Prosecutors say the victim is believed to be a 33-year-old man who had been living on the land.

OROVILLE, Calif. — A 52-year-old Oroville man has been charged with murder after burned skeletal remains were found on his rural Butte County property, and prosecutors say evidence indicates the victim was shot before the body was burned.

The case moved quickly from a grim discovery to a formal murder charge in less than a week. Prosecutors identified the defendant as Joseph Dexter Taylor and said the victim is believed to be Chris Kidwell, 33, who had been living on Taylor’s property since late last year. Taylor entered a not guilty plea in Butte County Superior Court and was ordered held in the Butte County Jail without bail while the investigation continues.

Authorities say the first key turn came in the early morning hours of March 20, when Taylor went to another home appearing agitated and talking about a cremation. The two people there later told investigators that Taylor had burn marks on his legs. On March 21, those same two people called 911 after reporting that they found what they believed to be a human skull and other skeletal remains on Taylor’s property on Ricky Road in the rural Hurleton area east of Oroville. That call brought investigators to the property and set off the case that prosecutors outlined days later in court.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said the evidence developed so far points to Kidwell, though formal confirmation of the identity was still pending at the time of the charging announcement. Ramsey said the investigation indicated Kidwell had been living on Taylor’s land since late last year. Kidwell’s family, meanwhile, had already reached out to the sheriff’s office on March 20 after they had been unable to contact him for about a week. Prosecutors have not publicly described the full relationship between Taylor and Kidwell, have not explained where on the property the remains were recovered, and have not said what specific forensic tests will be used to make the final identification.

The setting has shaped the case from the start. Ricky Road sits in the Hurleton area east of Oroville, a more remote part of Butte County where properties can be spread out and neighbors are not packed close together. That kind of landscape can slow the public discovery of a violent crime and raise the importance of witness accounts, physical evidence and careful scene work. In this case, prosecutors tied together several strands at once: a missing man, a report of remains on private land, a witness account about a cremation and burn injuries, and evidence that investigators say points to a shooting before the body was burned. Officials have not said when Kidwell was last seen alive.

The legal case is now in an early but serious stage. Taylor appeared in court March 26 on the murder charge and entered a not guilty plea. Prosecutors also said he was already facing a separate case involving possession of a firearm by a felon, and reporting on the case said he also faced arson-related counts. Ramsey said Taylor was remanded on a no-bail hold because of the severity of the charge and pending arson cases in Lake County. His next scheduled appearance was set for April 2 to choose a date for a preliminary hearing, the step that will help determine whether the murder case moves toward trial.

Even in a case driven by forensic work, the public picture still includes human details that made the allegations stand out. Prosecutors highlighted the witness description of Taylor arriving upset, speaking about a cremation and showing burns on his legs. That account, short as it is, gave investigators a striking early lead before the remains were reported. Ramsey, speaking for prosecutors, said the evidence “strongly suggests” the victim is Kidwell. Family concern also formed an early piece of the timeline, with relatives reporting they had been trying to reach him for days. Those details, taken together, turned what may have looked at first like a missing-person mystery into a homicide prosecution centered on a rural property and a still-unfolding forensic record.

The case now stands with a murder charge filed, a not guilty plea entered and investigators still working to confirm the victim’s identity. The next public milestone is Taylor’s April 2 court appearance, when a preliminary hearing date is expected to be selected.

Author note: Last updated 2026-04-18.