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Solved Case — Awaiting Trial

The Murder of Rebecca Marodi

● Charged — Awaiting Trial Intimate Partner Homicide Cal Fire Captain Ramona, California
Victim
Rebecca Marodi
Age at Death
49
Date of Murder
February 17, 2025
Location
Ramona, San Diego County, California
Cause of Death
Stabbing — 34 Stab & Slash Wounds
Suspect
Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 53
Charge
First-Degree Murder + Deadly Weapon Enhancement
Case Status
Charged — Awaiting Trial
Rebecca Marodi — Cal Fire Captain
Full NameRebecca Marodi
Date of BirthJune 14, 1975
Age at Death49
RankCaptain, Cal Fire
Service30+ years — promoted Captain 2022
StationFrench Valley, Riverside County
The Victim

Rebecca Marodi

Rebecca Marodi was 49 years old and had devoted more than 30 years of her life to California wildland firefighting. She worked for Cal Fire in cities across Riverside County and was promoted to the rank of captain in 2022. She was stationed in French Valley at the time of her death. In January 2025, just weeks before she was killed, Rebecca had been deployed to help battle the devastating Eaton Fire near Los Angeles.

Rebecca lived in Ramona, California, in a home she shared with her wife, Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi. Rebecca's mother, Lorena Marodi, lived in an accessory dwelling unit on the same property. Rebecca and Yolanda had been married for approximately two years. Approximately one week before Rebecca was killed, she told Yolanda she intended to leave the marriage.

On the evening of February 17, 2025, Lorena Marodi called 911. Rebecca was found with 34 stab and slash wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:14 p.m. Hundreds of firefighters, colleagues, and community members gathered for a celebration of her life in Temecula on March 25, 2025. Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser told those gathered: "She was stolen from us at a time when we need more Fire Captain Marodis in our world."

01
Background

What We Know

On the evening of February 17, 2025, at approximately 8:58 p.m., San Diego County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call from Rebecca's mother, Lorena Marodi, who lived in an accessory dwelling unit on the property at 20200 Rancho Villa Road in Ramona. Lorena reported that her daughter had been stabbed. Officers arrived to find Rebecca with multiple stab wounds to her neck, chest, and back. Life-saving measures were attempted; she was pronounced dead at 9:14 p.m.

Lorena provided investigators with Ring camera security footage from the property. The footage captured Rebecca running across the patio, being chased by a woman later identified as Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi. On the video, Rebecca can be heard screaming, "Yolanda! Please...I don't want to die!" Yolanda can be heard responding, "You should have thought about that before." Rebecca is seen asking Yolanda to call 911. The two then go inside the residence. Several minutes later, the front door camera shows Yolanda in different clothing, loading pets, luggage, and other items into a silver Chevrolet Equinox. Approximately one hour after the murder, that same vehicle crossed into Mexico at the San Ysidro port of entry, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Court papers allege that approximately one week before the killing, Rebecca had told Yolanda she was leaving the marriage. The day after the murder, Yolanda sent a text message reading, "we had a big fight and I hurt her...I'm sorry," according to Times of San Diego. The medical examiner's autopsy, conducted February 19, confirmed cause of death as stab wounds, with 34 stab and slash wounds documented. The manner of death was ruled homicide.

02
Case Timeline

How It Unfolded

~February 10, 2025
Rebecca Tells Yolanda She Is Leaving
Approximately one week before her death, Rebecca told Yolanda she intended to end their marriage. Rebecca's mother later confirmed this to investigators, and the arrest warrant cites it as the alleged motive for the killing.
February 17, 2025 — ~8:58 p.m.
Rebecca Murdered at Home
Ring camera footage captured Rebecca being chased across the patio, pleading for her life. After the two went inside, Yolanda changed clothes and was seen on the front door camera loading items and their pets into a silver Chevrolet Equinox. Rebecca's mother Lorena called 911. Officers arrived to find Rebecca with multiple stab and slash wounds to her neck, chest, and back. She was pronounced dead at 9:14 p.m.
February 17, 2025 — ~10:00 p.m.
Yolanda Crosses Into Mexico
Approximately one hour after the murder, Yolanda's silver Chevrolet Equinox was recorded crossing the border into Mexico at the San Ysidro port of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the crossing.
February 18, 2025
Text Message Sent
The day after the murder, Yolanda sent a text message to an unidentified recipient reading, "we had a big fight and I hurt her...I'm sorry," according to court records obtained by Times of San Diego.
February 19, 2025
Autopsy — Homicide Confirmed
The San Diego County Medical Examiner conducted the autopsy and confirmed Rebecca died from stab wounds and sharp force injuries, documenting 34 stab and slash wounds. The manner of death was ruled homicide. Sheriff's Homicide detectives publicly identified Yolanda as the suspect and issued a public appeal for her whereabouts.
Late February 2025
Arrest Warrant Issued — International Search
San Diego County Superior Court issued an arrest warrant for Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi. Authorities alerted law enforcement on both sides of the border. U.S. Marshals' San Diego Fugitive Task Force coordinated a binational search effort with Mexican authorities.
March 22, 2025
Arrested in Mexico
Mexican state security agents from Baja California located and detained Yolanda near a hotel in the Ferrocarril neighborhood of Mexicali, approximately five miles from the U.S. border. She was turned over to U.S. Marshals and transported to San Diego County.
March 25–26, 2025
Celebration of Life — Arraignment
On March 25, hundreds of firefighters, colleagues, friends, and community members gathered in Temecula for a celebration of Rebecca's life. The following day, Yolanda was arraigned via video from a San Diego County hospital, where she had been admitted for medical treatment after her return to the U.S. She pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and a deadly weapon enhancement allegation. Judge Peter Lynch ordered she be held without bail, citing her violent criminal history and the extreme violence of the crime.
2025–2026 — Pretrial
Case Proceeds Toward Trial
Yolanda returned to court for a status conference and bail review on April 28, 2025, followed by a preliminary hearing on June 24, 2025. As of early 2026 the case remains in the pretrial phase. She is held without bail at San Diego County. If convicted, she faces 25 years to life in prison.
03
Investigation

The Investigation

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit led the investigation with support from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals, and Baja California state authorities. The Ring camera footage provided by Rebecca's mother was central to the case, capturing both the attack itself and Yolanda's departure. CBP confirmed the border crossing, establishing the timeline. The arrest warrant also cites a text message Yolanda sent the day after the killing and documented evidence from the scene consistent with a violent struggle.

The five-week international search involved coordination on both sides of the border, with U.S. Marshals' San Diego Fugitive Task Force working directly with Mexican state authorities. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan praised the binational effort at the time of Yolanda's capture. Yolanda was located in Mexicali and transferred to U.S. Marshals at the Calexico West port of entry on March 22, 2025.

At arraignment, prosecutors cited Yolanda's prior conviction for voluntary manslaughter in persuading the court to deny bail. In 2000, Yolanda stabbed and killed her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, in San Bernardino County. She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2003, was sentenced to 11 years, and ultimately served 13 years and 8 months before being released in 2013. She subsequently met Rebecca Marodi. Judge Lynch noted the prior conviction, the number of wounds, and the Ring camera evidence in ordering pretrial detention.

04
Arrest & Charges

The Accused

Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi — San Diego County
Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi
Age 53 — Wife of Rebecca Marodi
Charges: First-degree murder, deadly weapon use enhancement
Arrested: March 22, 2025 — Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
Arraigned: March 26, 2025 — pleaded not guilty
Status: Held without bail — San Diego County
If convicted: 25 years to life in prison
Prior record: 2000 — stabbed and killed her then-husband James Olejniczak, San Bernardino County. Pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter 2003. Sentenced to 11 years. Served 13 years 8 months. Released 2013.
Key evidence: Ring camera footage of the attack, border crossing records, post-murder text message, 34 stab and slash wounds documented at autopsy
05
In Memoriam

She Is Not Forgotten

Rebecca Marodi spent more than 30 years running toward fire. She was in Los Angeles fighting the Eaton Fire in January, and she was home in Ramona a month later when she was killed. She was 49 years old. She had given her career, and ultimately her life, to protecting other people.

The Ring camera captured what happened to her. She ran. She pleaded. She asked for help. The footage exists. The world has heard her voice saying she did not want to die. And the person who killed her crossed the border an hour later and sent a message the next morning saying she was sorry. Hundreds of people came to Temecula to remember Rebecca, to say that her life mattered beyond the way it ended, to insist that the firehouses and the hillsides and the people who loved her still carry her name.

"She was stolen from us at a time when we need more Fire Captain Marodis in our world," Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser said. That is true. Rebecca Marodi is not forgotten.

"She was stolen from us at a time when we need more Fire Captain Marodis in our world."
Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser — Celebration of Life, Temecula, March 25, 2025
Domestic Violence Resources

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 — 24/7 confidential support.

One Safe Place — North County Family Justice Center: onesafeplace.org — San Diego County resources for domestic violence survivors.

Crisis Text Line: Text START to 678-678 — Free, confidential support 24/7.

Sources
San Diego County Sheriff's Office — Homicide Press Releases, February–March 2025  |  San Diego County DA's Office — Arraignment Statement, March 26, 2025  |  CBS Los Angeles — Arraignment and Prior Record, March 27, 2025  |  ABC News / ABC30 — Not Guilty Plea, March 27, 2025  |  Fox 5 San Diego — Arraignment, March 26, 20
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