By admin 
FORTUNA, Calif. (KSBW/KAEF) – An animal rescue organization in Fortuna, California, is under investigation for alleged animal cruelty and fraud, with evidence including a mass grave of animals found on the property.
Read more ‘This school is f***ing ridiculous’: 8th grader’s graduation speech goes viral
“You’ve got a text message saying, ‘Zorro was adopted,’ and three days later, you’re looking at a picture of Zorro with a bullet in her head, and you’ve matched the microchip information. I really didn’t need any more evidence to stop all operations,” said Joe DeVries, the director of Oakland Animal Services.
That statement is now at the center of a growing criminal investigation into Miranda’s Rescue, a Northern California rescue organization has taken in dogs from shelters across the state, including the Central Coast.
“This is just such a huge betrayal of trust,” Joe DeVries said.
Hitchcock Road Animal Services, the joint powers authority between Monterey County and the city of Salinas, transferred 85 dogs to Miranda’s Rescue over the last six years, adding that the news has been troubling.
“We trusted that we were sending them to a place that would ultimately help them find their new, permanent home,” said Cindy Burnham with Hitchcock.
Read more Woman stabbed at First Watch restaurant in seemingly random attack
Other organizations, like Oakland Animal Services, said they were deceived, too.
“He basically was telling us that animals were adopted out and had photographic evidence of one of those animals, had their microchip number, the animal was shot in the head and thrown into a mass grave,” DeVries said.
Miranda’s Rescue is described as taking in harder-to-place dogs, whether due to behavioral or environmental issues.
According to Oakland Animal Services, at least two dogs were confirmed to have gunshot wounds.
So far, there have been no arrests.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office says it is keeping an eye on the remaining animals as more details unfold.
Read more Hooters is rebranding as a family-friendly restaurant, CEO says