A California man lived with the body of his dead roommate and stole the deceased's identity, officials said.
A Chico man faces multiple charges after living with the body of his dead roommate for four years and stealing the deceased's identity and money, the Butte County District Attorney's Office said.A Northern California man faces multiple charges after living with the body of his dead roommate for four years and stealing the deceased's identity and money, officials said.
The 57-year-old man from Chico appeared in Butte County Superior Court on Monday afternoon and was charged with identity theft and multiple counts of forgery for writing checks from the account of his 64-year-old roommate, Kevin Olson, a news release from the Butte County District Attorney's OfficeArmed with evidence of the suspect's alleged theft, detectives with the Chico Police Department obtained a warrant to search Olson's house on the 2600 block of Burnap Avenue.
Olson's family members tried to reach out to him multiple times over the past four years or so, and a relative said the suspect"always gave various excuses as to Olson’s absences," the DA's office said. When a Chico police officer knocked on the door of the Burnap Avenue house looking for Olson, the suspect allegedly said his roommate was out of town.
A relative officially reported Olson missing to police in August 2022, and police interviewed friends and family, determining that Olson was last seen in October 2018. The missing persons investigation triggered a search warrant for Olson's bank accounts at the Navy Federal Credit Union. Olson was retired from the United States Navy.