An international search is underway for the wife and suspected killer of Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, who was found with fatal stab wounds in the couple’s home in Ramona. NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes reports on Feb. 21, 2025.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department on Thursday identified the person they believe to be responsible for stabbing a Cal Fire captain to death in Ramona earlier this week as the victim's wife, who spent more than a decade in prison for killing her spouse in a prior marriage.
Yolanda Marodi, 53, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, is suspected of killing Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca "Becky" Marodi, who was found Monday night with fatal stab wounds at the couple's home in the 20200 block of Rancho Villa Road.
The two had been married for a little over two years, according to SDSO Lt. Mike Krugh, citing family.
Yolanda Marodi has not been arrested and her location is not known, the sheriff's department said. SDSO, U.S. Marshals Service's San Diego Fugitive Task Force and San Diego County Crime Stoppers are asking for the public's help in finding her. They believe she is driving a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox with California license plate "8BQJ420" and traveling with a small white dog.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts were asked to contact the SDSO's homicide investigators at 858-285-6330.
Authorities are also looking for Yolanda Marodi in Mexico. Carlos Zúñiga, a spokesperson for the Secretary of Citizen Security of Baja California, released the following statement on Thursday afternoon:
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"There is already coordination with the Baja California authorities through a request made by the authorities in the United States, in this case the Secretary of Citizen Security of Baja California does what is necessary in investigation and analysis to rule out or confirm, as the case may be, that this person is in Baja California."
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Court records obtained by NBC 7 show Yolanda Marodi pled guilty in 2003 to voluntary manslaughter for the stabbing death of her husband Jim Olejniczak in October 2000.
She spent more than 13 years in prison, which included additional time for the use of drugs and alcohol. She was paroled and then released from parole in 2015, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Investigators had previously said Rebecca Marodi knew her attacker and called her death an act of domestic violence but had not identified a suspect until Thursday. No other details were given surrounding the circumstances of the case, including how investigators pinpointed Yolanda Marodi as the suspect.
Someone called 911 around 9 p.m. Monday to report an assault. When deputies arrived, Rebecca Marodi was severely wounded. First responders attempted to resuscitate Rebecca Marodi, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, the SDSO said.
“I don’t know who is responsible, but it seems it was personal,” said Victoria Bradley, who knows Rebecca Marodi’s mother. “I can’t even imagine what she’s going through. It’s just devastating, every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Some of Rebecca Marodi’s colleagues on Wednesday spoke out about her tragic death. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Paul Selegue said he hopes people will follow her example.
“She was never afraid to get involved with a person who needed help and she was always willing to extend herself to assist them," Selegue said.
