Wife wanted in killing of Cal Fire captain, Rebecca Marodi, fled to Mexico, officials say
The search is on for a woman suspected of killing a decorated Cal Fire captain who helped fight the Eaton fire.
Yolanda Marodi, 53, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, is a suspect in the slaying of her wife, Rebecca Marodi, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Rebecca Marodi, 49, was found stabbed to death Feb. 17 at a residence in Ramona. The couple had been married for just over two years, according to a sheriff's homicide investigator who cited family members.
Yolanda Marodi is believed to have fled to Mexico. Authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest.
According to public records, the suspect and the victim shared the same address.
Here is a rundown on the case:
On Feb. 17, Rebecca Marodi's mother, Lorena, called 911, saying that her daughter had been stabbed at their home on Rancho Villa Road, according to an arrest warrant obtained by KABC-TV News. Detectives arrived to find Rebecca Marodi with stab wounds to her neck, chest and abdomen; they attempted life-saving measures but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lorena told detectives that Rebecca Marodi had told Yolanda Marodi a week ago that she was ending their marriage, the warrant states. In home security video that detectives reviewed the following day, Rebecca Marodi is seen running from a woman believed to be Yolanda Marodi, the warrant states.
'Yolanda! Please ... ! I don't want to die!' Rebecca Marodi screamed, before appearing on video with blood on her back, according to the warrant. Yolanda Marodi is seen with blood on her arms.
'You should have thought of that before,' Yolanda Marodi responded while standing over Rebecca Marodi holding a knife, according to the warrant. Yolanda Marodi told her wife to go inside the house while Rebecca Marodi told her repeatedly to call 911.
Around 10 minutes later, Yolanda Marodi was captured on the security camera gathering pets and luggage and loading them into a Chevrolet Equinox SUV, according to the warrant. She drove away and her vehicle was logged by the Department of Homeland Security entering Mexico later that night.
Rebecca Marodi started her career as a volunteer firefighter in 1993 in Moreno Valley and worked as a seasonal firefighter in Riverside and San Bernardino counties from 1994 to 2000, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Riverside County Fire Department. She was a fire apparatus engineer in 2007 and was promoted to captain in 2022.
Cal Fire, where she worked, issued a statement saying: 'It is with great sadness that CAL FIRE reports the off-duty death of Fire Captain Rebecca 'Becky' Marodi. Captain Marodi served over 30 years with CAL FIRE, primarily in Riverside County, but also serving time in San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. The tragic loss of Captain Marodi is mourned by her family, friends, and her CAL FIRE family.'
She was sentenced in 2004 to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, according to court records. She served time in prison from 2004 until 2013.
Morodi remains at large, and authorities are asking for the public's help in locating her. She is described as 5 feet 2, about 166 pounds, with brown hair, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.
Olejniczak's relatives declined a Times request for interview.
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