Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Wife of Slain California Fire Captain Is Arrested in Mexico on Suspicion of Murder
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 days ago on
March 24, 2025

Mexican authorities arrested Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, the prime suspect in the fatal stabbing of Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca Marodi. Olejniczak Marodi, who previously served time for killing her former husband, was caught on surveillance footage assaulting Marodi before fleeing to Mexico. (Shutterstock)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

SAN DIEGO — A month after an official with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection was found slain at her home, the woman’s wife has been arrested in Mexico on suspicion of murder, authorities said.

Investigators had named Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi as the prime suspect in the Feb. 17 stabbing death of Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca Marodi, 49, in Ramona, near San Diego.

Olejniczak Marodi was arrested Saturday at a hotel in the city of Mexicali, just south of the U.S. border, according to officials in Mexico. Mexican state security agents transferred her to U.S. marshals and she was returned to the United States, according to a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.

It wasn’t known Sunday if Olejniczak Marodi, 53, has an attorney.

She Will Be Booked in San Diego

She will be booked into custody in San Diego, and the investigation into Marodi’s killing remains ongoing, the statement said.

Marodi, a decorated captain with the state agency, was part of the battle against the Eaton fire in January near Los Angeles. She and Olejniczak Marodi had been married for just over two years.

Olejniczak Marodi was previously convicted in the fatal stabbing of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, the Los Angeles Times reported. She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after the stabbing in 2000 and served nearly a decade in prison.

Olejniczak Marodi had been at large since Marodi’s death and had driven into Mexico the night of her death, according to the statement from the sheriff’s office. She was seen on surveillance video earlier in the evening “arguing with Rebecca and physically assaulting her” before leaving the house, the statement said.

Home security footage from a surveillance camera at the couple’s home depicted a brutal scene on the evening of Feb. 17, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Times. A woman believed to be Marodi can be heard in the video screaming “Yolanda! Please … ! I don’t want to die!” before appearing on video with blood on her back, according to the warrant.

The footage shows Olejniczak Marodi packing items into a silver SUV, which is seen about an hour later crossing the border into Mexico, according to the warrant.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Will This $13 Million Contract Make Fresno Schools Cooler?

DON'T MISS

Bakersfield Hatchet-Wielding Man Gets 2 Years for Breaking Into Post Office

DON'T MISS

Deadlines for Fresno Housing Academic Scholarships Are Near

DON'T MISS

CA Bill Would Stop PG&E From Sticking Ratepayers With Ad and Lobbying Costs

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Hires Two New Department Heads

DON'T MISS

Track and Field to Be First Olympic Sport Requiring DNA Sex Tests for Women

DON'T MISS

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett Mocks Wheelchair-Bound Greg Abbott as ‘Gov. Hot Wheels’

DON'T MISS

Appeals Court Allows Trump to Suspend Approval of New Refugees Amid Lawsuit

DON'T MISS

Sacramento State Hires Former NBA Star Mike Bibby as New Basketball Coach

DON'T MISS

New CA System Tells You When and Where Pesticides Are Applied

UP NEXT

Bakersfield Hatchet-Wielding Man Gets 2 Years for Breaking Into Post Office

UP NEXT

Deadlines for Fresno Housing Academic Scholarships Are Near

UP NEXT

CA Bill Would Stop PG&E From Sticking Ratepayers With Ad and Lobbying Costs

UP NEXT

Fresno County Hires Two New Department Heads

UP NEXT

Track and Field to Be First Olympic Sport Requiring DNA Sex Tests for Women

UP NEXT

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett Mocks Wheelchair-Bound Greg Abbott as ‘Gov. Hot Wheels’

UP NEXT

Appeals Court Allows Trump to Suspend Approval of New Refugees Amid Lawsuit

UP NEXT

Sacramento State Hires Former NBA Star Mike Bibby as New Basketball Coach

UP NEXT

New CA System Tells You When and Where Pesticides Are Applied

UP NEXT

Stanford Football Coach Fired After Alleged Mistreatment Investigation

CA Bill Would Stop PG&E From Sticking Ratepayers With Ad and Lobbying Costs

13 hours ago

Fresno County Hires Two New Department Heads

15 hours ago

Track and Field to Be First Olympic Sport Requiring DNA Sex Tests for Women

15 hours ago

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett Mocks Wheelchair-Bound Greg Abbott as ‘Gov. Hot Wheels’

15 hours ago

Appeals Court Allows Trump to Suspend Approval of New Refugees Amid Lawsuit

15 hours ago

Sacramento State Hires Former NBA Star Mike Bibby as New Basketball Coach

15 hours ago

New CA System Tells You When and Where Pesticides Are Applied

15 hours ago

Stanford Football Coach Fired After Alleged Mistreatment Investigation

15 hours ago

5 High-Level CDC Officials Are Leaving in the Latest Turmoil for the Public Health Agency

15 hours ago

Fresno Man Pleads Guilty After Mistaking Undercover Officer for a Prostitute

16 hours ago

Will This $13 Million Contract Make Fresno Schools Cooler?

Fresno Unified trustees are scheduled to consider a $13 million contract with a Southern California-headquartered company to work on HVAC sy...

11 hours ago

11 hours ago

Will This $13 Million Contract Make Fresno Schools Cooler?

12 hours ago

Bakersfield Hatchet-Wielding Man Gets 2 Years for Breaking Into Post Office

12 hours ago

Deadlines for Fresno Housing Academic Scholarships Are Near

13 hours ago

CA Bill Would Stop PG&E From Sticking Ratepayers With Ad and Lobbying Costs

15 hours ago

Fresno County Hires Two New Department Heads

Staff members prepare the start line at Stade de France in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 3, 2024. Track and field will introduce mandatory DNA sex testing for athletes entering female competitions, its global leader said on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, making it the first Olympic sport to add the requirement. (Chang W. Lee/The New York Times)
15 hours ago

Track and Field to Be First Olympic Sport Requiring DNA Sex Tests for Women

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, questions the witnesses during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP File)
15 hours ago

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett Mocks Wheelchair-Bound Greg Abbott as ‘Gov. Hot Wheels’

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP File)
15 hours ago

Appeals Court Allows Trump to Suspend Approval of New Refugees Amid Lawsuit

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend