California Woman Suspected of Killing Her Cal Fire Captain Wife Is Captured in Mexico After 33 Days on the Run

Yahoo

23-03-2025

The California woman suspected of fatally stabbing her wife and fleeing to Mexico has been captured after more than four weeks on the run.
Thirty-three days after she crossed into Mexico on Feb. 17 — the day her Cal Fire captain wife, Rebecca 'Becky' Marodi, 49, was found dead in her California home — Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi was located and taken into custody, according to the San Diego Sheriff's Office (SDSO).
Mexican authorities alerted United States officials that Yolanda, 53, had been found on Saturday, March 22, the sheriff's office said. She was arrested near a hotel on Fresnillo Avenue in Mexicali, NBC 7 in San Diego reported, citing Mexican officials.
Yolanda was later released to U.S. Marshals. She will be booked into custody for murder, the SDSO said, adding that homicide investigators are still working to determine the circumstances and motivation behind the death of Rebecca, a captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Yolanda previously served time in prison — from 2004 to 2013 — for manslaughter in connection with the stabbing death of her then-husband, James J. Olejniczak Jr., per NBC 7.
Rebecca's mother found her at her home in Ramona, Calif., on Feb. 17 with multiple stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen, per the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. Officials attempted life-saving measures, but the fire captain ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
Days later, authorities named Rebecca's wife as a suspect. According to police, Yolanda was captured on surveillance camera allegedly arguing with and physically assaulting Rebecca, then fleeing the residence before her wife's mother found her.
Home security footage shows Yolanda allegedly chased Rebecca across the patio while holding a knife around 8 p.m. local time the night of the murder, according to an arrest warrant reviewed by PEOPLE.
'Yolanda! Please ... I don't want to die,' a voice believed to be Rebecca's can be heard saying in the footage, police stated. The warrant also noted that blood appeared to be running down her back at the time. Yolanda allegedly had blood on her arms and responded, 'You should have thought about that before.'
Rebecca was then allegedly seen on camera begging Yolanda to call 911 multiple times as her wife told her to go back inside. Minutes later, Yolanda allegedly loaded luggage and pets into an SUV before leaving home. She was then spotted hours later crossing the Mexican border, police said.
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Authorities later discovered texts allegedly sent by Yolanda that help paint a picture of what led up to Rebecca's murder.
"Becky came home and told me she was leaving me,' Yolanda allegedly wrote to an acquaintance one day after Rebecca's death, per an arrest warrant reviewed by PEOPLE. 'She met someone else, all the messages were lies. We had a big fight, and I hurt her ... I'm sorry.'
Rebecca worked with Cal Fire for more than 30 years after beginning her firefighting career as a volunteer in 1993. She was promoted to captain in 2022.
In a statement to NBC 7, Cal Fire acknowledged Yolanda's arrest. 'CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department is aware that Yolanda Marodi was apprehended,' the statement read. 'We thank our law enforcement partners in San Diego and Mexico for their hard work. Becky was a beloved member of our community and Department, and we miss her greatly.'
Read the original article on People