Police in California desperately want help capturing a killer. San Diego County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about an assault with a deadly weapon in the town of Ramona on February 17, 2025. Upon arrival, deputies found 49-year-old Rebecca Marodi with multiple stab wounds. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but Rebecca Marodi died at the scene.
Per a media release from the sheriff’s office, homicide detectives have named Rebecca Marodi’s wife, 53-year-old Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, as the prime suspect. According to the Los Angeles Times, authorities believe Yolanda Marodi fled to Mexico, and they issued a warrant for her arrest in connection with her wife’s death.
Rebecca Marodi reportedly told Yolanda Maroldi she wanted to end their two-year marriage, according to an arrest warrant obtained by KABC-TV. Video surveillance from the home allegedly shows Rebecca Marodi run inside, away from another woman, believed to be her wife.
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“Yolanda! Please! I don’t want to die!” Rebecca Marodi screamed. She appears in the footage with blood on her back, KABC-TV reported. Yolanda Marodi is allegedly seen in the video with blood on her arms.
“You should have thought of that before,” Yolanda Marodi tells her wife in the footage. Rebecca Marodi begged her wife to call 911 for help.
A short time later, Yolanda Marodi allegedly left the home with pets and luggage. Later that evening, the Department of Homeland Security logged her Chevrolet Equinox in Mexico.
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Yolanda Marodi served nine years of an 11-year prison sentence from 2004 to 2013, after pleading guilty to the fatal stabbing of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, per the LA Times.
“We appeal to anyone with information regarding Yolanda Olejniczak’s whereabouts to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330 or after hours at (858) 868-3200. Additionally, anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Rebecca Marodi began her career as a firefighter in 1993. For more than 30 years, she served her community in California, recently helping those devastated by the Southern California wildfires. Loved ones created a fundraiser in her honor.
“She was not just a respected leader and mentor – she was a beloved member of the CAL FIRE family,” the fundraiser reads. “Beyond her career, Rebecca was a devoted daughter, serving as the primary caregiver for her 77-year-old mother, who lived with her in Ramona. Her sudden and heartbreaking passing has left her family facing immense grief and uncertainty.”
Thus far, more than $22,000 of a $50,000 goal has been raised.
