the press conference, under the California law, a rescue can put down an animal with a gun, so long as it is shot in the head for a quick death. Killing for financial gain and not providing promised services, like caring for an animal, could bring charges of fraud and/or cruelty.
“We have to prove that they intentionally did the wrongful act or acted with an unlawful attempt to disturb, defraud or annoy someone else. … What we have to prove is whether or not these deaths were malicious in nature,” he said.
The next stage of the investigation includes trying to “link up” the 91 microchips recovered, including six found loose among the bones, with the previous owners, shelters and rescue facilities throughout the state.
The majority of shelters and rescue organizations that worked with Miranda’s Rescue have indicated they “do want to seek a criminal complaint” and individuals who paid to turn over animals with an expectation of care can also contact the office to file a report, Honsal said.
“Investigators will be spending a significant amount of time working with our state and federal partners to analyze the data, physical evidence and financial information associated with this case,” he said.
In addition to the sheriff’s office, other agencies involved include the California Attorney General’s Office, California Department of Justice, United States Department of Agriculture, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office.
Animal Control is currently at the rescue three days a week, Honsal said, noting Miranda has been “fully cooperative with that,” and “there is plenty of food for those animals and they are properly being taken care of” despite rumors of a shortage circulating last week.
“If there comes a time when Shannon wants to give up those dogs that he is currently caring for, we have a plan to take those dogs,” Honsal said. “We have a plan to rehome those dogs.”
The sheriff said he understands many people have questions about why Miranda’s Rescue is allowed to continue operating during an active criminal investigation, saying, “it’s important to understand that there’s no current law or specific state permit or license required to operate an animal rescue in California.”
“So they are allowed to continue operating at this time,” he continued. “I do want to say that I do believe there are several things that need to be changed.”
That includes the lack of regulation for rescues, he said, pointing to an assembly bill currently making its way through the legislative process that would require operations like Miranda’s Rescue to collect and report information, “including the number of animals taken in, the source of intake and the outcome of each animal.”
“This type of accountability and transparency is necessary,” Honsal said, noting the bill was held in committee and he believes it needs to be pushed forward.
On a local level, the county could also enact an ordinance regulating the number of animals a rescue could accept and house.
“There’s a lot of buzz around what should be done at this given time with rescues, in general,” he said. “I think a lot of light is being shed on that. And it should be … because there needs to be accountability in this situation.”
On a larger level, animal overpopulation needs to be addressed, from providing greater access to affordable spay and neuter services to stronger public education and more responsible pet ownership.
“Animal shelters across the state are overwhelmed. Rescues are beyond capacity, and too many healthy, adoptable animals are deemed put at risk because the system cannot keep up,” Honsal said. “This is not just a shelter issue. It is a community responsibility. … If we are serious about animal welfare, we must address this problem at its source.”
Asked about complaints that had been filed about Miranda’s Rescue over the years, Honal said investigators were going back through a lot of those “to ensure there weren’t things that we missed.”
Among those who had suspicions was Sabrina Woods, a volunteer with the Solano County Animal Shelter, who first visited Mairnda’s Rescue back in September of 2025, when she drove a big red dog named Clifford to Humboldt for a second chance at a new beginning.
She had been hoping to reconnect with some of the dozens of dogs she had worked with that had previously been taken to the shelter and learn more about the operations, but left disappointed and questioning what was happening at the site.
So, Woods began collecting data on how many shelter dogs were being taken there, eventually connecting with Raymond who was doing the same and would go on to turn over the information to law enforcement along with the eight exhumed dogs.
Woods said she was not surprised at what the excavations uncovered but at least feels that “everything is on track for what needs to happen.” As it turns out, on the very same day that the number of dogs unearthed at Miranda’s Rescue was released, the person who adopted Clifford tracked her down after reading the Journal’s previous coverage and sent along a photo.
“It was him, it was Clifford,” Woods said, adding she was able to find out about his new life as a shopdog and how he is now best friends with two cats.
She commended the sheriff’s office for its handling of the investigation and, like Honsal, says attention needs to turn to providing spay and neuter services if change is ever going to come about. What happened at Miranda’s Rescue, Woods said, was a “crime of opportunity.”
“I just hope it’s enough to get the charges we need,” she said. “I want to see this man in handcuffs.”
As the investigation continues, Honsal appealed for members of the public to reach out to the sheriff’s office directly and “avoid spreading unverified information that could compromise the investigation.”
There is no current timeline for when that will be complete, Honsal reiterated, saying, “we are asking the public’s patience in this.”
“It’s a complex case, so we are doing our best to go through all the evidence.”
Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251. Those with questions, concerns or information about an animal that was at the are asked to email HSO@co.humboldt.ca.us.
Kimberly Wear (she/her) is the assistant editor at the Journal. Reach her at (707) 442-1400 ext. 105 or kim@northcoastjournal.com.
This article appears in 731 Dogs.
