Authorities in Mexico on Saturday arrested the woman suspected in the alleged stabbing death of a Cal Fire captain killed in her Ramona home, culminating a five–week, bi-national manhunt.
Agents from Fuerza Estatal de Seguridad Ciudadana, known as FESC, in Baja California said they apprehended Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi near a hotel in the Ferrocarril neighborhood of Mexicali.
Marodi was later released to U.S. Marshals. According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, the 53-year-old was being processed and will be booked in county jail on suspicion of murder.
Last month, an arrest warrant was filed in El Cajon Superior Court for Marodi in connection with the fatal attack on her spouse, 49-year-old Rebecca Marodi, who worked at Cal Fire for more than 30 years.
The victim was found in her home Feb. 17 with multiple stab wounds and lacerations less than an hour after her wife was allegedly seen departing the residence. Investigators said the pair had been married for about two years.
According to the warrant affidavit, video from a home doorbell camera allegedly showed Rebecca Marodi being chased by Yolanda Marodi at 8 p.m. on Feb. 17.
“Yolanda! Please! (I) don’t want to die,” she can allegedly be heard saying in the video before appearing on camera with what appeared to be blood on her back.
“You should have thought about that before,” Yolanda Marodi, 53, allegedly said.
According to the affidavit, footage showed Yolanda standing in front of Rebecca allegedly holding a knife, telling her to enter the house.
Rebecca Marodi suffered injuries to her neck, chest and back and was found by her mother who lives in an accessory dwelling unit on the property, sheriff’s officials said. Deputies and emergency fire personnel attempted life-saving measures but she died before she could be taken to a hospital.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Yolanda Marodi was seen entering Mexico just after 9:15 p.m., according to the affidavit.
The following day, according to the affidavit, Yolanda Marodi texted a “known associate” regarding the incident. “Rebecca came home and told me she was leaving me,” Yolanda said. “We had a big fight and I hurt her … I’m sorry.”
Previously, Yolanda Marodi was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served 13 years in prison in connection with the stabbing death of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, in San Bernardino County in 2000. She was released in 2013 and moved to parole supervision.
Rebecca Marodi’s firefighting career began as a volunteer firefighter in 1993 in Moreno Valley. She attained the rank of captain in 2022 and most recently worked out of a station in French Valley in Riverside County.
“Captain Marodi … dedicated more than three decades to serving and protecting our communities with unwavering bravery, leadership, and commitment,” Cal Fire wrote on a website raising funds to assist her family.
“She was not just a respected leader and mentor — she was a beloved member of the CAL FIRE family,” the agency wrote, adding that Marodi was the primary caregiver for her 77-year-old mother.
The Litas San Diego, an all-female motorcycle collective, organized a memorial ride on March 16 to honor Marodi, who was a member of the group.
More than 200 people took part in the event that saw motorcyclists travel from Hillcrest in downtown San Diego through Ramona and into the unincorporated town of Wynola.
Union-Tribune staff writer Christian Martinez and Ramona Sentinel writer Regina Elling contributed to this article.
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