Joseph Dexter Taylor has pleaded not guilty and is facing a potential life sentence
Credit: Butte County District Attorney
NEED TO KNOW
- Joseph Taylor pleaded not guilty to murder charges after burned human remains were found on his California property
- Authorities believe the alleged victim is a man who had been living on Taylor’s property since late last year
- Taylor is being held without bail and faces a potential life sentence if convicted of the charges against him
A California man has been charged with murder after authorities say burned human remains were discovered on his property earlier this month.
Joseph Dexter Taylor, 52, appeared in Butte County Superior Court on a charge of murder, according to a March 26 press release from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office. He also faces a separate charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm in a separate case, per the release.
Taylor is in custody after two individuals called 911 on March 21, reporting that they had discovered what they believed to be a human skull and other skeletal remains on his property on Ricky Road in the rural Hurleton area east of Oroville in California.
According to the district attorney’s office, the two men told investigators that Taylor arrived at their home in the early morning hours of March 20, appearing agitated and talking about a cremation. They also noted that he had burn marks on his legs.
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Authorities said evidence from the ongoing investigation “strongly suggests” that the alleged victim is Chris Kidwell, 33, who had been living on Taylor’s property since late last year. Officials added that confirmation of the victim’s identity is still pending.
Kidwell’s family contacted the sheriff’s office on March 20 after they had been unable to reach him for about a week.
Investigators believe the alleged victim was shot before his body was burned, according to the district attorney’s office.
In a March 23 statement shared on Facebook, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to the property after a citizen reported finding human remains and later obtained a search warrant for two parcels on Ricky Road.
“Following an extensive investigation, detectives located evidence leading them to believe that Joseph Taylor … was responsible for the murder of the victim,” the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities noted that Taylor was already in custody at the Butte County Jail on an unrelated felony arrest warrant at the time of the investigation.
According to court records reviewed by PEOPLE, that warrant is tied to a separate felony arson case stemming from August 2025. Prosecutors charged Taylor with arson, and a judge later found there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial. He has pleaded not guilty in that case.
Records show Taylor failed to appear at a scheduled hearing in March 2026, prompting a judge to issue a bench warrant for his arrest. Proceedings in that case have since been delayed and rescheduled multiple times, and it remains ongoing.
He was subsequently booked on one count of murder in connection with the discovery of the remains, to which he has pleaded not guilty, and is scheduled to return to court on April 2 to set a date for a preliminary hearing. He faces a potential life sentence if convicted and is being held without bail due to the severity of the charges and pending arson cases in Lake County.
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities are asking anyone with additional information to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
PEOPLE has reached out to the sheriff’s office for additional information.
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