Update: Police Seeking Murder Charges Against Two Men Arrested in Burning Body Case

Updated July 20, 12:04 p.m.

Oakland police said Wednesday that they are seeking to have murder charges filed against two men they believe killed a 21-year-old Union City woman and set her body on fire in the city's Rockridge neighborhood last week.

Sgt. Holly Joshi of the Oakland Police Department said the two Oakland residents were arrested and interviewed by homicide investigators on Tuesday.

"We're confident they're responsible for the murder," Joshi said.

According to Joshi, members of Oakland’s Gang Investigations Task Force saw the suspects walking in the 4800 block of MacArthur Boulevard at about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Officers attempted to stop the men, who then took off running,
Joshi said.

One of the men was found 15 minutes later in the 4600 block of Steel Street on the John Swett Elementary School campus.

Police surrounded the area and at 5:15 p.m. found the second man in the 4800 block of MacArthur Boulevard in an empty, fenced-in lot, Joshi said.

The men, whose names were not released, are being held at the Glenn Dyer Detention Facility in Oakland while the Alameda County District Attorney's Office reviews the case and decides whether to charge them, Joshi said.

Joshi said one of the suspects is a 21-year-old Oakland man and the other a 30-year-old Oakland man. She didn't disclose a possible motive for Rodas' killing.

Rodas' body was found at about 4:40 a.m. on July 14 at Ivanhoe and
Chabot roads in Oakland. She appeared to have been injured before her body was burned, police said.

According to Joshi, Rodas’ last known address was in Union City, though most of her life was spent in Oakland.

Rodas was the mother of a 2-year-old boy.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Oakland Police Department's homicide unit at 510-238-3821. Residents can also contact police anonymously by emailing oaklandhomicide@oaklandnet.com with tips.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.