Mass graves of dog remains found at Northern California animal rescue

The remains of over 100 dogs were found at a Northern California animal sanctuary during an investigation into suspected animal cruelty, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office said on Friday. The investigation into Miranda's Rescue in Fortuna began April 22 after the sheriff's office said they received credible information of allegations of felony animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud and conspiracy. A search warrant served May 1 at the site resulted in detectives finding evidence related to the investigation, the sheriff's office said. Investigators then returned June 23 with a second search warrant to dig at the 50-acre property and search through the buildings. The sheriff's office completed the search on Friday and announced they had unearthed the intact remains of 117 dogs from two separate dig sites. The skulls of 21 dogs, hundreds of bones and six loose microchips were also found near the dig sites. "Seventy of the dogs were X-rayed on site, and many of those animals showed evidence of bullet fragments," the sheriff's office said. The rescue describes itself as a "no-kill rescue," and in a statement by founder Shannon Miranda posted to their website, she says, in part, "Shelters often turn to rescues like Miranda's Rescue as a last resort for these harder-to-place animals. We accept animals from shelters throughout Northern California and provide shelter services to local communities without their own facilities. Miranda's Rescue is a no-kill rescue. …