What was supposed to be a safe haven for unwanted dogs is now the center of a chilling criminal investigation, after Humboldt County detectives say they dug up eight dead dogs at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna, some apparently shot and buried on the property.
Investigators are now trying to determine whether dogs transferred in from municipal shelters across California, including Oakland and Berkeley, were killed and secretly buried. A search warrant was served at the Sandy Prairie Road property on May 1, and detectives say they seized evidence while county animal control officers remain on site monitoring the animals that are still there. Oakland and other municipal shelters have halted transfers and are scrambling to account for the dogs they previously sent north.
Search warrant followed 'credible information'
According to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, deputies received what they described as "credible information" on April 22 that something was very wrong at Miranda’s Rescue. That tip led to a court-approved search warrant, which was executed on May 1.
The agency says its Major Crimes Division is now leading the probe. Humboldt County Animal Control is scanning and monitoring animals on the property as part of the investigation, while detectives urged anyone who knows more about what happened at the rescue to contact their tip line.
Affidavit describes bullets, microchips and a profit motive
An affidavit reviewed by Oaklandside says investigators recovered eight dog carcasses from a burial site on the property, some with what appeared to be bullet wounds. Microchips traced several of the dogs back to shelters in Oakland and Berkeley. In the affidavit, Detective Julian Aguilera wrote that he believed that the rescue operator murdered these dogs so that he could accept more from Oakland Animal Services for financial gain. That allegation is now at the heart of the case.
Oakland slams the brakes on transfers
Joe DeVries, director of Oakland Animal Services, told KQED that his agency sent about 205 dogs to Miranda’s Rescue in 2025 alone. As soon as Oakland officials heard about the allegations out of Humboldt County, they say they froze all future transfers.
Friends of Oakland Animal Services, the nonprofit that supports the city shelter, says it is cooperating with investigators. Both OAS and FOAS plan to review their vetting and transfer protocols for roughly three dozen rescue partners that take animals from Oakland.
Rescue's intake and payments under the microscope
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland transferred 445 animals to Miranda’s Rescue between 2023 and 2025. Using a low-end payment estimate of 400 dollars per dog, that would total about 178,000 dollars paid to the Humboldt County operation.
The same affidavit cited in the investigation estimates Miranda’s Rescue took in more than 600 dogs from shelters last year and collected roughly 510,000 dollars in payments. Those figures are fueling fresh questions about how closely municipal shelters are overseeing private rescue partners that move animals out of crowded city facilities.
Neighbors say they dug into a mound and found a mass grave
Two women, including one who had recently purchased the parcel next door to Miranda’s Rescue, told investigators they grew suspicious and went onto the rescue’s property in late April. According to reporting by Lost Coast Outpost, the women said they dug into a mound of dirt, unearthed eight dog bodies and then used microchip numbers to cross-check the animals against shelter databases.
They later turned the remains over to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, along with photos and the microchip records that helped kick the investigation into high gear.
Legal questions and next steps
Prosecutors will now have to decide whether to file criminal charges based on what detectives uncover. The affidavit cites potential violations that include Penal Code 597(a) for intentional animal cruelty, grand theft of a dog under Penal Code 487(e) and fraud under Penal Code 532(a), as outlined by the San Francisco Chronicle.
So far, no one has been arrested or charged. Authorities emphasize that the affidavit lays out allegations and legal theories, not findings of guilt.
Shelters across California rethink rescue partnerships
Municipal and county shelters around the state are now reviewing or pausing their relationships with Miranda’s Rescue while records and microchips are checked. Monterey County’s Hitchcock Road Animal Services said it suspended transfers after hearing about the allegations, according to KSBW.
Friends of Oakland Animal Services says it is working with Oakland city attorneys and statewide animal welfare groups to tighten vetting standards and reporting requirements for any organization that accepts transferred animals from public shelters.
Investigation rolls on
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information related to Miranda’s Rescue or the recovered dogs to contact the Major Crimes Division at (707) 445-7251 or the Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539.
Detectives say they are continuing to comb through seized records, microchips and electronic devices as they try to piece together exactly what happened to the animals that were supposed to be getting a second chance at life.
