OAKLAND — By tracing the vehicle ownership, police are hoping to soon identify a man found dead Tuesday morning in the trunk of a car that was deliberately set on fire in East Oakland.

But investigators would not say what they have learned so far about who owned the car or what kind it was.

Investigators also are reviewing missing-persons reports in an effort to identify the man so they can determine who killed him and why, police said.

An autopsy is scheduled for today to determine if the man died as a result of the fire or from other injuries. The death is being handled as a homicide.

A witness saw the car burning about 12:55 a.m. Tuesday alongside railroad tracks about 300 feet east of the intersection of East 8th Street and 50th Avenue. The tracks parallel East 8th Street and Coliseum Way. The witness called firefighters who extinguished the fire and found the man's charred body.

The killing was Oakland's 46th homicide of the year. Last year at this time there were 33 homicides in Oakland.

Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $15,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Anyone with information can call police at 510-238-3821, or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572 or 510-777-3211.


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