PREVIOUSLY

###

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal spoke to reporters this afternoon at Miranda’s Rescue, where multiple law enforcement agencies are executing the second search warrant in an ongoing investigation into allegations of fraud and animal cruelty by shelter operator Shannon Miranda.

Honsal said that, from the start of 2025 through May 1 of this year, Miranda’s Rescue received more than 900 dogs from animal shelters across the state and beyond, including one in Hawaii. To date, the Sheriff’s Office investigation has confirmed the adoptions of only 116 of those dogs; another 731 remain unaccounted for.

Investigators onsite today included personnel from state and federal agencies. They were joined by members of the Cal Poly Humboldt Anthropology Department, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and private forensic veterinarians.

Investigators today used ground-penetrating radar to search for anomalies underground prior to excavating areas of the property where law enforcement believe animals have been buried, Honsal said. Investigators also searched for financial records and adoption paperwork. They plan to be onsite for the next several days.

“We’ll be done when we believe that all evidence is seized from this location,” Honsal said.

The sheriff noted that Miranda’s Rescue collected fees of $500 to several thousand dollars per animal taken in, purportedly to feed, shelter and care for them prior to adopting them out. 

“This is a fraud investigation as well as an animal cruelty investigation, and this takes time to develop,” Honsal said. He added that no arrests have been made to date. 

During a Q-and-A session with reporters, Honsal added that the ground-penetrating-radar already revealed two anomalies in the soil. The first proved to be the carcass of a horse; the second appeared to be an animal the size of a dog, the sheriff said. Other areas of disturbance have been flagged for further searching.

Once the animal carcasses are dug up, forensic veterinarians will perform necropsies, the post-mortem examination of an animal’s body to determine the cause of death, at the scene, Honsal said. Microchip readers are onsite to identify the deceased dogs whenever possible.

As for the animals that remain housed at Miranda’s Rescue, Honsal said that since it’s essentially an unregulated animal sanctuary (as California does not offer certification for such operations), neither the state nor local law enforcement has authority to shut it down. 

“So he’s allowed to have animals,” Honsal said. “He’s allowed to have animals on his ranch, or his sanctuary, and operate his business at this time. He has not been criminally charged.”

Approximately 50 dogs remain housed at Miranda’s Rescue, along with cats and birds. The dogs are being monitored three times a week by staff with the sheriff’s office’s animal control division. Honsal urged interested people to adopt them, and he highlighted the importance of spay-and-neuter programs in controlling the statewide overpopulation of unwanted animals. 

Once the Sheriff’s Office finishes collecting evidence, it will be turned over to to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office, the California Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Those agencies will determine whether any criminal charges will be brought against Miranda, Honsal explained.

The operators of animal shelters that have sent dogs to Miranda’s Rescue over the years have expressed a desire to see criminal fraud charges pressed against Miranda, according to the sheriff. 

###

NOTE: This post was updated several times from its original version to add more information from today’s press briefing.