Whistleblower Asks California Ag To Remove Animals From Miranda’s Rescue

The whistleblower who helped uncover the bodies of dead dogs at Miranda’s Rescue, a troubled “no-kill” sanctuary in Humboldt County, filed a legal complaint Monday with the California Attorney General to remove the remaining animals. 

Jennifer Raymond asked Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, which oversees charities in the state, to ensure owner Shannon Miranda isn’t hiding or selling off assets, and to move to revoke the nonprofit’s status. 

“ I am very concerned about the animals that are remaining on the property,” Raymond told KQED. 

In April, Raymond and another Humboldt County resident, Jenna Moore, went onto the sanctuary property in Fortuna and dug up the bodies of eight dogs — including one later traced back to Oakland Animal Services. 

The two women presented this evidence to local authorities, prompting an investigation by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. In June, law enforcement exhumed the intact remains of 117 more dogs, plus many more skulls, bones, loose microchips and bodies in “advanced stages of decomposition.” 

“I am also perplexed that after all that’s been revealed, that after digging up 117 decomposing dog bodies with ostensible bullet holes in their heads, that the animals are still there,” Raymond said. 

Miranda has denied the allegations that he killed dogs for profit and has called Raymond and Moore “bullies and stalkers.” Miranda’s attorney, Allison Jackson, did not respond to KQED’s request for comment.

The FBI, U.S. Department of Agriculture and California Department of Justice are all involved in the investigation. So far, no charges have been filed against Miranda. 

The complaint comes one day after animal welfare organizations gathered in Sacramento to call for the creation of a new state agency to regulate rescues and other animal companion organizations. Advocates hope policy change can help prevent tragedies in the future.

“ It is astonishing that a man who was operating a mass animal grave is still in possession of 40 dogs and an unknown number of cats, horses, and birds,” said Vanessa Shakib, co-founder of the nonprofit law firm Advancing Law for Animals. “That’s why we’re asking the California attorney general to step in.”

The complaint asks Bonta’s office to seek the appointment of a receiver to oversee the animals’ care and adoption. 

It also asks the attorney general to move to dissolve Miranda’s Rescue on the grounds that it is misusing its assets and conducting its business in a way that is “inconsistent with its charitable purposes.” 

Dating back to 2006, Raymond said she filed several written complaints about Miranda’s Rescue with local law enforcement, but never received a response. In 2024, Raymond reached out to Bonta’s office — and was told to contact local law enforcement. She said she heard the same thing from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the DOJ and the IRS.

“In order to preserve assets so that there can be some reparations paid to people who have been injured by him, we’re asking that the assets basically be frozen,” Raymond said. 

The filing comes weeks after Miranda and his husband, James Oxborrow, put their 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home in Las Vegas up for sale. It’s listed for nearly $1.1 million. 

The attorney general did not immediately respond to KQED’s request for comment.