In what's termed an extremely shocking incident, an animal shelter in California uncovered the bodies of 117 dogs.

Disturbingly, the remains were riddled with gunshot wounds and buried at different sites at the ‘no-kill’ property known as Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary.

Alarmed by the shocking discovery, authorities began digging, and what they found – nearly 600 dog collars and 21 dog skulls – raised fresh questions about what exactly took place at the animal shelter.

According to the BBC, the incident came to the knowledge of the officials in April when a neighbour entered the property and dug up the sites where, purportedly, the dogs were buried.

But notably, many dogs were microchipped.

Authorities believe this will help them identify the victims.

As remains of dogs continue to pile up, Shannon Miranda, owner of the shelter, is strenuously denying wrongdoing.

No criminal charge has so far been filed against him in the ongoing probe.

Meanwhile, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, which has been investigating the case for two months, issued a statement and urged the public to be patient.

"If there is sufficient evidence to support violations of animal cruelty, fraud, or other applicable laws, the case will be submitted to the prosecution team for review and consideration of criminal charges," the department said in a statement.