More Allegations Against Miranda’s Rescue
Fortuna, California – A self-described no-kill animal rescue in Humboldt County is now under active criminal investigation after allegations that dogs were illegally killed, buried on the property, and then allegedly marked as adopted.
According to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, investigators received credible information on April 22nd, 2026, involving allegations of felony animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud, and conspiracy connected to Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna. Because of the seriousness and complexity of the allegations, the Sheriff’s Office says its Major Crimes Division was assigned as the lead investigative unit.
Investigators served a search warrant on May 1st, 2026, at the rescue, residence, and business located in the 1600 block of Sandy Prairie Road. The Sheriff’s Office says evidence related to the investigation was seized, and animals on the property, including dogs and cats, were examined by Humboldt County Animal Control. Officials say Animal Control continues to monitor the animals daily while the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Animal advocate Jennifer Raymond, founder of Humboldt Spay/Neuter Clinic, says she has been suspicious of Miranda’s Rescue for years. She says her concerns began back in 2001, after she brought a stray cat to the self-proclaimed no-kill rescue and was allegedly told the very next day that the cat had already been adopted.
Raymond says that did not make sense based on her years in animal welfare. “I’ve worked in animal welfare for a lot of years before I moved up here, and there is no way that overnight that cat got adopted. And at that point, number one, I felt sick. And number two, I got a very bad feeling about this rescue.”
Years later, Raymond says she bought a home directly next to the rescue so she could watch more closely. She says she and Jenna Moore placed a trail camera near the property and allegedly captured video of Shannon Miranda using a tractor. Raymond says when hay was dumped from the tractor bucket, animal bodies could be seen.
Raymond says she and Moore later went onto the property at night and recovered deceased dogs. She says some appeared to have been killed recently. “The dogs were buried in dirt and they’d been killed recently. When you felt the groin area it was still warm. No rigor mortis. Two of them were puppies; they still only had baby teeth.” According to the info rmation provided by advocates, several of the dogs allegedly had microchips that helped identify where they came from. Advocates say one of the most disturbing findings was that at least one dog was allegedly reported as adopted to a shelter, even though the dog was later found deceased.
Raymond says the scene was horrific. “What we discovered was so hideous to look at a three month old puppy with a bullet hole in its head and blood coming out of its nose and its eyes. You have to be a monster to do something like that.”
Public records and advocate accounts reportedly show hundreds of shelter-to-rescue transfers into Miranda’s Rescue in 2025, with some dogs allegedly accompanied by transfer fees. Advocates are now asking whether dogs were truly adopted, whether shelters and donors were misled, whether money changed hands based on false outcomes, and who else may have known.
According to Miranda’s Rescue’s public materials, the organization describes itself as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) no-kill rescue, adoption, and sanctuary facility. The rescue’s public website lists Shannon Miranda as president, founder, owner, operator, and dog trainer. Advocates say that public image is part of what makes the allegations so devastating because many believed dogs sent there were getting a second chance at life.
Raymond acknowledges that she may have broken the law by trespassing to retrieve the bodies, but she says she believed there was a higher moral cause. “Everybody said, don’t go on the property, you’ll be trespassing. And after about a week I thought, you know what? There are a lot of people who have broken the law for a higher moral cause, and I think I’m going to be one of them.”
As of the latest reporting provided, no arrests have been announced, and Miranda’s Rescue remains under investigation. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office continues to ask anyone with relevant information to contact the Major Crimes Division at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539.
SOURCE: Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Redwood News; KIEM; animal advocates; court documentation #dogs#animals#animalwelfare#TheRealPaulMueller
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