Suspect arrested in slaying of 86-year-old Oroville woman on same morning Camp Fire began
An Oroville man was arrested and taken into custody this week, and faces a murder charge reportedly in connection with the slaying of an 86-year-old woman Nov. 8 – the same day the Camp Fire erupted about 15 miles north of Oroville in Butte County.
Brian Scott Madding, 42, was arrested Thursday evening by Oroville police after a warrant was issued that morning, according to reports by local KRCR News and Action News Now.
Butte County jail inmate logs available online confirm that Madding was booked about 1:15 a.m. Friday on a charge of murder.
The arrest was made in connection with the homicide death of Greta Putnam, 86, according to reports by local news outlets.
Putnam was “brutally murdered” Nov. 8 in her Oroville mobile home, a police lieutenant told the Chico Enterprise-Record later that month.
Oroville police found Putnam’s body about 9 a.m. Nov. 8 at the Cottonwood Estates mobile home park, the Enterprise-Record reported.
The Camp Fire sparked about 6:30 a.m. that day. The blaze went on to become the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, killing 85 people and destroying more than 18,000 buildings.
The wildfire and associated evacuations – including the entire town of Paradise, which was mostly destroyed – required large-scale response from law enforcement agencies, including the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
