A man has been accused of killing an elderly relative and setting his body alight on a rural property, leaving a confronting scene for police.
Tristan Harry Buncle, 37, allegedly murdered a 70-year-old man he lived with on the Dimbulah property, about 100km west of Cairns.
Buncle and the man were related by marriage, police said.
Buncle appeared in Mareeba Magistrates Court on Wednesday, charged with murder and misconduct with a corpse, both classified as domestic violence offences.
The burning body was discovered on March 24 when police were called to the property for a welfare check.
Officers discovered the blaze in the yard, where they believed they could see human remains.
"They took immediate action to attempt to recover them and to extinguish that fire," Detective Inspector Jason Chetham said on Wednesday.
"We will be alleging that the two men were known to each other and they were involved in an altercation at the Stock Road property."
Det Insp Chetham said the men argued on the evening of March 23.
"What happened exactly during that altercation and what led to the 70-year-old man's death is still part of an ongoing investigation," he said.
Police declined to go into detail about the alleged corpse interference, but said the victim was burned after being killed.
"It's certainly one of the more confronting (scenes) I've heard of and obviously I've seen the images from there," Det Insp Chetham said.
Buncle did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody, with his next court appearance set for June 15.
Police are urging any Dimbulah residents who saw or heard anything relevant to come forward.