117 dead dogs found at ‘no-kill’ animal rescue – many with gunshot wounds.

On Friday, the sheriff’s office announced that the intact remains of 117 dogs were found in two excavated areas on the property in Fortuna, California, about 288 miles (463 km) north of San Francisco.

A search of the 50-acre (20,000 m) facility led investigators to an additional 21 dog skulls and hundreds of other bones. Authorities said six loose microchips were found in another excavation near where the body was found.

Seventy bodies were X-rayed and found with bullet fragments. Investigators said initial investigations indicated the cause of death for most of the animals was gunshot wounds.

According to the sheriff’s office, while digging in the northern part of the same field, investigators found more dead dogs in the stage of decomposition.

He said the department found a barn where they believed “the dogs may not have been killed.”

Most of the dead dogs were microchipped and analysts are reviewing the data to identify dogs with these chips.

Miranda, who has not been charged in the case, denied the allegations made by the media and authorities in a statement before new discoveries were made on the property, saying that his institution was not “saving lives”.

Other shelters often turn to rescues like his as a last resort for hard-to-place animals. He continued that Miranda’s rescue was a “non-lethal rescue.”

Rescues are not “just to make space,” he said, but only occasionally withhold animals and only when an animal is suffering from terminal conditions or poses a serious and ongoing threat to humans or other animals.

The sheriff’s office asked for the public’s patience as the investigation continues, noting that the investigation is complex and there is a lot of evidence. No charges were filed in the two-month investigation.

“If there is sufficient evidence to support animal cruelty, fraud or other violations of applicable laws, the case will be referred to a team of prosecutors for investigation and prosecution,” the department said in a statement.