{"id":2911,"date":"2026-06-24T06:37:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T06:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2911"},"modified":"2026-06-24T06:37:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T06:37:28","slug":"looking-for-bodies-fbi-other-agencies-descend-on-mirandas-rescue-to-dig-for-further-evidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2911","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Looking for bodies\u2019: FBI, other agencies descend on Miranda\u2019s Rescue to dig for further evidence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Multiple law\u2011enforcement agencies descended on Miranda\u2019s Rescue early Tuesday morning to begin excavating parts of the property, marking the most aggressive phase yet in a widening investigation into alleged mass animal killings, fraud and conspiracy tied to the longtime Humboldt County animal rescue operation.<\/p>\n

Read more Kurtenbach: Boris Diaw 2.0? Yaxel Lendeborg is the cure for the Warriors\u2019 identity crisis<\/a><\/p>\n

The Humboldt County Sheriff\u2019s Office confirmed it is executing a second search warrant at the 1600 block of Sandy Prairie Road, authorizing investigators to dig for what they believe are additional buried animals. The operation includes personnel from the Humboldt County District Attorney\u2019s Office, California Attorney General\u2019s Office, California Department of Justice, USDA, FBI and federal prosecutors.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Dogs sent to Miranda\u2019s Rescue return to Bay Area shelters as investigation continues<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe warrant authorizes the excavation of the property in an effort to locate additional deceased animals believed to be buried on site,\u201d the sheriff\u2019s office said in a news release after the warrant was served Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

Heavy equipment, ground\u2011penetrating sonar and a forensic team from Cal Poly Humboldt were brought in as investigators focused on areas previously identified by whistleblowers who say they documented mass graves on the property earlier this spring. By Tuesday afternoon, community members say investigators were wrapping discoveries in blue tarps, and the scent of decomposition was in the pungent air.<\/p>\n

Mass graves expected<\/h4>\n

Jennifer Raymond, one of the two women who first uncovered a pit containing eight dogs in April, said she rushed to the scene after receiving a call that law enforcement had arrived with excavation equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been almost two months since the raid \u2026 the hardest wait in the world to sit and feel like nothing\u2019s happening,\u201d said Raymond. \u201cI don\u2019t understand it from the point of view of the safety of the animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raymond said she and others have repeatedly urged the county to prohibit owner Shannon Miranda from continuing to accept animals during the investigation. Raymond was planning on attending the Humboldt County supervisors\u2019 meeting Tuesday when she received a call from Jenna Moore telling her about the search warrant.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI headed straight over here, and we came out here, and what we see is this \u2026 it\u2019s called ground-penetrating sonar, looking for bodies, and I see skid steer clearing off vegetation and a backhoe digging,\u201d said Raymond. \u201cMy big frustration is that these are tiny little pieces of equipment. There is a local company that has offered major equipment that could dig up this whole field in a day for no cost.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the investigation into alleged animal abuse and fraud allegations, Miranda\u2019s Rescue has been allowed to remain open and reportedly continues to take animals from other shelters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand it from the point of view of the safety of the animals, and I don\u2019t understand it from the point of view of the county, who, when he is shut down, will be responsible to find places for all these animals,\u201d Raymond said. \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be in their best interest to say you can\u2019t take in any more animals, you can adopt out when people come to adopt, but to get the population down, because we do not have a shelter that could accommodate all the dogs he has there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior digs guide search<\/h4>\n

Jenna Moore, who maintains multiple motion\u2011activated cameras along the property line, said she learned of the operation after friends spotted a law\u2011enforcement briefing in a nearby parking lot. She then alerted other advocates and the media.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt started by getting a phone call from a couple friends that were passing by Tractor Supply and the Riverwalk in Fortuna, saying that they think that something was going down because they saw a briefing happening in the parking lot of the Riverwalk Lodge,\u201d said Moore. \u201cThen they sent me videos and pictures of multiple sheriff vehicles, undercover vehicles, animal control trucks, there were two trucks there. The two equipment that they have there, were on separate trucks and trailers, and then they convoyed out, and so I had them follow, and sure as heck, they ended up going straight over to Miranda\u2019s Rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moore said investigators are digging directly into the same pit where she and Raymond previously recovered eight dogs and where they were forced to leave at least one more behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s multiple cameras out there. I don\u2019t see where they\u2019re at. I don\u2019t post publicly anything from it,\u201d said Moore. \u201cI\u2019m only giving the sheriff\u2019s department the information I get off of it, because the last time \u2026 my digging partner, the last time she talked to the news media and gave them a picture from my cameras, the next day Shannon\u2019s children went out and blocked the view.\u201d<\/p>\n

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She said investigators should expect to find multiple layers of animals, describing a pattern in which dogs were dumped, lightly covered with soil, and then buried again days later with new remains.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first dog they will get to is going to be a brown dog, large breed, wrapped in a blue sheet\u2026we couldn\u2019t recover at least one, we know for sure from that same batch of dead dogs that he had dumped that day,\u201d said Moore. \u201cThey\u2019re going to have three or four layers of dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moore said she hopes investigators scan recovered remains for microchips, particularly dogs transferred from Solano County, which prohibits euthanasia of its transferred animals under the contract it had with Shannon Miranda and Miranda\u2019s Rescue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they can find a dog\u2026 that has a microchip tracking back to Solano County, that criminalizes him instantly,\u201d said Moore.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of unaccounted-for animals<\/h4>\n

According to the sheriff\u2019s office, hundreds of dogs were transferred to Miranda\u2019s Rescue by shelters and private owners statewide. A \u201csignificant number\u201d have not been accounted for, the sheriff\u2019s office release Tuesday noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cInvestigators have interviewed dozens of animal shelters\u2026 and have received hundreds of tips,\u201d the agency said.<\/p>\n

The investigation began April 22 after allegations of felony animal abuse, cruelty, fraud and conspiracy surfaced. A first search warrant was served May 1, when evidence was seized.<\/p>\n

Community rescues can take animals<\/h4>\n

Raymond said multiple rescues, including Karuna Rescue, which she described as \u201ca little piece of heaven,\u201d have offered to take Miranda\u2019s large animals immediately. She said the county has not yet coordinated with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t it be in their best interest to say you can\u2019t take in any more animals\u2026 to get the population down?\u201d Raymond asked.<\/p>\n

Sheriff\u2019s office expands perimeter<\/h4>\n

Shortly before noon, deputies expanded the restricted area, telling observers the easement they were standing on is part of the private property of Shannon Miranda. Media and concerned citizens were standing on a dirt access road that runs behind the fenced yard, where several crews are excavating the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis area is closed off now\u2026 we\u2019re asking you guys to vacate this section,\u201d said Detective Julian Aguilera of the sheriff\u2019s office\u2019s major crimes division.<\/p>\n

Investigators are expected to remain on scene as long as they continue recovering evidence.<\/p>\n

A press briefing was scheduled for 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

The Humboldt County Sheriff\u2019s Office asks anyone with information relating to the investigation to contact the office at 707-445\u20117251.<\/p>\n

Read more SF Giants\u2019 Luis Arraez exits early after fouling ball off right foot<\/a><\/p>\n

Maranda Vargas can be reached at 707-441-0504.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Multiple law\u2011enforcement agencies descended on Miranda\u2019s Rescue early Tuesday to begin excavating parts of the property, marking the most aggressive phase yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Looking for bodies\u2019: FBI, other agencies descend on Miranda\u2019s Rescue to dig for further evidence - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2911\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Looking for bodies\u2019: FBI, other agencies descend on Miranda\u2019s Rescue to dig for further evidence - 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