Woman suspected of fatally stabbing Cal Fire captain arrested in Mexico, authorities say
SAN DIEGO — A woman suspected of fatally stabbing her wife, a Cal Fire captain, at their Southern California home has been taken into custody by authorities in Mexico, officials said Saturday.
Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, was arrested on Saturday at a hotel in the Mexican state of Baja California, the Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat (SSCBC) said in a statement on social media. She was then transferred to the U.S.-Mexico border with the help of Mexico’s National Institute of Migration.
"Mexican authorities notified U.S. Marshals that Yolanda Marodi had been located in Mexico and taken into custody," the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release Saturday. "Yolanda was later released to U.S. Marshals and taken into custody at a U.S. Port of Entry. Yolanda is being processed and will be booked into custody for murder."
U.S. investigators believe Yolanda Marodi, 53, stabbed her wife of two years, Rebecca Marodi, 49, a captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, at their home in San Diego County on Feb. 17. Authorities suspected that Yolanda Marodi fled the country after the killing.
Yolanda Marodi was seen crossing into Mexico in her vehicle through the San Ysidro Port of Entry in the hours after the Feb. 17 killing, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Her whereabouts were unknown for more than a month until she was captured on Saturday, the sheriff's department said.
The investigation remains ongoing and the sheriff's department said its homicide investigators are working to "gather more information to determine the circumstances and motivation" behind Rebecca Marodi's death.
What happened to Rebecca Marodi?
Deputies from the San Diego Sheriff's Office responded to a radio call about an assault with a deadly weapon at a residence in Ramona at around 9 p.m. local time on Feb. 17, the sheriff's office said in a news release. Ramona is a community located in northeast San Diego County.
After arriving at the scene, deputies discovered Rebecca Marodi inside her home with multiple stab wounds and administered medical aid until Cal Fire paramedics arrived.
"Despite their efforts, (Rebecca Marodi) succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene," the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office later revealed that Rebecca Marodi was found deceased by her mother who lived with the couple. She had several injuries to her neck, chest, and back that were consistent with a stabbing, the sheriff's office said.
Surveillance footage at the residence showed Yolanda Marodi arguing with her wife and physically assaulting her, according to the sheriff's office. Yolanda Marodi was then seen leaving the scene before Rebecca Marodi's arrived at the residence.
Rebecca Marodi was a 32-year fire service veteran. She started as a volunteer in Moreno Valley in 1993 and then a firefighter in the San Bernardino and Riverside units, Cal Fire said. In 2007, she became a fire apparatus engineer and was promoted by Cal Fire to captain in 2022.
Court documents reveal details about the fatal stabbing
Court documents obtained by Paste BN revealed that Rebecca Marodi was captured on a Ring doorbell camera running and screaming "I don't want to die."
Footage from the camera, on the property's patio, showed Yolanda Marodi responding: "You should have thought about that before," an arrest affidavit filed in San Diego County Superior Court said. Yolanda Marodi also appeared in the video with blood on her arms and holding a knife.
According to the affidavit, Yolanda Marodi was then seen packing luggage into a silver SUV and driving away from the scene. Court records showed that Yolanda Marodi later texted an acquaintance, saying she had "hurt" Rebecca.
Court records also revealed that Yolanda Marodi had previously served time in prison in connection with another domestic-related stabbing death. In 2003, she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of her then-husband Joseph Olejniczak, according to court records in San Bernardino County.
Yolanda Marodi served time in prison from 2004 to 2013, court records showed.
Contributing: Christopher Cann and Phaedra Trethan; Paste BN; Ani Gasparyan, Palm Springs Desert Sun