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Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office investigators recovered the remains of at least 117 dogs during a second search warrant operation at Miranda’s Rescue this week, a discovery that confirms key allegations outlined in a detailed affidavit seeking permission to excavate suspected mass‑grave sites on the property.
The search warrant, issued June 15 and supported by a lengthy probable‑cause statement, authorized investigators to dig, seize digital devices, collect financial records, and use drones, ground‑penetrating instruments, and heavy equipment to search the 1603 Sandy Prairie Road property for evidence of animal cruelty and fraud. The affidavit cited California Penal Code 597, which prohibits the malicious killing or mistreatment of animals, and Penal Code 532, which covers false pretenses and charitable fraud.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office announced the results of that operation: 117 intact canine bodies, 21 skulls, hundreds of bones, and six loose microchips recovered from multiple dig sites across the east side of the property. Many of the dogs showed signs of gunshot wounds.
“Seventy of the dogs were X‑rayed on site, and many of those animals showed evidence of bullet fragments,” the sheriff’s office news release said. “Most of the dogs recovered were microchipped.”
The affidavit that preceded the search described the need for extraordinary investigative tools, including UAV surveillance, thermal imaging, excavation machinery, and the authority to compel biometric unlocking of digital devices. Investigators argued that the property contained “non‑human materials … associated with the issue,” including paddocks, sheds, and suspected burial areas. The warrant also authorized the seizure of business records, financial ledgers, digital media, veterinary supplies, and “books and records of performance, journals, and logs of training, feeding, breeding, and/or killing.”
During this week’s operation, investigators used ground‑penetrating instruments to identify soil anomalies before excavating two primary sites. The 117 intact dogs were found in varying stages of decomposition. USDA and forensic veterinarians examined 70 of them on scene, determining that “many of those animals” died from gunshot wounds. The remaining 47 dogs will undergo necropsies off‑site.
In a northern section of the same field, investigators located additional remains so decomposed that removing them would have destroyed evidentiary value. Those animals were documented and left in place.
Inside a barn, investigators found what they believe was the primary killing location. More than 600 dog collars were recovered from the same area.
Sheriff William Honsal said the investigation is far from over.
“This investigation is just getting started,” Honsal said in the news release. “There is a tremendous amount of data to process, witnesses to interview, and evidence to examine. The Major Crimes Division is laser-focused on this case and will continue working with our state and federal partners to examine every lead.”
The excavation affidavit supporting the warrant also detailed the scope of the search: investigators were authorized to seize computers, mobile phones, tablets, SD cards, financial documents, wire‑transfer records, veterinary medications, syringes, animal‑handling tools, and any evidence of killing or disposal. The court approved the use of drones for aerial mapping, thermal imaging, and 3-D documentation of the property. It also authorized federal assistance, locked‑container access, and night service.
The affidavit offers the narrative and retractions told to the sheriff’s office by Miranda.
“Shannon’s story changed numerous times, both written within interviews and over the course of both interviews, but he did admit to euthanizing dogs at the Rescue by gunshot,” the affidavit states. “Shannon said he used a 22 caliber rifle that we seized during the search warrant. Shannon admitted to shooting up to 10 dogs a month. Shannon said he did not shoot adoptable dogs but only ones with behavioral or medical issues. Shannon said that he would sometimes give the dogs he was shooting acepromazine (ACE) to sedate them prior to shooting them. According to online searches, this is a substance only administered by veterinarians and tightly controlled. When Shannon was asked if the eight dead dogs that were recovered from his property would have ACE in their system if tested, he backtracked and said he did not always do it and only had it on hand when it was donated to him. Shannon said his preference is to shoot the dogs in the back of the head, but was confronted with some of the eight dogs found, which had apparent bullet holes in their eye socket. Shannon said that he tried to be as careful as he could to be humane about how he shot the dogs and that although he wished to shoot them in the back of the head, sometimes they were shot in different locations on their bodies due to uncontrolled movements.”
The affidavit’s probable‑cause section alleged “dishonest dealing through false representation, deceit, and misrepresentation,” citing concerns that dogs transferred to Miranda’s Rescue were not adopted out as claimed, but instead killed and buried. The warrant also referenced the possibility of mass graves and the need for excavation equipment to uncover them.
The sheriff’s office said analysts are now reviewing microchip data to identify the dogs and determine which shelters or rescues sent them to Miranda’s Rescue. Many of the dogs recovered were believed to have been transferred from municipal shelters across California and out of state.
The agency acknowledged the intense public interest in the case but urged patience.
“Due to the nature and complexity of this investigation, the evidence review process will require a significant amount of time,” the news release Friday stated. “If there is sufficient evidence to support violations of animal cruelty, fraud, or other applicable laws, the case will be submitted to the prosecution team for review.”
The operation involved the California Attorney General’s Office, California Department of Justice, USDA, FBI, Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office, Cal Poly Humboldt’s Anthropology Department, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, private forensic veterinarians, and the Yurok Tribal Police Department, which assisted with ground-penetrating radar.
A news conference is scheduled for Monday.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information about the case to email HSO@co.humboldt.ca.us or call 707-445‑7251.
Maranda Vargas can be reached at 707-441-0504