Humboldt County sheriff's investigators on Friday said they uncovered the intact remains of 117 dogs at Miranda's Rescue, a 50-acre animal sanctuary in Fortuna, during an investigation into suspected animal cruelty.
The investigation into Miranda's Rescue in Fortuna began April 22 after the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office said it received credible information alleging felony animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud and conspiracy.
A search warrant served May 1 at the site resulted in detectives finding evidence, and investigators returned June 23 with a second warrant to dig at the 50-acre property and search the buildings.
Investigators uncovered the skulls of 21 dogs, hundreds of bones and six loose microchips near the dig sites.
During the search, the sheriff's office said it found a location inside a barn where investigators believe the dogs were killed and that 600 dog collars were found in the same area.
Forensic veterinarians and the U.S. Department of Agriculture examined and X-rayed 70 of the dogs and preliminarily determined the cause of death for many to be gunshot wounds, the sheriff's office said.
The intact remains were taken as evidence, and the sheriff's office said most of them were microchipped and work is under way to identify those animals; remains too decomposed to be recovered were also found in the same field.
Sheriff William Honsal said Miranda's Rescue accepted animals from shelters throughout California and charged fees ranging from hundreds to several thousand dollars per animal. According to Honsal, more than 900 animals were transferred to Miranda's Rescue from shelters across California over the past five and a half years. "So far, we were able to account for only 100 or so that have been adopted," Honsal said. "We have 730 animals that are unaccounted for."
No charges have been filed, the sheriff's office said, and it added that once the investigation is complete the case will be forwarded to the district attorney for review and consideration if there is sufficient evidence. The office said the evidence review process will require a significant amount of time and that it will hold a news conference on Monday at 2 p.m.
The discovery has stunned animal rescuers across California, the sheriff's office said, and Bay Area rescue operator Dan Martinez said people across the state are using social media to search for answers about pets they surrendered to Miranda's Rescue. Martinez said there has been one bright spot amid the investigation: a dog named Oliver, which he removed from Miranda's Rescue several weeks ago, has since been adopted into a new home and renamed Miles.