OAKLAND --

A woman's body that had been set on fire was found on a street in Oakland's normally quiet Rockridge neighborhood early Thursday, according to police and neighbors.

The body was found by residents of Ivanhoe Road, between Chabot Road and Miles Avenue north of Highway 24, at about 4:30 a.m.

Police Sgt. Holly Joshi said that the woman had been badly burned and that her identity was not immediately known. The cause of death has yet to be determined.

One resident, 62-year-old Nance O'Banion, said, "It's really disturbing to have such a quiet street disrupted with crime activity like that. It's really horrible."

Authorities were looking into the possibility that the woman was killed elsewhere before being dumped on the street.

"Our preliminary investigation indicates that this was not a crime targeting residents in the area, and that this criminal act originated elsewhere but ended on Ivanhoe Road," said acting police Lt. Serge Babka. "It appears the street was selected by the suspects for the crime because during those hours it is dark and secluded."

O'Banion said, "It's pretty easy access on and off the freeway. It's kind of scary to think they might have known about the street, being sort of off the beaten path here."