Miranda’s Rescue probe in Fortuna expands over dead dogs allegations

Fortuna’s animal-placement network is unraveling around allegations that dead dogs were buried at Miranda’s Rescue, pushing the case from a neighbor’s backyard into sheriff’s files and city contracting decisions. The fallout now reaches residents who donated, adopted, volunteered or relied on the rescue to place animals, because the questions are no longer only about care but about who knew what, and when.

Jennifer Raymond says the case began at the 1868 house she bought next to the rescue on Sandy Prairie Road. After months of watching the property, she crawled through a tunnel she had cut through blackberry vines and fencing on April 12, found a fresh mound of dirt and dug with her hands until she uncovered the remains of a dog. Two weeks later, she returned with fellow animal welfare advocate Jenna Moore and says they found eight more dogs. Raymond and Moore later turned the bodies over to deputies on May 1.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said it received credible information about Miranda’s Rescue on April 22 and assigned the Major Crimes Division because of the seriousness and complexity of the allegations. Deputies served a search warrant on May 1 at about 6:30 p.m., seeking records and devices that included firearms, ammunition, a laptop, phone, iPad and flash drive. Humboldt County Animal Control examined animals on the property, and the county said daily monitoring would continue while the case remains open. By May 26, the sheriff’s office said it had received numerous tips and still considered the investigation a priority.

The paper trail now extends well beyond one property on the rural farmland outside Fortuna. Documents shared with the sheriff’s office alleged Miranda’s Rescue took in more than 600 dogs from shelters alone in 2025 and accepted fees while killing dogs it had promised to care for in order to make room for more. KQED reported the rescue sits on about 50 acres and charged about $500 on average to take in a dog. Love’s Legacy Rescue has said it sent two dogs, Blu and Igor, there in late 2025 and believes more than 1,000 dogs may have gone to the rescue over the years. By May 9, Moore had posted information about more than 600 dogs on a Facebook page built to crowdsource names, intake histories and outcomes.

The public consequences are already visible. Ferndale, Fortuna and Rio Dell have rescinded their contracts to place animals at Miranda’s Rescue, and Bay Area shelters have also cut ties. The rescue is still operating, with 62 dogs and cats and kittens on site, but the loss of city placements raises hard questions about where Humboldt County sends animals when local shelters are already stretched. Public nonprofit filings show Miranda’s Rescue reported 2024 revenue of $471,080, expenses of $671,516 and compensation of $98,601 for Shannon Miranda as president.

That scale is part of why the backlash has hit so hard. A 2014 profile described Miranda’s Rescue as home to 600 to 700 animals, informally launched in 1995, with four thrift stores, 27 employees and more than 70 volunteers. The organization was named Best Sanctuary for Abused Animals in Northern California by the state Assembly in 2007, and the Red Cross named Miranda one of Humboldt County’s Heroes the same year. Miranda denies fraud and cruelty allegations, while the sheriff’s office says the case remains active and public tips are still coming in.