A California fire chief, Darin McFarlin, was accused of killing his girlfriend, Marissa Divodi-Lessa, 29, and her son, second grader Josiah Divodi-Lessa, as his fellow firefighters worked to contain a massive wildfire. On August 21, 2025, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a shooting in Cameron Park about 9 p.m., according to a news release from the department.
Deputies discovered both Marissa and Josiah with gunshot wounds when they arrived at the home. Tragically, Marissa was declared dead at the scene, and Josiah died at a local hospital. Another juvenile was found in the home unharmed.
As the shooting report came in, the Amado El-Dorado unit in the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, fought to contain the raging Coyote Fire spanning 624 acres. The blaze was reportedly at 5% containment at the time.
An investigation pointed to 47-year-old McFarlin, a fire captain for Cal Fire’s Amador-El Dorado unit, as a person of interest, KCRA reported. Later that night, he was detained in Mono County. McFarlin was booked at El Dorado County Jail on two counts of homicide at 5:30 a.m. on August 22. A motive has not yet been publicly revealed.
McFarlin pleaded not guilty to five felony counts, ABC 7 reported August 26. He faces two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, as well as one count each of domestic violence, attempted murder, and child abuse.
Reportedly, Marissa and Josiah were witnesses to another crime, and McFarlin killed them because of it.
“He allegedly inflicted corporal injury on Marissa in their bedroom before she left the room and used her cell phone,” ABC 7 reported, based on court documents. That’s when he allegedly grabbed a gun and killed her in the dining room. Additionally, McFarlin allegedly tried to harm a second, unidentified child.
In a GoFundMe campaign description, a statement from Marissa and Josiah’s family reads, “Marissa was such a light and full of love and life. She loved her babies. She loved people. She loved God. She was a hard worker with an indomitable spirit and strong convictions.”
A preliminary hearing for McFarlin is set for October 16, per KCRA.
