Wife is suspect in stabbing death of Cal Fire captain who battled Eaton fire, officials say

Deputies have asked for the public’s help in finding the suspect identified in the killing of a Cal Fire captain who battled the Eaton fire last month.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday that they believe Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, is responsible for killing her wife, Rebecca Marodi. The 49-year-old Cal Fire captain was found dead Monday at a residence on Rancho Villa Road in Ramona.

Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, is a suspect in the death of a Cal Fire captain.

(San Diego Sheriff’s Office)

The suspect and the victim were married for just over two years, according to a sheriff’s homicide investigator, who cited family members.

According to public records, the suspect and the victim shared the same address.

Olejniczak, 53, is described as 5 feet 2, about 166 pounds and having brown hair, according to a Sheriff’s Department news release. Olejniczak’s current location is unknown.

In 2003, Olejniczak pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after killing someone in 2000. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2004.

Deputies previously said they were investigating the case as a potential domestic violence incident and thought Marodi knew her killer. The circumstances and motivation of the killing are unknown.

Marodi died from multiple stab wounds, and her death was categorized as a homicide, the San Diego County medical examiner’s office ruled Wednesday.

Anyone with more information has been asked to contact the San Diego Sheriff’s Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330 or after hours at (858) 868-3200.

An Instagram account for Yolanda Marodi contains a reference to Rebecca Marodi as her wife.

“No special occasion is ever needed, to express my love for my amazing wife,” Olejniczak wrote in an Instagram caption. “I’m so lucky to have married someone that loves me for ME. She truly helps me be a better me, and my life has never been better since she’s been in it. So glad I gave love another chance.”

Marodi responded by commenting: “I love you my beautiful wife.”

Marodi started as a volunteer firefighter in 1993 in Moreno Valley and worked as a seasonal firefighter in Riverside and San Bernardino counties from 1994 to 2000, according to Cal Fire and the Riverside County Fire Department. Marodi was a fire apparatus engineer in 2007 and promoted to captain in 2022.

Marodi was among the many firefighters who helped battle the deadly Eaton fire last month, according to an Instagram post.

Times staff writer Andrew Campa contributed to this story.