Joseph Taylor (Butte County District Attorney”s Office).
A man from California finds himself in custody after authorities discovered a burned human skull along with other remains on his property, as reported by law enforcement officials in the Golden State.
The accused, 52-year-old Joseph Dexter Taylor, faces charges that include murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, carrying a concealed weapon, and two counts of arson, according to information from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
This unsettling incident unfolded at a home on Ricky Road, nestled in the rural Hurleton area east of Oroville—a small city roughly 70 miles north of Sacramento. It is suspected that the victim is 33-year-old Chris Kidwell.
On March 21, two individuals dialed 911 after stumbling upon what they believed to be a human skull and other skeletal remains at the property in question. This discovery prompted a press release from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office.
According to the press release, “The two men reported that Taylor arrived at their residence in the early hours of March 20, visibly agitated and mentioning something about a cremation.” They also observed that Taylor had burn marks on his legs.
Later that day, charges were officially filed against Taylor, as confirmed by the sheriff’s office.
Evidence from the ensuing investigation led law enforcement to believe the remains belonged to Kidwell, a man who had been living on Taylor’s property since sometime in late 2025, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.
A confirmation of the identification is forthcoming, authorities said, pending a DNA analysis. Kidwell’s family previously contacted the sheriff’s office on March 20, after unsuccessfully attempting to contact him for about a week, according to the DA’s office.
“Evidence from the investigation indicates Kidwell was shot before Taylor burned his body,” the DA’s press release goes on.
The sheriff’s office took stock of the investigation in their own press release, relaying the order of events after the 911 call.
“Deputies responded to the location and confirmed the presence of the remains,” the press release reads. “Detectives obtained a search warrant for two parcels on Ricky Road and recovered the human remains along with additional evidence related to the investigation.”
The sheriff’s office goes on to say their investigation was “extensive” and uncovered evidence “leading them to believe” the defendant was responsible for the victim’s murder.
“Taylor was already in custody at the Butte County Jail on an unrelated felony arrest warrant,” the sheriff’s office press release goes on. The DA’s office said that prior warrant was related to a firearm offense.
The investigation is said to be ongoing.
The defendant is currently being detained on a no-bail hold and also has pending arson cases in Lake County, the DA’s office said.
Taylor appeared in court on March 26, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is next slated to appear in court on April 2.
